TUNIS: Four influencers on Instagram and TikTok have been sentenced to jail in Tunisia for content authorities deemed immoral, local media reported Wednesday.
The Business News outlet said an Instagrammer known as Lady Samara, with about one million followers, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison on Tuesday.
TikToker Khoubaib received four years and six months, while Instagrammer Afifa was sentenced to a year and six months and her husband Ramzi to three years and six months.
On October 31, as part of the same investigation, an Instagrammer known as Choumoukh was sentenced to four and a half years’ jail on similar charges.
The private radio station Mosaique FM also reported a series of sentences ranging from 18 months to four and a half years, without identifying those being sent to prison.
It said they were being prosecuted for “public indecency, dissemination of content contrary to good morals or adopting immoral positions, using inappropriate language or adopting inappropriate behavior that undermines moral and social values and risks negatively influencing the behavior of young users of these platforms.”
The investigation was opened after the justice ministry on October 27 urged prosecutors to “take necessary judicial measures and launch investigations against anyone producing, displaying or publishing data, images, and video clips with content that undermines moral values.”
The decision sparked widespread debate, both on social media and in the media.
Some Internet users condemned the spread of crude language and obscene images on social media, while others saw the move as a new restriction on freedoms.
Online magazine Nawaat, which frequently criticizes the Tunisian government, said the arrests come amid “a climate marked by repressive restrictions on freedoms.”
“Following the systematic dismantling of judicial power, the prosecution of opponents and journalists, and the repression of civil society, social media influencers — regardless of the quality of their content — are now in the regime’s crosshairs,” said an article.
Tunisia’s opposition and civil society have condemned what they call an “authoritarian drift” by President Kais Saied, who was re-elected on October 6 with a sweeping majority but low turnout.
Tunisia influencers sentenced to jail over content: media
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Tunisia influencers sentenced to jail over content: media
- Some Internet users condemned the spread of crude language and obscene images on social media, while others saw the move as a new restriction on freedoms
Let’s play: Netflix ups its game with slate of new releases in major sector push
- New games initially available in English in the Middle East but the streaming giant hints at plans to expand language support and localize content
- Arab News receives exclusive preview of new games available on mobile devices and, for first time, on TVs using a phone as controller
HELSINKI: Netflix launched a new slate of video games on Thursday, marking the streaming giant’s latest push into the growing global gaming market and signaling to rivals that its ambitions extend far beyond films and TV shows.
The new titles, some of which Arab News was given the chance to preview at Netflix’s games studio in Helsinki, Finland, are available both on mobile and, for the first time, on TVs.
“Starting today, you can play games on your TV, using your phone as a controller, no setup needed — it’s as easy as streaming your favorite shows,” said Alain Tascan, president of games at Netflix.
“And for those who love to play anywhere and everywhere, we’re bringing even more games to your phone with our own special Netflix touch.”
The lineup, arriving in the run-up to the festive season, includes party games such as Boggle Party; Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends; Pictionary: Game Night; Tetris Time Warp; and Lego Party, a collection of digital mini-games.
The platform is rolling out a selection of mobile-exclusive games for younger users, including Lego Duplo World; Barbie Color Creations, and Toca Boca Hair Salon 4.
It is also debuting a Puzzled app, featuring eight daily mini-games themed around some of its streaming TV hits, including “Emily in Paris,” “Stranger Things,” and “KPop Demon Hunters,” all of which are playable on the platform’s companion website, Tudum, as well as mobile devices.
Netflix’s games division was established in 2021 and has quickly amassed a library of more than 100 exclusive mobile and cloud-based titles. The platform views the games sector as a way to extend the user experience and leverage its original intellectual properties through expansions into new formats.
Tascan has been driving Netflix’s gaming push since joining the company in July 2024 from video games company Epic Games. He stressed that the streamer is not attempting to compete with consoles but instead offer a “Netflix twist” on gaming.
With the number of video gamers worldwide estimated at more than 3 billion, and young Arabs leading regional adoption, Netflix aims to leverage the popularity of its original intellectual properties, and a wide subscriber base, to provide users with unified entertainment — films, TV series and games — through a single platform.
Access to games will continue to be included in the general subscription fee, with no additional paywall planned, Netflix said.
Though the latest batch of games are available in English at launch, Netflix has indicated that its efforts to expand language support, including Arabic options, and to localize content will continue. This approach builds on the success of the Arabic TV shows and films it offers, as demonstrated by its collaboration with MBC’s Shahid platform, which offers a joint bundle of regional TV and gaming for Arab subscribers.
Further upcoming additions to Netflix’s gaming options include a diverse lineup of global favorites including the preschool educational minigames app Paw Patrol Academy; WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition; and the classic western-themed shooter Red Dead Redemption, developed with original creator Rockstar Games.
Netflix also announced the upcoming debut of Best Guess Live, its first real-time, mobile, daily game show, offering cash prizes. The platform said it is “coming soon,” though initially it will only be available in the US.
