Saudi campaign to boycott TikTok spreads to private sector

Many Saudis are calling for a boycott of the popular social media platform over it allegedly removing pro-Saudi content.
TikTok
This photograph taken in Mulhouse, France, on Oct. 19, 2023, shows the logo of the social media video-sharing app Tik Tok reflected in mirrors. - SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images
Beatrice Farhat headshot (new)
Beatrice Farhat
@beatricefarhat

BEIRUT — Calls are growing to boycott the popular TikTok social media platform in Saudi Arabia, which accuses the app of censoring Saudi content.

Saudis have taken to social media to denounce TikTok’s alleged restricting of Saudi content. Many users accuse the platform, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, of deleting Saudi accounts and removing pro-Saudi videos on its app while allowing comments that tarnish Saudi Arabia’s image.

The “Boycott TikTok” hashtag has been trending in Saudi Arabia this week  after social media users said their accounts were suspended or their videos deleted. According to media reports, the TikTok account of a Palestinian man was removed on Friday after posting a video praising Saudi aid for the Palestinians amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more