More than 60,000 accounts on TikTok were banned by the social media network for violating community guidelines, according to TikTok’s Q2 2024 community guidelines enforcement report.
- •About 0.3% of Kenyan videos uploaded on the network, representing more than 360,000 accounts were struck off during the period for disseminating graphic sexual content and spreading misinformation.
- •TikTok also reported that 99% of the videos and accounts they banned were removed proactively before other users reported them.
- •More than 90% of the accounts were removed after its users were discovered to be under the age of 13.
In June 2024, TikTok removed over 178 million videos globally. This was an increase from the first quarter of 2024, over 166 million videos were removed globally. TikTok has improved its automation process of removing videos, slashing its reliance on human moderators.
“These technical advancements significantly reduce the volume of content that human moderators need to review, thereby minimising their exposure to violative material,” the report said.
TikTok’s Community Guidelines are rules that the app has set to promote the well-being of users and promote respectable interaction. Videos that can be removed include those that propagate hate speech against other groups, promote criminal behavior, sexual abuse, and harassment. Repeated offences can prompt an account restriction for a limited period or a total ban.
In April this year, the Ministry of ICT told parliament that TikTok would provide quarterly reports to show they are combating offensive content. This agreement was grounded last year during a time when lawmakers contemplated banning the app in Kenya.
However, the app’s popularity has grown immensely in Kenya since 2020, serving a younger generation who have tapped into short video content to earn money. President William Ruto met TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew where it was agreed the app would moderate content.
The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023 survey shows that 29% of Kenyan TikTok users are interested in finding news on the app. During the clamour for the termination of the Finance Bill 2024, TikTok was instrumental in mobilising opposition and analysing the contents of the bill.
The app is not very popular with western governments either. The US ordered China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership of TikTok after both the Congress and the Senate passed a law banning the app. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to resolve the issue considering that over 180 million Americans use the app.
TikTok has over 1 billion users globally. Most of its critics have lamented that its moderation policy is weaker compared to other social media apps. This prompted the network to invest over US$2 billion in the app’s online safety and data privacy.
