TikTok Video Guidelines
TikTok is a video app that allows users to post short videos of, for example, dance routines and jokes. The app is very popular, especially among young people. To ensure that there is no content on the app that violates their community guidelines, the videos have to be moderated. For example, videos cannot contain violence or hate speech. If a user does not follow the rules, the post can be deleted and TikTok might even block an account (temporarily). This way, TikTok wants to keep the platform safe for all its users.
Chinese Interference
The last few months, there have been many concerns about Chinese government interference in the company, especially among US users. TikTok is a subsidiary of the Chinese ByteDance. The fear is that the parent company would interfere with the actions of TikTok. In China, there are strict rules for companies that determine which statements they can and cannot allow on their platforms. There is also a high degree of self-censorship. With this in mind, the Americans watched anxiously as the video app gained popularity. The app has made a lot of changes lately to gain back trust from its users.
Moderators
Now TikTok is also making changes to their review process to remove any user concerns. Previously, it was mainly Chinese moderators who reviewed all content. This caused some to worry that, for example, political statements would be censored. The company has now decided to stop Chinese moderators from reviewing TikToks made outside of China. From now on, this will only be done by non-Chinese moderators.
