Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has given short video social media platform TikTok a three-month deadline to regulate its content to adhere to “Egyptian social and moral standards,” reported Ahram Online on 2 August.
This announcement follows a meeting between TikTok’s Middle East and North Africa CEO, the NTRA chief, and members of the House’s committee, in which the social media giant committed to revisiting its content moderation policies to suit Egypt’s cultural norms, said Ahram Online citing House of Representatives Telecommunications committee head Ahmed Badawi’s appearance on Al Shams TV programme Alamat Istifham on 2 August.
The tension between the Egyptian authorities and TikTok is no new development, with content creator Suzy El-Ordonia being the latest in a series of arrests made by the Egyptian Interior Ministry over the past years for the alleged offending cultural sensibilities, posting “inappropriate content” and “violating family values,” and even human trafficking — with some cases resulting in imprisonment.
The House committee has been in talks with the NTRA for a year now, aiming to explore new mechanisms of regulation. According to Badawi, these measures are intended to “preserve Egyptian values and identity by promoting content that aligns with societal values and customs.”
Badawi did not clarify what the consequences would be should TikTok fail to meet requests.
Why did this TikTok controversy begin?
In a 2024 interview with popular talk show host Amr Adib, Badawi highlighted Parliament’s efforts to take legal action against pages and accounts that post videos deemed to “spread immorality and debauchery.”
Ahmed Badawi clarified that while TikTok is extremely popular in Egypt, there are no plans to shut it down. Instead, he intends to propose legislative amendments aimed at regulating the profits earned through the platform and ensuring they fall under tax regulations to safeguard state interests.
“We’ve received numerous complaints from citizens about videos that breach community standards, and there have been widespread social media campaigns urging the complete shutdown of the TikTok app. However, the focus should not be on banning the app but on raising awareness about the risks associated with it,” Badawi said.
In recent years, Egypt has detained several women for producing content considered inappropriate and contrary to family values.
In 2020, Haneen Hossam and Mawada al-Adham were each sentenced to ten and six years in prison and fined 300,000 EGP (USD 18,750) on charges of “violating family values and principles.” More recently, security services have arrested blogger Rouky Ahmed for posting indecent content on social media.
Human rights advocates and lawyers have criticized the use of vaguely-defined charges related to family values and public morals, noting that such charges are frequently applied in the Egyptian legal system against women hailing from working class backgrounds.
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