TikTok, known for its short-form videos and wide user base, has become the second most popular social media platform in Saudi Arabia, boasting over 26 million active users as of 2023. However, recent allegations of algorithm manipulation and biased treatment have sparked outrage among Saudi users.

The lack of a satisfactory response from TikTok has further intensified the boycott.

According to campaign organizers, the app’s algorithms have been accused of suppressing content that portrays Saudi Arabia in a positive light, while allowing negative or critical content to thrive. This alleged bias has led to the banning of numerous accounts that have expressed support or admiration for the Kingdom.

The boycott gained momentum when TikTok published a statement in response to the allegations, failing to provide any concrete promises of corrective actions. This response, or lack thereof, further fueled discontent among Saudi users, triggering a wave of calls to stop using the app.

Prominent social media influencers and celebrities have joined the campaign, utilizing their large followings to amplify the message and encourage others to participate. The hashtags have trended across various platforms, with users sharing their grievances and urging TikTok to address the concerns raised by the campaign.

Critics argue that TikTok’s alleged manipulation of its algorithms and biased treatment not only infringes upon freedom of expression but also hampers the app’s credibility and fairness as a platform for diverse voices.

TikTok’s popularity in Saudi Arabia has provided a platform for creative expression and entertainment, making it a significant avenue for social interaction and content creation. However, the boycott campaign highlights the growing demand for transparency, accountability, and fair treatment by social media giants.

As the campaign gains traction, TikTok faces increasing pressure to address the allegations and engage with its Saudi user base. The boycott serves as a reminder to social media platforms that users expect their voices to be heard and their concerns to be taken seriously.

The impact of the boycott on TikTok’s user base and its reputation remains to be seen. However, it underscores the power of collective action and the growing influence of social media users in holding platforms accountable for their practices.

TikTok has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the boycott campaign or the allegations of algorithm manipulation and bias. Users, meanwhile, continue to voice their concerns and advocate for a fair and transparent social media environment.

STC had contacted the Spanish government on Tuesday to inform it of the deal, which would make STC the Spanish telecom’s largest shareholder, Calvino said in Brussels.

“Telefonica is a strategic company for our country and as government we will apply all the mechanisms that are necessary to prioritise the defence of our strategic interests,” Calvino told reporters when asked about STC’s move.

STC (7010.SE) is Saudi Arabia’s largest telecoms operator and is 64% owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the main engine of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 to wean the economy off its dependence on oil.

In a bid to protect companies whose value had plummeted since the COVID-19 pandemic from hostile takeovers, the Spanish government has had the power to block acquisitions of stakes of 10% or larger in listed companies by entities from outside the European Union and European Free Trade Association.

Calvino said Madrid was analysing the application of the relevant defence mechanisms, the sector, its relation with Spain’s security and defence of Spain, STC’s shareholding, the exercise of voting rights and the participation in the board or other decision-making bodies of the company.

“Fortunately, since we arrived in government we have reinforced the mechanisms for protecting our strategic interests,” Calvino added.

The threshold at which the government can intervene was recently lowered to 5% for companies related to defence.

Telefonica is listed as a defence provider on government websites, supplying “systems and equipment” to the army and satellite services to the defence ministry’s aerospace arm.

The government must ensure the decision-making of a company that handles sensitive data remains in Spain, acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

STC said on Tuesday evening it had built up a 9.9% stake in Telefonica worth 2.1 billion euros ($2.25 billion).

Telefonica, whose shares were 2% up on Wednesday on the Madrid stock exchange while the blue-chip index Ibex-35 (.IBEX) was down 0.4%, said it was informed of STC’s investment on Tuesday, describing it as “friendly”.

STC’s holding consists of 4.9% of Telefonica’s shares and financial instruments that give it another 5% in so-called economic exposure to the company.

STC said it plans to secure voting rights for that 5% interest held through financial instruments after receiving regulatory approvals.

The Director of RAND’s Center for Global Risk and Security, Andrew Parasiliti wrote a detailed article about the exclusive interview with Prince Turki in Al Monitor.

