TikTok says it removed over 100 million videos in first half of 2020 for policy violations

HONG KONG — Short video hit TikTok, in the midst of being sold in the US, said it removed 104.5 million videos globally between January and June for violations of its community rules and terms of service.

The videos represent less than 1 per cent of all its content worldwide. Around 9.4 per cent of the total content removed was from the US, according to TikTok's latest transparency report published on its official website on Tuesday (Sept 23).

TikTok is currently in the process of being divested by its Chinese parent ByteDance in the US after US President Donald Trump called it a national security threat. A deal agreed with Oracle Corp and Walmart still needs to be approved by Washington and Beijing though.

Aside security concerns, the globally-popular app has also had to face a raft of regulatory issues as it has expanded into new markets, especially with regards to parental controls and content deemed inappropriate for children. Western social media giants, such as Facebook and Twitter, have faced similar issues.

Also this year India introduced a ban on TikTok, together with 58 other Chinese apps, following a deadly border clash with China in June that fanned political tensions.

Most of the content removed in the first half was due to sexual themes, followed by content removed to protect children. TikTok said 96.4 per cent of content removal took place before the videos were reported.

"We know how vital it is to build trust by being transparent with our community, and we're committed to leading the way when it comes to bringing accountability to the tech industry," said Mr Michael Beckerman, head of public policy, and Mr Eric Han, head of safety at TikTok US. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST