No TikTok ban - Gov’t says popular video app is an important communication tool

Local TikTok users can breathe a huge sigh of relief after the Government, through de facto information minister Robert Nesta Morgan, said there are no plans to ban the use of the app on the island.

There have been heightened discussions in foreign jurisdictions about the continued use of the Chinese-owned app due to data security.

"I want to assure everybody that that is not true. We have no plan to ban TikTok. As a matter of fact, we are big users of TikTok. The prime minister uses TikTok, I use TikTok," Morgan said in a video posted on the app yesterday.

The fears of flames were fanned in Jamaica after fake new peddlers began spreading information via various social media platforms alleging that Prime Minister Andrew Holness wants to ban the use of TikTok in the country. The fabricated information was presented in a manner which gave the appearance that it was published by THE STAR.

Morgan yesterday moved to shut down the falsehood while stating definitively that the Government has no intentions to ban the use of TikTok.

"A lot of Jamaicans within the diaspora use TikTok to communicate and the Government also uses TikTok to communicate. So we see it as a tool to transfer information from the Government to people," the minister said.

Several public bodies overseas have banned the app from official devices. In the USA, a group of lawmakers is pushing to have a nationwide ban on the popular video app because of security concerns with its Chinese owners.

Morgan said while they cannot control the rules and regulations of other countries, the Government is committed to having a free communication space in Jamaica.

"Our commitment is to have a free communication space. Jamaica is in the top 10 in terms of press freedom," said the minister, while noting that TikTok is not only used for entertainment but is utilised for tutorials and communication between the people and their government.

"People have set up business on TikTok and other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. It's an economic opportunity for a lot of people and not just entertainment," Morgan reasoned.