Al Monitor asked: “Help us understand the evolution in the Saudi position towards the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and where do we go from here? There’s, of course, the 2002 Arab Peace Plan initiated by then Crown Prince Abdullah, but there seems to be more regular contacts between Saudis and Israelis about Iran and other issues. You yourself met with [Israeli Maj.] Gen. Yaakov Amidror, the former national security adviser, and others, and have given interviews to Israeli papers. Has this position enhanced Saudi Arabia’s role as an intermediary, and has the position toward the Palestinians and Palestinian statehood remained constant in this shift in policy?”

Prince Turki replied that, “there has not been a shift in Saudi policy on Palestine, as many times affirmed by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

“If you remember, two years ago, there was an Arab Summit meeting held in Saudi Arabia. King Salman in his opening statement of that summit said that this is the ‘Jerusalem Summit.’ This was following President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

“Subsequently, in every Cabinet meeting statement that has come out from the kingdom, the kingdom has re-expressed and reinvigorated its support for the Palestinian Authority’s positions vis-a-vis the peace in Palestine.”

“Our commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative is as it was when then Crown Prince Abdullah presented it to the Beirut Summit in 2002 and got all the Arab states to agree to it.”

“My meeting with the Israelis is to convey the message to the Israeli public that this is the case, that they have to deal with the Arab Peace Initiative and not try to go around it by claiming that there are secret engagements between Saudis because of Iran and so on.”

“Without a resolution to the Palestinian problem, there is not going to be any Saudi engagement with Israel, and unfortunately, in the media, particularly in the West, the Israeli effort to claim that there are contacts between Saudis and Israelis is given credibility, whereas they don’t look at the statements coming out of King Salman and the crown prince and our foreign minister over the years as being the true position of Saudi Arabia.”

The Arab Peace Initiative was proposed by late King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to reconcile disputes between Palestine and Israel. It involved, recognizing Palestinian borders as of 1967, and East Jerusalem as its capital with both Israel and Palestine peacefully co-existing. Refugees issue was also drafted in the initiative.

However, the Israeli government under Ariel Sharon rejected the initiative as “non-starter”. On the other-side, Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas also rejected the initiative adding further fuel to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Lulu’a Majid was killed while she was playing along with other children in front of her house in Jabal Habashi district in West Taiz, Republican Yemen reported.

A Swizerland based, SAM Human Rights organization said, more than 51 Yemeni children have been either killed or wounded by Iran-backed Houthi militias in the last three months due to sniping and shelling.

It stated that, 20 children have been killed and 31 injured in Taiz alone.

The pilgrims were greeted and received at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

According to Asharq al-Awsat, the Iranian pilgrims are receiving high-end services in Madinah in coordination with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

Imam of the Kaaba, Shaykh Abdulrahman al-Sudais, who is also chief of the presidency of the two holy mosques, has requested the pilgrims to avoid politicizing the Hajj and to cooperate with the Saudi police officers in order to ensure a smooth and hassle-free Hajj for all the pilgrims.

Medical officials said that the kids were injured by mortar shrapnel launched by the Houthis.

Earlier during Ramadan Eid, Houthi snipers mercilessly killed at least 16 Yemeni children on the Eid day.

Ministry of Human Rights officially disclosed that over 27000 civilians have been killed by different kinds of weapons used by the Iran-backed Houthis in the besieged city of Taiz, which is third-largest city in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement that the government of Saudi Arabia is taking steps to ensure all means are used to facilitate the arrival of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims coming from Qatar similar to what it does towards all Muslims wishing to perform the annual Hajj or Umrah.

“The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah rejects allegations made by the Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs that the government of Saudi Arabia is obstructing those who wish to visit the holy sites from Qatar to perform Hajj and Umrah,” Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted.

Since Qatari Government has barred its citizens and residents from performing Hajj and Umrah, Saudi authorities have launched a parallel online portal to help Qatari citizens and residents. However, they are subjected to opt for non-Qatari airlines to perform their duties.

The Hajj Ministry also reiterated that Qatari government should stop politicizing Hajj for their personal gain.

“They should not prevent them. They should help them perform the Hajj and Umrah without bringing politics into the matter,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia imposed blockade on Qatar in Ramadan 2017, due to Qatari involvement in aiding Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen through intelligence and media support.

