TikTok users could face severe penalties such as a permanent ban following an agreement by President William Ruto and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to regulate the popular social media platform during a meeting on Thursday.
Kenyans.co.ke has learned that the penalties will also include strikes, content restriction and restriction from using features such as the live segment.
Some of the content TikTok community guidelines targets include explicit activity, nudity, graphic content and animal mistreatment.
Here are the penalties Kenyans are likely to face for explicit and harmful content.
Permanent Ban
According to the platform's Community Guidelines, a permanent ban is imposed in circumstances when content is aimed at exploiting the youth, promoting non-consensual acts such and human trafficking.
A permanent ban will also be imposed on users who are already banned and create other accounts to evade punishments.
Removal of Content
In instances where it is established that content violates the community guidelines, a person's video will be removed from the platform.
In such instances, the owner of the account will be informed of the strike even as the platform offers a leeway for one to appeal if they are not content with the decision. A strike stays in place for 90 days.
"If your TikTok content is under review, it will be reviewed by our Trust and Safety team to determine whether it should be removed or made ineligible for the For You feed according to our Community Guidelines. This may happen when you upload content if it gains popularity, or if it's reported," TikTok explains in its community guidelines.
Restricted Features
Notably, one of the features that has been at the centre of the government's campaign to have the platform regulated is the live session in which some users promote explicit content.
In the guidelines, one will be restricted from using the live features if they are a repeat offender.
"For violations when using certain features such as LIVE or direct messages, we may temporarily restrict access to the feature while your content is under review to ensure that you don't immediately re-engage in violative behaviour," TiKTok's guidelines read in part.
Government Proposals
Apart from the TikTok guidelines, there are also proposals to amend the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act to protect users against pornographic content.
During an interview on NTV on August 2, ICT CS Eliud Owalo stated that his ministry would collaborate with various departments such as the National Assembly to propose laws that will stipulate hefty penalties for some of the graphic content.
Meanwhile, Executive Officer of Bridget Connect Consultancy Bob Ndolo has proposed a total ban on the use of TikTok.
However, that is unlikely given that TikTok's CEO undertook to establish an office in Kenya during his meeting with Ruto even as they seek to expand their operations in Africa.
Reuters Institute Digital News report 2023 survey revealed that Kenya leads in world TikTok usage.
