Gabon strengthens digital regulation as TikTok suspends thousands of accounts

Gabon and TikTok have taken a decisive step toward resolving their regulatory differences through constructive dialogue. During the AI for Good / WSIS global summit in Geneva, the country’s Minister of Digital Economy, Mark-Alexandre Doumba, held high-level talks with TikTok’s regional leadership to assess the platform’s compliance with Gabon’s updated social media laws.

These discussions come at a time when Gabon is tightening oversight of digital platforms. Key issues addressed included social media governance, user protection—especially for minors—and TikTok’s commitments to align with the country’s newly enacted regulations.

The delegation from TikTok, led by Emir Gelen (Regional Director for Government Relations covering the Middle East, Eurasia, and Africa) and Maria Cohn (Deputy Director of Government Relations), provided a comprehensive update on their moderation efforts for the first quarter of 2026. According to TikTok’s figures, the platform removed 23,504 sensitive posts during this period, including:

• 13,930 pieces of content deemed harmful to the safety and well-being of minors;
• 10,784 posts promoting regulated goods, services, or activities.

A significant portion of these removals targeted sexualized content, as well as material involving physical or sexual abuse of minors.

TikTok highlighted substantial improvements in its moderation systems, boasting that 99.8% of violating content was proactively removed—92.9% before users could even report it. The platform also reported that 97.2% of flagged content was taken down within 48 hours, and 4,352 accounts were permanently suspended during the quarter.

Following the meeting, Gabonese authorities and TikTok agreed to continue collaboration over the next 12 months—a timeline aligned with the compliance period set by the country’s Ordinance Regulating Social Networks.

For Minister Doumba, this partnership represents a balance between fostering digital innovation and safeguarding citizens. He emphasized the government’s commitment to combating misinformation, cyberbullying, hate speech, and other harmful content that threatens young people’s mental health.

This engagement underscores Gabon’s resolve to enforce national laws while cultivating a digital environment that is safer, more accountable, and better suited to the needs of its users.