RSF calls on government of Kyrgyzstan to lift TikTok blocking

The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about the blocking of TikTok in Kyrgyzstan. The organization’s statement was posted on X social media.

Recall, the Service for Regulation and Supervision in the Communications Industry under the Ministry of Digital Development sent a letter to the country’s Internet providers asking them to restrict access to TikTok social media platform.

Previously, the agency received a letter from the State Committee for National Security. It says that «there is no systematic and principled approach to censorship of content,» in particular in the children’s information space, in the Kyrgyz segment of TikTok.

The Ministry of Culture sent a request to block TikTok to the Ministry of Digital Development at the end of August last year.

The Ministry of Digital Development was asked to block TikTok in Kyrgyzstan. The department noted that the number of requests expressing concern from a number of non-governmental organizations about the harmful effects of TikTok social media platform, which negatively affects the mental development and health of children, has been increased.

This decision caused a wide resonance both in society and among experts. The opinion has been spread that the ban on the popular social media platform will aggravate the problems of small and medium-sized businesses, damage freedom of speech and democracy in the Kyrgyz Republic, and reduce opportunities for self-expression among young people.