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One Billion Users, But Controversies Mount Up For TikTok

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TikTok’s breakneck rise from a niche video-sharing app to a global social media behemoth has drawn intense scrutiny, particularly over its links to China.

In Washington, the platform has been accused of espionage.

The European Union suspects it was used to sway Romania’s presidential election in favour of a far-right candidate.

And now Albania has banned it for a year, Prime Minister Edi Rama calling it the “thug of the neigbourhood”.

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Here are the main controversies surrounding TikTok:

Albania: minimum one-year ban

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Saturday the government would shut down social network TikTok for at least a year from 2025.

The move came less than a month after a 14-year-old student was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana.

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The fight had developed from an online confrontation on social media.

Romania: suspected influence campaign

The EU is probing whether far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu’s surprise victory in the first round of Romania’s presidential election was aided by Russian meddling and “preferential treatment” by TikTok.

It is the third investigation the commission has launched against TikTok, which risks fines of up to six percent of its global turnover.

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The platform said it had taken “robust actions” to tackle election-related misinformation. Russia has denied interfering in the vote.

US: sell-off pressure

The United States in April passed a law obliging TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to sell off the platform by January 19 on the grounds it allowed China to access data on US users.

If not, the platform would be banned in the United States — denying TikTok its claimed 170 million users in the countries.

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TikTok admitted ByteDance employees in China had accessed Americans’ data but it has denied giving data to the Chinese authorities.

To protect data, the US government, the European Commission and Britain’s government had already banned TikTok from their employees’ work devices in 2023.

Australia: teenage ban

TikTok was among the many platforms targeted by a landmark law passed in Australia in November banning under-16s from accessing social media.

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Social media firms that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for “systemic breaches”.

TikTok said it was “disappointed” by the Australian legislation, claiming it could push young people to the “darker corners of the internet”.

Nearly a third of TikTok users are between 10 and 19 years old, according to the Wallaroo agency.

EU: engagement feature ditched

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In August, the company, under pressure from EU regulators, was forced to ditch a feature in its TikTok Lite spinoff in France and Spain rewarding users for time spent in front of their screens.

In that rewards programme, users aged 18 and over could earn points to exchange for goods like vouchers or gift cards by liking and watching videos.

It was accused by the EU of potentially having “very addictive consequences”.

TikTok’s editing features and powerful algorithm have kept it ahead of the game, attracting an army of creators and influencers as well as creating many of its own.

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TikTok and ByteDance employees also manually increase the number of views on certain content, according to a report in Forbes.

TikTok has said manual promotion only affects a tiny fraction of recommended videos.

Disinformation

The app is regularly accused of putting users in danger with the spread of hazardous “challenge” videos.

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Several children have reportedly died while trying to replicate the so-called blackout challenge, which involves users holding their breath until they pass out.

And around one-fifth of videos on topical issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine were found to be fake or misleading in a study by misinformation group NewsGuard.

AFP, along with more than a dozen fact-checking organisations, is paid by TikTok in several countries in Asia and Oceania, Europe, the Middle East and Spanish-speaking Latin America to verify for internal moderation videos that potentially contain false information. The videos are removed by TikTok if the information is shown to be false by AFP teams.

AFP

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Obi Cubana gifts Pastor Jerry Eze mansion for birthday

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Businessman Obi Cubana has gifted pastor Jerry Eze a mansion as a birthday present.

In a video posted on his Instagram page, Cubana presented the property to the founder of Streams of Joy International and convener of New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations.

Speaking in the video, Cubana said: “So today I’ve chosen to celebrate one of my most amazing brothers, the man of God, my friend, Pastor Jerry Uchechukwu Eze. So I celebrate you today because you have always been there for us. You have been there for us before God and before man. You have always interceded for us in God’s presence, and you have interceded for us in some very powerful ways.”

He added that he made the promise in January.

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“Looking at these beautiful edifices, you were here in January, and I made a silent prayer to God that by our next birthday I should be able to finish and gift you one. But looking at it, we are still working, and hopefully it will be done soon. And I make it bold to say today I am presenting one to you as a birthday gift for the work of God and for the service of mankind.”

Cubana concluded: “So I join the whole world and everybody that wishes you well. I wish you a very beautiful birthday today. May God continue to bless you. Happy birthday, my brother.”

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Nollywood Actors And Actresses Hold Special Prayer Session For Taiwo Hassan

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Colleagues of veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Babatunde Hassan, widely known as Ogogo, will gather for a special Islamic prayer session on Friday, August 21, 2026.

