7 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Will Egypt ban TikTok? MP discussions underway
The head of the House of Representatives' Communications Committee, MP Ahmed Badawy, said on Saturday that talks are underway with TikTok officials to improve the content published on the platform.
In an interview with Extra News TV channel, Badawy said, 'Over the past period, we held several meetings attended by representatives of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and the regional director of TikTok in Egypt and North Africa. Important topics were raised, most notably the immoral content published on the platform, which does not comply with standards and regulations and should not be exposed to society.'
'We asked the platform representatives why this content continues to exist and why it is not being removed or blocked. The regional director responded that they need time to improve the situation,' he explained.
Badawy continued that 'We explained that we have an important law, the Anti-Cybercrime Law, and we said that if the content is not improved and the offenders are not blocked, the provisions of the law will be applied, which allows NTRA to take legal action, up to and including blocking the platform if necessary, as has happened in several other countries.'
'Unfortunately, the platform allows this content to remain because it generates significant financial gains, and we strongly reject this. We emphasized that if actual steps are not taken to improve the content, the law will be implemented, and NTRA has the right to block the platform if it violates the law,' he explained.
Badawy continued: 'I appreciate the efforts of Interior Ministry of and the General Administration of Information Technology, which successfully enforced the law. Some violating users were arrested. Later, we noticed that 75 percent of users who had posted inappropriate content on the platform had completely disappeared. This is an official figure, and this demonstrates the importance of deterrence.'
He explained: 'NTRA immediately notifies platform administrators when any violation is detected, and the offending content is blocked. This has happened many times in the past. If the platform fails to comply, the law gives the authority the right to take legal action.'
Badawy said that 'as an Egyptian state, both at the legislative and executive levels, we encourage investment in the information technology industry and issue laws that encourage this. However, when published content exceeds controls, rules, and standards and poses a real threat, a serious stance must be taken.'
He concluded that 'Communications Committee is taking a firm stance on this issue, and discussions are ongoing with platform officials. However, we emphasized that official action must be taken through the NTRA until the committee's recommendations are implemented.'
