Mauritius: A three-day TikTok Online Safety training session addressing TikTok Community Guidelines, Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity kicked-off yesterday at The Core Building in Ebène.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Darsanand Balgobin; the Public Policy Director, TikTok Africa, Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda; Delegates; Officials from different Ministries; and other personalities were present at the opening ceremony.
The training is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation and ByteDance Ltd (Tiktok) with three target audiences, namely: representatives from Ministries and Departments, Officers from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-MU) as well as Government Officials working in the fields of Law Enforcement, National Intelligence and Economic crimes; and, parents, teachers and guardians.
In his address, Minister Balgobin emphasised the evolution of social media, highlighting that the number of global social media users has now reached 4.9 billion. He said that projections indicate an increase to around 5.8 billion by 2027, encompassing nearly three-quarters of the world’s population.
Mauritius, he remarked, with an online community exceeding 800,000 users, encounters a surge in reported issues on social media platforms. He stated that Mauritius has partnered with TikTok to expedite incident resolution.
Minister Balgobin assured the timely management of reports from Facebook and TikTok and suggested that TikTok could enlist the help of Mauritians or diaspora members to address complaints in Mauritian Creole.
Highlighting the need for education and awareness, the Minister said that the training sessions will upskill participants on TikTok’s responsible usage, focusing on incident handling, content moderation and safety tools. The goal is to foster a safer digital space for young users.
Minister Balgobin also outlined key cybersecurity measures to protect Mauritius online. These are a new law with fines of up to one million rupees or a maximum of 10 years imprisonment for online offences and a comprehensive 2023-2026 Cybersecurity Strategy underscoring the Nation’s commitment to bolstering its digital defences.
Sibanda, on his part, reiterated the importance of online safety and the dedication to fostering a positive online community. He underscored TikTok’s commitment to invest in technology that encourages users to create uplifting and constructive content. Online safety is an ongoing effort that cannot be achieved in a single step. Therefore, collaboration is of utmost importance, he emphasised.