Morocco Debates Social Media Content Regulation Amid "Daily Routine" Video Controversy

The criticisms are becoming increasingly sharp following the broadcast on YouTube of a series of videos known as "Routini Al Yaoumi" (my daily routine). According to the critics, they would be a violation of the privacy of Moroccans. In addressing the issue on Monday in parliament during the oral questions, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid explained that despite the outcry these videos are causing, they are part of the content that is not subject to the regulations relating to information and communication.

"The legal excesses concerning the filming of videos within Moroccan homes documenting the private life of individuals and the sharing of these on social networks are not subject to the national regulations governing the field of information and communication," the minister said.

During his intervention, he also explained that apart from YouTube, all content shared on any social network escapes regulation. However, with regard to violations such as defamation, intimidation and violence, Bensaid affirms that "the legislator has subjected these offenses to the exclusive jurisdiction of the judiciary, which can initiate legal proceedings against those responsible for such abuses, on the basis of a complaint from the aggrieved person".

It is in this sense that he advises any person finding themselves in the latter case to turn to the possibilities offered by the justice system to obtain redress.