President Mahama explains why Ghana must rethink regulation of TikTok, new media

President John Dramani Mahama has explained why he believes Ghana needs a broader conversation on how TikTok and other new media platforms should be regulated, pointing to concerns over information integrity, anonymous content and the difficulty of balancing free expression with harmful or misleading material. He said the rapid democratisation of information, where anyone with a mobile phone can publish content to a potentially large audience, had created challenges that traditional media regulation was not designed to address. Speaking at a town hall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York on Friday, September 25, President Mahama said TikTok had become part of a wider global debate over how to protect the integrity of information in the digital age.

“There is a new term that I call information integrity. Anybody with a mobile phone can disseminate information. There is a new medium called TikTok.

And it’s not only Ghana where people are wondering what to do to regulate TikTok. Because in all countries all over the world, we are wondering what to do to make sure that we have information integrity even with TikTok,” he said. Anyone can publish President Mahama said the nature of new media differed significantly from traditional journalism, where professional journalists and established media organisations have reputations to protect.

He cited the Daily Graphic and Channel One as examples of traditional media outlets where journalists put their professional credibility behind the stories they publish. “Anybody who has a phone just puts it in front of him and just says whatever he likes. Once they put it out, it has an algorithm that shares it,” he said.

He said the ability of platforms to amplify content through algorithms meant that information could spread rapidly regardless of whether it met the standards traditionally associated with professional journalism. The President also expressed concern about the use of anonymous accounts to publish insulting and what he described as vile content. ‘I don’t mind being insulted’ President Mahama said his call for a discussion on regulation was not motivated by a desire to shield himself from criticism or insults.

“As a leader, I don’t mind being insulted. I have a tough skin; so if you insult me, I don’t mind,”…