TikTok clarifies its moderating policies amid Israel-Hamas war

As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, social media platforms have been placed under scrutiny for their role in perpetuating facts and fiction. EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has asked X, Meta, and more recently, TikTok, for clarity around how each will protect young users.

Breton posted a statement on X to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on October 12, writing that the app "has a particular obligation to protect children & teenagers from violent content & terrorist propaganda —as well as death challenges & potentially life-threatening content."

In response, TikTok has just released a statement with regards to its "continued actions to protect the TikTok community", underscoring that the company is committed to upholding transparency and free expression while protecting the platform's users.

As a part of the crisis management process, TikTok has taken actions including an updated proactive automated detection system that will enable the app to automatically identify and remove "graphic and violent content." TikTok has also added more moderators that speak Arabic and Hebrew to review content.

Here are some steps TikTok has taken, in addition to reinforcing its existing policies against violence, hate and misinformation:

• Removing content that supports violence or mocks victims

• Making temporary adjustments to policies, such as adding new restrictions on who can view TikTok LIVE

• Working with law enforcement agencies and experts globally to inform "legal and human rights standards" and "further safeguard and secure" the platform

• Rolling out reminders in Search that will warn the TikTok community of potential misinformation and refer users to in-app well-being resources

The company also said that it has removed 500,000 videos and closed 8,000 livestreams "in the impacted region" for violating guidelines since the start of the conflict in early October.

Videos centered around the conflict on TikTok have amassed billions of views. But, as Mashable's Chris Taylor writes, "the internet is filling up with disinformation pushed by partisans and bots on both sides." Old photographs, fake news, and unverified claims are floating around the Internet, oftentimes perpetuating violence.

TikTok, in its statement, promised to "continue to adapt" its safeguards.