The Sheriff
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 10, 2019
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Wanasiasa kutoka muungano wa kisiasa wa vyama vyenye uwakilishi mkubwa katika bunge nchini Romania wanapendekeza marufuku au "udhibiti mkali" wa mtandao wa TikTok, kufuatia utafiti unaoonesha kukua kwa uungaji mkono wa siasa kali za mrengo wa kulia miongoni mwa vijana, ambao ni watumiaji wakubwa wa mitandao ya kijamii.
“TikTok inahitaji kudhibitiwa haraka, hususan mwaka huu wa uchaguzi, kwani imekuwa jukwaa la jumbe za kihafidhina unaopendwa na vijana,” anasema Mbunge wa Kiliberali Rareş Bogdan.
Mbunge huyo anaitaka TikTok itekeleze sheria kama mitandao mingine mikubwa ya kijamii kama vile Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, na Twitter, akipendekeza ukaguzi mkali na labda marufuku ya miezi sita ya propaganda za kisiasa.
"Ikiwa hatutachukua hatua kali za kiserikali, tunaweza kuwa wahanga wa udanganyifu," Bogdan alisema.
Lucian Romașcanu, msemaji wa Chama cha Social Democratic Party (PSD), anaamini kwamba TikTok inapaswa kudhibitiwa kabla ya kampeni za uchaguzi.
TikTok "itadhibitiwa au kufungwa," alisema Romașcanu, akibainisha kuwa ujumbe unaopinga mfumo na wenye lengo la uasi unakubalika kwa urahisi na vijana.
Majibu haya yanafuatia matokeo ya poll iliyochapishwa na kituo cha habari cha HotNews.ro, yanayoonesha kuwa 15% ya vijana (wenye umri wa 18-35) walioulizwa maswali wameonesha kuwa wangependa kuunga mkono chama cha mrengo wa kulia cha Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) katika uchaguzi ujao.
Seneta Nicoleta Pauliuc, rais wa Shirika la Liberal Women’s Organisation, anasisitiza kuwa ufikiaji wa TikTok usidhibitiwe kwa sababu ya uhamasishaji wa ujumbe wa mrengo mkali na kwamba mjadala unapaswa kuandaliwa ili kuwafahamisha Waromania kuhusu "hatari za mrengo mkali".
Mbunge Dragoș Pîslaru (REPER, Renew Europe) anapinga marufuku ya haraka ya TikTok wakati wa uchaguzi, akiuita ni wa kinyume na demokrasia na kwamba anaunga mkono mjadala mpana kuhusu suala hilo.
Kulingana na utafiti wa miaka ya hivi karibuni, TikTok ni chanzo kikuu cha habari kwa vijana nchini Romania.
Wakati huo huo, maafisa wa TikTok wanasisitiza umuhimu wa kushughulikia wasiwasi "kulingana na ushahidi wa ukweli badala ya uvumi na kutokuelewana".
Mwezi Februari, Tume ya Ulaya ilianzisha taratibu rasmi dhidi ya TikTok chini ya Sheria ya Huduma za Dijitali kwa ukiukaji unaowezekana katika maeneo kadhaa, ikiwa ni pamoja na ulinzi wa watoto.
Sheria ya Huduma za Dijitali (DSA), ambayo ilianza kutumika tarehe 17 Februari kwa majukwaa yote yanayofanya kazi katika Umoja wa Ulaya, ni sheria inayosimamia jinsi wadau wa mtandaoni wanapaswa kushughulikia maudhui haramu na yenye madhara.
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Politicians from Romania’s ruling coalition are proposing either a ban or “strict” regulation of TikTok, prompted by survey data suggesting a growing preference for the far-right among young people, who are particularly active on social media.
TikTok urgently needs to be regulated, especially in this election year, as it has become a platform for extremist messages popular with young people, says liberal MEP Rareş Bogdan.
He is calling for TikTok to adopt similar rules to other major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, suggesting strict vetting and potentially a six months ban on political propaganda.
“If we don’t take extremely serious measures, we might be victims of manipulations”, Bogdan said.
Romașcanu, the spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party (PSD), believes that TikTok should be regulated before the election campaign.
TikTok “will be regulated or closed down,” the Social Democrat said, noting that anti-system or rebellious messages easily resonate with young audiences.
These reactions follow a poll published on Saturday by HotNews.ro, Euractiv’s partner, showing that 15% of young people (aged 18-35) surveyed would support the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party in the upcoming elections.
Senator Nicoleta Pauliuc, president of the Liberal Women’s Organisation, has proposed that young people be given weighted access to some Internet applications. However, she points out that general access to TikTok should not be regulated because of the promotion of extremist messages and that only debates should be organised to inform Romanians about the “extremist danger”.
MEP Dragoș Pîslaru (REPER, Renew Europe) opposes an immediate ban on TikTok during elections, calling it undemocratic and advocating a broader public discourse on the issue.
According to surveys in recent years, TikTok is the main source of information for young people in Romania.
Meanwhile, TikTok officials stress the importance of addressing concerns “based on factual evidence rather than rumours and misunderstandings”.
In February, the European Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act for possible breaches in several areas, including child protection.
The Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force on 17 February for all platforms operating in the EU, is a horizontal legislation regulating how online actors should deal with illegal and harmful content.
Source: Euractiv.ro
