The suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Saturday, sparked controversy of an imminent defection when she shot a viral video of herself vibing to a music praising President Bola Tinubu. In the 15-second clip posted on her TikTok page, the senator was seen giggling as she repeatedly played the track by popular Kano musician, Dauda Kahutu, otherwise …

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested popular TikTok personality, Murja Ibrahim Kunya, in Kano over allegations of abusing the Nigerian currency, the naira. A source within the anti-graft agency confirmed Kunya’s arrest to Kano-based Freedom Radio over the weekend, noting that an investigation is currently underway. ‘The investigation is ongoing, and once completed, she will be charged …

The Federal Government has called for a thorough investigation into the mysterious death of a Nigerian TikTok content moderator, Ladi Olubunmi, in Kenya. The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Thursday, urged Kenyan authorities to determine the circumstances surrounding Olubunmi’s death, which has sparked concerns over the treatment of Nigerians working abroad. Olubunmi, an employee …

Parents of four British teenagers who believe that their children died after participating in viral trends (challenge) that circulated on TikTok in 2022 have sued the video-sharing platform. According to the parents, the children, Isaac Kenevan, Archie Battersbee, Julian “Jools” Sweeney and Maia Walsh, died while attempting the trend called “blackout challenge”. BBC reports that the US-based Social Media Victims …

Venezuela’s highest court on Monday fined TikTok $10 million in connection with viral challenges that authorities say left three adolescents dead from intoxication by chemical substances. Supreme Tribunal of Justice Judge Tania D’Amelio said that the popular video-sharing app had been negligent in failing to implement “necessary and adequate measures” to stop the spread of content encouraging the challenges. TikTok, …

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has indicated that TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) are yet to comply with tax filing requirements in accordance with Nigeria’s regulatory framework. The social media platforms were identified in a report obtained by PRNigeria, titled “Analysis of Compliance with Laws and Misinformation Management by Social Media Platforms in Nigeria”. Google, LinkedIn, and Meta …

TikTok announced on Monday the rollout of its revamped “Subscription” monetization feature to eligible creators in select regions, including Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. The platform plans to expand this offering to additional markets in the coming weeks. This launch follows TikTok’s announcement in March that it would rebrand its LIVE …

The United States in a lawsuit on Friday accused TikTok of violating children’s privacy by collecting data about them without their parents’ permission when they use the app. The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) joined forces in a civil suit saying the popular video-snippet sharing app broke the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). “TikTok knowingly and …

United States President Joe Biden recently signed a bill that could potentially result in the ban of TikTok in the US if its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year. US lawmakers are concerned about the potential national security risks associated with the app, particularly if the Chinese government were to gain access to the data …

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that it is engaging with major social media platforms to curb the excesses of their users. Director of Broadcast Monitoring of the NBC, Francisca Aiyetan, stated this on Friday while speaking with Daily Trust on the plan of the commission to regulate social media. She said if social media is not regulated, young …