Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation has called on media institutions and digital platforms to refrain from discussing or publishing content related to citizens' personal lives and family disputes. The move aims to protect individuals' private lives, with the council threatening legal action against those who fail to comply. This decision follows reports of media outlets publishing sensitive information about citizens' personal lives.
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation, along with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, has issued a joint decision requiring social media platforms to block the creation of independent accounts for children under 13 and activate "safe mode" for accounts of users between 13 and 15 years old. The platforms have been given three months to comply with the new regulations and must submit a plan and timeline for implementation within 30 days.
The decision to regulate social media use comes after President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi instructed state institutions to protect young people from the risks of social media misuse. The new regulations will apply to existing accounts, and platforms will be required to review and adjust accounts that are found to belong to users under 15. An appeal mechanism will be put in place for users who believe their age has been incorrectly classified.
The Egyptian government has also made progress in compensating the family of activist Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh, who was killed in 2015 during a protest in Cairo. The Ministry of Interior has disbursed the compensation, as ordered by a court, after years of lobbying by Al-Sabbagh's family and the Socialist Popular Alliance party.
In a separate incident, 54 irregular migrants attempting to reach Europe were intercepted and detained in Egypt after their rubber boat broke down off the coast of Matruh. The migrants, mostly from Sudan and Bangladesh, had set off from Libyan shores but were rescued by Egyptian authorities after sending out a distress signal.
A captain of a ship owned by an Egyptian company was killed in a Russian port on September 13 after the vessel came under fire. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident, which occurred as the ship was sailing from Russia to Turkey.
US CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cairo to discuss regional security issues with President El-Sisi, including the conflict in Gaza, the situation in Sudan, and attacks on Gulf states. The talks also touched on the threat posed by Iran and security challenges in the Horn of Africa.
Key points
- Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation cracks down on media content and social media use.
- New regulations require social media platforms to block accounts for children under 13 and activate "safe mode" for younger users.
- The Egyptian government disburses compensation to the family of activist Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh, killed in 2015.
