TikTok removed more than 104.54 million videos in the first half of 2020 for violating its guidelines and terms. That number represents less than 1% of the total videos uploaded to the Chinese platform. Most of the videos removed came from users in India and the US.
According to TikTok’s recent report , approximately 96.4% of inappropriate videos were identified and removed before users, while many more (90.3%) were removed before they could even get a single view. The majority, 30.9%, were removed for containing sexual content. Other videos were removed for endangering users or promoting illegal activities.
Also, a large number of videos belonged to users from Pakistan, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
TikTok also worked with governments and law enforcement agencies that made formal and “valid” requests for user information. Such requests are made with appropriate legal documents such as subpoenas, court orders, warrants, etc. India made the most requests, but TikTok complied with 79%. Other countries with many such requests were the US, Israel, and Germany. TikTok only responded when all the conditions were met.
The company said it would only disclose user information in emergency situations, without necessary legal process. Such situations include preventing imminent death or serious physical injury to a person.
China was missing from the list of governments making such requests.
Additionally, TikTok said it has received legal requests from governments and law enforcement agencies , as well as intellectual property (IP) rights holders, to remove certain content uploaded to its platform. These requests can only be fulfilled if made through “appropriate channels” or if required by law.
Most requests for this purpose came from Russia and India.
All platforms must work together
TikTok said its interim chief, Vanessa Pappas, sent a letter to the heads of nine social media platforms, proposing a partnership. The companies would inform each other about violent and generally inappropriate content they find on their platforms.
“Social media and content platforms are constantly facing issues related to the posting and reposting of inappropriate content, and this affects all of us, including our users, our teams, and the wider community,” the company said. “… content is being transferred from one app to another. Technology can help automatically identify and limit much of this content, and moderators and teams are often on the front lines of addressing these issues.”
“Any individual platform effort to protect users will be made more effective through a formal, collaborative approach to early identification and notification across companies,” TikTok said. The company suggested that collaboration between companies would significantly reduce the chances of such content appearing.
According to ZDNet, TikTok said it has already launched a program to control misleading content, such as misinformation about COVID-19, elections, and climate change.
