The Jordan government announced a “temporary ban” on TikTok, claiming the app failed to “deal with publications inciting violence and disorder,” according to the Associated Press.
The announcement on Friday came after a high-ranking police officer was killed amid protests over high fuel prices in the city of Maan. The city’s deputy police director, Abdul Razzaq Abdel Hafez Al Dalabeh, was shot and killed on Thursday, per the Associated Press.
“We will not tolerate violence against our security personnel, who work day and night to protect Jordan and Jordanians,” King Abdullah II of Jordan said in a statement, stating he would “deal firmly” with outlaws, according to the AP.
Videos circulated on TikTok of protests across the country and strikes by truck drivers opposed to high fuel prices, prompting the country’s Public Security Directorate to suspend the app “after its misuse and failing to deal with publications inciting violence and disorder,” per the AP.
The government did not say how long the “temporary ban” on TikTok would last, according to the AP. Internet service in Maan and Karak – both cities where protests and strikes have broken out – was disrupted, according to the outlet.
The truck drivers continued their strike on Friday, according to the AP, while the protests subsided.
Jordan has a history of restricting internet access for its citizens, especially during periods of political upheaval, according to Freedom House, a nonprofit funded by the US government that studies global democracy and freedoms.
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