Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-04-11 02:27:36
In the fourth quarter of 2023, social media platform TikTok made a significant stride in upholding its community guidelines by removing a total of 176.5 million videos that violated its policies. Out of this staggering number, 1.7 million videos were traced back to Nigerian users, placing Nigeria among the top 50 countries where policy-violating content originated from during that period. The top 50 countries collectively accounted for around 90 percent of all the content removals made by TikTok in Q4.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese Internet technology company Bytedance, revealed that the removed videos were found to have contravened various policies related to integrity and authenticity, privacy and security, mental and behavioral health, safety, and civility, among others. In addition to the videos, TikTok also took action against 169 million accounts that were identified as spam or fake. The company was diligent in its efforts to detect and eliminate fake accounts and engagement, with over 1.2 million bot comments related to the Israel-Hamas war being removed during the specified timeframe.
The social media platform emphasized its commitment to combating external threats and maintaining the integrity of its platform by promptly addressing any artificial boosting of popularity through fake accounts, content, or activities. Despite facing persistent challenges from threats that aim to manipulate engagement metrics, TikTok remained resolute in its mission to ensure a safe and authentic online environment for its users.
In addition to the removal of videos and fake accounts, TikTok also purged a significant number of likes, fake followers, and fake follow requests. A total of 1.03 billion likes, 720 million fake followers, and 4.9 billion fake follow requests were eliminated due to their association with automated or inauthentic mechanisms. The company’s actions underscored its commitment to maintaining a genuine and trustworthy community on its platform.
Furthermore, TikTok reported an increase in the volume of ads removed for violating its advertising policies during the last quarter of 2023. A total of 1.5 million ads were taken down for breaching ads policies, marking an uptick from the previous quarter. The company attributed this increase to its continuous efforts to review and strengthen its systems for detecting and removing ads that do not align with its values and guidelines. By implementing strict policies, advanced detection mechanisms, and ongoing improvements to its systems, TikTok aimed to cultivate an advertising experience that is both reliable and enjoyable for its diverse user base.
Overall, TikTok’s proactive measures in content moderation, fake account detection, and ad enforcement reflected its unwavering dedication to creating a safe, authentic, and engaging online community for its users. Through its transparent reporting and commitment to upholding high standards, TikTok demonstrated its determination to combat misuse and uphold its values of integrity and user safety.
