Netflix, the streaming service subscribed to by over 75 million members, is a threat to Kenya’s national security, according to one of the country’s media watchdogs.

Representatives from the The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) have said the company, which began operating in Kenya two weeks ago, is contributing to the country’s moral decline.



“In this era of global terrorism, including broadcasts over the internet by terrorist entities, vigilance is the price of safety and prevention,” said the KFCB in a statement. “As Kenyans, we therefore need to ask all the right questions about the unregulated arrival and future of Netflix in the country. We need to ponder its implications in light of the ongoing war on terror by questioning the manner and nature of Netflix’s introduction of services in Kenya.”

It’s thought that the KFCB is indirectly referring to Al-Shabaab, an extremist militant Islamic group with links to al-Qaeda that has carried out many attacks across east Africa, including the killing of 148 students at Garissa university last year. Kenya is also facing a tightening of censorship rules. A recent edict from another Kenyan regulator, Kenya’s Communications Authority, banned discussion of sex during peak listening hours, previously common practice on Kenyan day time radio shows.



“[We cannot be a] passive recipient of foreign content that could corrupt the moral values of our children,” KFCB chairman, Jackson Kosgei, wrote to Quartz in an email. Joris Evers, a spokesman for Netflix, told Quartz. “We empower consumers to make smart viewing choices by providing details on the titles on Netflix, including ratings and episode synopses. We also provide parental controls.”

There has been uncertainty about how to regulate Netflix as it makes in-roads into the African market. The KFCB was contradicted by the Communications Authority, who ruled that the streaming service does not require a broadcasting license, as it is an internet TV network, not a traditional broadcaster.