Kenya Considering TikTok Ban for Government Top Officials

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki is turning his attention to a new security threat. The Cabinet secretary is considering the ban of the Byte Dance Chinese app, TikTok for Kenyan top government officials.

While speaking before the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly, Kindiki said they are considering forming another layer of defence forces to guard the country against possible cyber security.

“Today cyberspace is a threat of risk, and therefore going forward we should invest in internal security and defence arrangements that will create a fourth defence try. We need both military and internal security expertise and technology people to be the fourth arm of our defence to secure our cyberspace.”

Kindiki added that even though the matter was not straightforward, the government has written to the owners of TikTok to raise concerns over the misuse of the App by criminals to spread malicious propaganda, steal popular accounts, conduct fraud by duping Kenyans into fake forex trade and distribute sexual content.

This comes days after the United States passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the United States unless the App sells to America. This was because the house feared that the Chinese Government could eventually get information about the Americans through the App.