Egyptian authorities have arrested at least seven to eight TikTok creators (predominantly women) in less than a week on broadly defined charges including "indecency," "misuse of social media," and "violating public morals." Complaints filed by over 32 lawyers accused these creators of endangering youth and spreading immoral content for views and profit.
In response, Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and parliament’s telecom committee have issued TikTok a three-month deadline to overhaul its moderation policies and align content with Egyptian cultural and moral standards. TikTok has held high-level meetings with officials and pledged reforms, but faces legal action or a full platform ban if violations persist.
This escalation has drawn criticism from human rights experts, who warn that the vague charges are being used to suppress freedom of expression—especially targeting young, lower-middle-class female influencers. Worthy of note, nearly 3 million videos from Egyptian TikTok were removed earlier this year.
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