TikTok in talks with Jordan to lift month-long ban – Science & Tech

TikTok said Monday it is in talks with Jordan to lift a ban in place since December after videos posted on the app were accused of “inciting murder and chaos”.

Jordanian authorities on December 16 suspended use of the app in the kingdom, after a senior police officer was killed and others were injured during protests over fuel prices in the country’s south.

“We have faith that through our ongoing conversations with the authorities, we can arrive at a resolution that would allow TikTok to continue serving the millions of users in Jordan,” TikTok said in a statement.

“We are also committed to keeping TikTok a safe and positive environment for our global community,” the statement added.

In December, several provinces in the south of Jordan saw strikes by drivers over spiralling fuel costs.

At the time, government spokesman Faisal al-Shaboul accused the app of “publishing a huge amount of videos inciting murder and chaos”.

Forty-nine security force members were reported injured and 44 people were arrested during the protests, the authorities said at the time.

The demonstrations came as fuel prices in the kingdom had nearly doubled compared to a year earlier.

The World Bank says Jordan is heavily in debt and faces around 23 percent unemployment.