Somali YouTubers Face Scrutiny Over Digital Misconduct

[Deeq A.]

Puntland Forces scour Calmiskaad hideouts for explosives used by ISIS terrorists.

Mogadishu (Commentary) — Some Somali social media personalities are oblivious to the rules governing their conduct in the digital world. Granted, they are experiencing what Isaac Asimov, the great sci-fi author, predicted in 1980 — that every person would have the opportunity to own a TV channel —  but they need to remember that they are bound by the same rules to which legacy media adheres.

Platforms such as YouTube and Facebook offer opportunities to operate channels with large number of followers. Alphabet and Meta, the owners of YouTube and Facebook respectively, incentivise channel views. It does not occur to some Somali YouTubers that they have an obligation not to spew hate, support terror organisations, damage the reputation of individuals or promote inter-clan conflicts.

Somalia is a country grappling with terrorism and inter- and intra-clan conflicts. YouTubers enjoying the privilege of asylum granted to them by affluent countries should remember that they can be sued in their countries of residence if they support terrorism.

A pro-ISIS tweet.

The decision by a Puntland State court to press charges against a YouTuber in absentia for allegedly showing outright support for a terrorist organisation has wider ramifications.

On the Twitter platform (now X), some Somalis are making light of the counterterrorism operations by Puntland Defence Forces against ISIS. They feel threatened by the decisive leadership of Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni, who aims to root out transnational terrorists in the Calmiskaad mountain range.

A warmonger or terrorism sympathiser can be trapped by his or her  digital footprint. New England University had to cancel an invitation to Edna Adan Ismail after her notorious video message “Somaliland will destroy and rebuild a new Laascaanood” was shared with university administrators. Edna received the Templeton Prize “for her efforts to use science to improve the lives of women and girls.” Edna knew that children and women bore the brunt of the shelling of Laascaanood by Somaliland forces in 2023.

New anti-terrorism laws enacted by Western legislators contain provisions that can result in a refugee or citizen losing their leave to remain or citizenship granted after naturalisation. Some Somali YouTubers now fear they could be prosecuted for expressing support for terror organisations.     

© Puntland Post, 2025

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