TikTok takes steps to counter misinformation about Israel-Hamas war. Here is what EU said

In the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war and the flooding of the social media platform with provocative content,
TikTok has announced step-up efforts to counter misinformation and incitement to violence and hate. Owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, TikTok took the decision after the European Union (EU)had warned social media companies. The company has opened a command center to coordinate the work of its 'safety professionals' around the world. It has said that it is improving the software to automatically detect and remove graphic and violent content, and hiring more Arabic and Hebrew speakers to moderate the content.

EU's letter

In a letter shared on X, EU's Thierry Bretton said, "#TikTok has a particular obligation to protect children & teenagers from violent content & terrorist propaganda —as well as death challenges & potentially life-threatening content. #DSA sets out very clear obligations TikTok must comply with."

Breton has sent similar letters to X, Google, and Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook.

TikTok takes steps

After the brutal attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians on October 7, TikTok said in a statement that it had "immediately mobilized significant resources and personnel to help maintain the safety of community and integrity of the platform." Tiktik said, "We have a zero-tolerance policy for content praising violent and hateful organizations and individuals. We do not tolerate attempts to incite violence or spread hateful ideologies."

TikTok removes 500,000 videos

It also claimed to have removed more than 500,000 videos and shut down 8,000 livestream videos from the “impacted region” since the Hamas attack. According to CNN, one of those videos promoted conspiracy theories on the origins of the Hamas attack. It also made false claims that the attack was orchestrated by the media.

FAQs:

What has the EU said?
European Union warned social media platforms that they risked falling foul of the bloc’s content moderation laws. It also said that TikTok has an obligation to protect children & teenagers from violent content & terrorist propaganda.

What steps have TikTok taken?
TikTok has launched a command center to coordinate the work of its 'safety professionals' around the world. It has said that it is improving the software to automatically detect and remove graphic and violent content, and hiring more Arabic and Hebrew speakers to moderate the content.