Juba, 28 January 2025—The Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) welcomes the lifting of the blockage of Facebook and TikTok and calls on the government to uphold its constitutional duty to protect press freedom and the right of access to information to serve the public good.
While containing the rapid spread of inflammatory content on social media is significant, AMDISS appeals to the National Communication Authority to expedite the process of lifting the ban and allow the social media companies to moderate their platforms and enforce measures to avert the spread of inflammatory content and misinformation to reduce harm.
The recent Facebook and TikTok blackout not only restrained this fundamental right but also hindered the media from gathering and sharing information and limited the public from expressing their opinions and engaging in public discourse. It is worth noting that social media has become a vital tool for communication, especially in South Sudan, where there is limited access to mainstream media.
This shutdown silences voices and represses democratic participation at a time when open conversation is highly indispensable to tackling the core challenges facing South Sudan. It is our conviction that Facebook and TikTok will help the mainstream media monitor voter registration exercises, stimulate effective civic education, and enable massive mobilization of voters to exercise their democratic rights during the 2026 polls. For future occurrences, AMDISS appeals to the government to collaborate with Meta and TikTok to blur out graphic content and give the users a choice to make and take responsibility for their actions.
AMDISS is an independent member-based media training and advocacy organization in South Sudan formed in 2003 to work towards creating an enabling environment for media freedom through advocacy and dialogue with stakeholders.
For more information on this press release, contact us at [email protected]
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