Organised exclusively for industry peers, the gathering reflects growing concern across the film community following the actor’s Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, which has sparked widespread anxiety among his family, friends, and fans.

According to a statement, the initiative aims to unite Ogogo’s colleagues in faith to seek divine mercy, intervention, and full recovery for the beloved performer.

The special prayer is scheduled to take place immediately after Juma’at on Friday.

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The venue is BOS Hall, Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu Hall, LTV8, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

The organisers stressed that the gathering is strictly for Ogogo’s colleagues and urged only those who worked with or are professionally connected to the veteran actor to attend.

“It is no longer news that our dear colleague, Mr. Taiwo Babatunde Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, indicating the seriousness of his condition,” the statement said.

According to the organisers, while doctors are making efforts to save the actor’s life and members of the public continue to pray for his recovery, his colleagues also believe it is important to come together and offer a collective prayer for him.

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“While the doctors are making every effort to save his life, and as the general public, his fans, family and friends continue to pray for his recovery, we believe that it is important for us, his colleagues, to come together in a joint Islamic prayer for our dear brother and colleague,” they said.

The prayer session is also coming against the backdrop of growing concern within the Yoruba film industry over Ogogo’s condition, with several of his senior colleagues recently appealing to the public to intensify prayers for the actor.

Veteran actors Jude Kosoko, Yinka Quadri and Dele Odule had earlier disclosed that Ogogo needs intense prayers and should not be moved around for spiritual consultations given the seriousness of his condition.

Kosoko had explained that the family continues to receive calls from well-meaning Nigerians offering suggestions on where the actor could be taken for spiritual intervention, but stressed that his condition does not allow him to be pushed around from one place to another.

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“The most important thing is that he’s being attended to and we can keep praying for him,” Kosoko said.

The Friday gathering therefore provides an opportunity for Ogogo’s colleagues to unite in prayer without physically moving the ailing actor, as they seek divine intervention on his behalf.

The organisers appealed to colleagues to attend the session in the spirit of love, unity and faith, saying their presence and prayers would be deeply appreciated at the critical moment.

They prayed for Allah’s mercy, asking that Ogogo be completely healed, restored to good health and granted many more years.

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“May Almighty Allah, in His infinite mercy, heal Ogogo completely, restore his health and grant him many more years in good health,” the statement added.

The organisers also prayed for the continued protection and blessings of Ogogo’s colleagues and urged everyone to come together in solidarity for the veteran actor.

The gathering is expected to draw members of the Yoruba film industry and the broader creative community, many of whom have consistently rallied around Ogogo and his family since his diagnosis became public.

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Why Ogogo cannot be moved from hospital — Jide Kosoko

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Veteran actor Jide Kosoko has explained why his colleague, Taiwo Babatunde Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, cannot be moved from the hospital despite receiving hundreds of offers from people willing to assist with his treatment.

Kosoko made this known via an Instagram post, appreciating fans, colleagues and well-wishers who have expressed concern over Ogogo’s health and offered prayers, medical assistance and spiritual intervention.

According to the actor, more than 300 people, and possibly over 500, have reached out with offers of assistance, with each person believing they have something that could help Ogogo recover.

He, however, said it would be extremely difficult to move Ogogo from the hospital to different locations while he is receiving medical care.

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“We have received hundreds of such offers, and we sincerely appreciate every single one of them,” Kosoko said.

“However, we humbly appeal to everyone not to stop praying for Ogogo. Please, continue to pray with us.”

Kosoko said the number of offers had created a practical challenge for the family and those caring for Ogogo.

“It is extremely difficult to move him from the hospital to different locations at this stage of his treatment, especially considering the large number of people who have offered to help,” he said.

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He added: “We have received offers from more than 300, and even over 500 people, each sincerely believing that they have something that could help him. The challenge is simply: Where do we take him to? And how do we move him from the hospital while he is receiving care?”

The veteran actor appealed to those who had offered to assist not to feel offended if Ogogo could not be brought to them for spiritual treatment or other interventions.

Kosoko stressed that the inability to accept or act on every offer did not mean that the family doubted the intentions of those reaching out.

“Please understand that our inability to bring Ogogo to anyone does not mean that we do not appreciate you, nor does it mean that we doubt your intentions or your desire to help,” he said.

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He expressed gratitude for the widespread support Ogogo has received from people in Nigeria and around the world, urging supporters to continue praying for the actor from wherever they are.

Kosoko said the family remained hopeful about Ogogo’s recovery.

“We believe strongly that, with your prayers, our prayers, and the mercy of Almighty God, Taye will come out of this situation successfully. There is nothing impossible before Almighty God,” he said.

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