Dr. Khalid Mohammed Manzlawi, deputy permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to UN, expressed that Saudi Arabia welcomes any effort to find a solution for the Rohingya refugees which helps them return to their homes with safety and peace, Saudi Press Agency reported.

UN Secretary General on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener briefed about the world’s worst humanitarian crises and the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim community.

However, Manzlawi sought proper timeframe and proofs of efforts made to deal with the Rohingya refugee crisis.

“Since the appointment of an envoy to Myanmar almost two years ago, my country’s mission has noted that the envoy’s briefing did not include information on what was achieved with respect to the issue and in line with the General Assembly’s resolution that calls for safe return of refugees to their homes and homeland in a secure and guaranteed dignity,” Manzlawi said.

“The received reports confirm that there is no tangible progress up to date and we want the special envoy to give clarifications on this,” he added.

Saudi Arabia has helped the Burmese Muslims since the 1950s and still have a lot of them. Most of them lived all their lives in Saudi and some of them got the Saudi nationality.

Late Imam of Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah Qari Mohammed Ayyub Sulaiman was the son of a Burmese refugee in Saudi Arabia.

Iran-backed Houthi militia shelled Al-Huda mosque with heavy artillery in the densely populated city of Almandar which falls in the south of Hodeidah.

According to Republican Yemen, the Houthi militia intensified attacks on residential areas and started attacking Yemeni nationals in an attempt to recapture Hodeidah after it was liberated by Saudi-led coalition forces.

Dozens of children were killed and injured during Eid al-Fitr by the militia snipers and mortar shells in the southwestern province of Taiz.

The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights said in a statement on June 7 that at least 16 children were killed or wounded after being targeted by snipers and indiscriminate shelling on residential  areas in the city of Taiz during the past few days.

Tourism in Turkey will turn out to be very expensive. It may cost the tourist his own life.

On the Discovery channel, I watched a documentary showing how foreign tourists have been swindled in restaurants, coffee shops and other places in Turkey.

The reader may be surprised when he or she comes to know that these swindling operations are orchestrated with the collusion of the security authorities.

If a tourist objected to a high bill, which may exceed thousands of dollars, he or she will immediately consider going to the police. There the tourist will discover that the coordination between the police and the swindlers is at its highest.

The tourist will come to realize that he or she was a victim, a precious catch and an easy prey for an integrated swindling operation in which the police, who should protect him or her, are part of the conspiracy.

The media in the Kingdom has been warning Saudis not to travel to Turkey after it has become very clear that the Saudi tourist is not only the target of swindling operations but also physical attacks.

The social media has documented a number of incidents in Turkey targeting Saudi tourists in particular and the Gulf tourists in general.

Some other writers and columnists have been warning the citizens against going to Turkey for fear of their lives and properties.

Turkey has a long history of animosity toward the Arabs since the time of the Ottomans. Their history was full of brutalities and bloodshed. They had ambitions of expansion, which are now being carried out by the current Turkish regime.

Against this backdrop, some celebrities promote tourism to Turkey on Snapchat and other social media platforms advising Saudis to visit the country.

They are being told that they can buy real estate at cheap rates because the Saudi currency is very strong and has greater purchasing power than the Turkish lira, which is tumbling day after day.

In fact, the prices of the real estate in Turkey have been falling steeply and at the end of the day there will be no one to purchase them.

It is time we should have a serious attitude toward people who use Snapchat to promote tourism in Turkey. They only sell illusion to lure Saudis to visit Turkey, where they will be swindled out of their money.

They want people to go to Turkey though its economy is going down the drain and its currency has become valueless.

Some Saudi tourists believe that Turkey is a cheap destination for them because the falling lira.

This is totally incorrect. Whenever the price of the currency of a country goes down and its economy is in shambles, the security situation in that country will worsen. Cases of thefts, robberies, swindling and organized crime will keep surging.

End of the day, tourism in Turkey will turn out to be very expensive. It may cost the tourist his own life. For this very reason I ask all Saudis planning their summer vacation never to think of going to Turkey and those who have already made their bookings to change their destination because any other country in the world will be a better place to visit.

Article first appeared on Saudi Gazette.