TikTok

About the platform

TikTok is a widely-popular social media platform owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance. It is the leading platform for short-form mobile video. In the recent years it has expaned its ability to collect sensitive data about users, even when those users neither saved nor shared their content.

The PDF guide you can download below includes all the information described in the website. Feel free to share it!

DOWNLOAD PDF GUIDE

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

In 2020 TikTok faced severe ban threads from goverment agencies due to severe national security concerns; issues of free speech, data privacy violation and cybersecuritydata. Since then, TikTok has launch a few content moderation initiatives:

Expanded the Community Guidelines, including new policies to counter misinformation and disinformation.
Introduced fact-checking programs to help verify misleading content about the novel coronavirus, elections, and more.

MISLEADING INFORMATION
Dangerous organizations & individuals
Illegal activities and regulated goods
Violent and graphic content
Animal cruelty
Suicide, self-harm & dangerous acts
Hate speech
Harassment or bullying
Pornography and nudity
Minor safety
Spam
Intellectual property infringement
Other

THE ALGORITHM

TikTok's algorithm uses machine learning to understand, analyze and determine what content a user is most likely to engage with and serve them more of it, by finding videos that are similar or that are liked by people with similar user preferences.

The end result is a high-quality content feed based upon each user’s preferences and interests. As more content is accumulated by the system, the better the algorithms get to enhance the content experience.

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

GUIDE TO

FACEBOOK

GUIDE TO

INSTAGRAM

GUIDE TO

TIKTOK

GUIDE TO

TWITTER

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

Facebook Instagram Tiktok Twitter

CONTENT MODERATION

Content moderation

The TikTok drama is a useful reminder that our future is one in which the principal sources of prosperity and conflict alike will be informational in nature. In this world, privacy concerns often bleed into national security concerns; issues of free speech, data privacy and cybersecurity are inextricably intertwined; and even the most technically proficient experts are hard-pressed to calibrate the optimal balance of technological openness and interdependence.

DATA BEING MONITORED

Examples of data being monitored:

The HasHtags you use
The likes you get
what you share to other apps
Your caption text
the audio you use
the comments you get

The Text in the video
Your profile information
The videos you watch
Your IP Adress
The devices you use
Accounts you interact with

CONTENT MODERATION

Moderators apply TikTok’s content guidelines to review the content its AI algorithms have automatically flagged for review, as well as other content the technology may have missed. The problem with this system is that they are susceptible to adversarial examples - a situation where an algorithm can be tricked into misclassifying data with a high degree of confidence. It means that there could have been content that were taken out of context, hence it cannot be trusted. They continue to revise their content moderation processes and have hired a global General Counsel and expanded its Trust & Safety hubs in the U.S., Ireland and Singapore.

Have you heard the term shadowban?

A shadowban prevents your content from being shown to people. This means that your videos won’t be shown on the For You Page or on hashtag results.

How to revert a possible shadowban:
1. Delete any content that may have been against TikTok’s terms and conditions
2. Clear your account cache
3. Delete the app and re-download again

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

GUIDE TO

FACEBOOK

GUIDE TO

INSTAGRAM

GUIDE TO

TIKTOK

GUIDE TO

TWITTER

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

Facebook Instagram Tiktok Twitter

HOW TO REPORT CONTENT

How to report content

TikTok has expanded it’s reporting capabilities so when you report someone or get reported you will be notified in your Account Updates inbox:

REPORTING

How to report content
1. Tap the share icon
2. Tap the report button
3. Tap report content
4. Tap the corrected category
5. Follow the next steps
6. Tap the submit button.
7. Success! Your report is submitted.

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

GUIDE TO

FACEBOOK

GUIDE TO

INSTAGRAM

GUIDE TO

TIKTOK

GUIDE TO

TWITTER

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

Facebook Instagram Tiktok Twitter

How to recover from a ban

HOW TO RECOVER FROM A BAN

TikTok’s Community Guidelines apply to everyone and to everything on the platform. They will remove any content – including video, audio, livestream, images, comments, and text – that violates the Community Guidelines rules.

You will receive a notification in your inbox explaning what rule has your post violated. Iniside the notification there is a “Submit appeal” link for you to request that your content gets unbanned.

The screens below exemplify the steps you need to follow to appeal your ban.

STEPS TO APPEAL

Tap your inbox icon

Tap the system notification

Tap the Submit appeal link

Scroll through the Community Guidelines page, type your message request in the text box and tap submit

Succes! Your appeal was submitted. Now wait.

Check your notifications and tap on the content thumbnail.

Success! Your content was restored.

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

GUIDE TO

FACEBOOK

GUIDE TO

INSTAGRAM

GUIDE TO

TIKTOK

GUIDE TO

TWITTER

Explore more about the other social media platforms:

Facebook Instagram Tiktok Twitter

YOUR VOICE MATTERS

We are actively seeking your feedback and comments to our guide. Your contribution will help us built the information database to help people tackle issues of unfair cencorship.

If you want to share your personal cencorship story with us, be sure your story will be anonymized.

If you uncover a new content moderation policy or technique, please feel free to reach out and make platforms like ours aware of it.

info@gaait.policylabafrica.org

MEET THE TEAM

www.kristine.tech

Kristine Kalnina

UXR / AIR / AIX / MLUX

A user-centric, empathetic and curious user researcher with a deep passion for data, AIX, MLUX and experience in building products that matter.

www.gemmaalcodori.com

Gemma Alcodori

UXR / UXD / UID

Product designer leading UX implementation projects applying universal design principles and human centered insights.

www.violamiebach.com

Viola Miebach

UXR / UXD / AIX

My passion lies within continuously understanding & representing the users' needs and enhancing an ethical technological transformation.

Cornelius

Cornelius Udeh

Programmer

Developer passionate about furthering the course of humanity and interested in human centered design.

Charles

Charles Ikem

Project Lead

Service designer passionate about design, technology & humanity. Interested in football, camping & venetian spritz.

www.OSCE.org/fom

Supported by OSCE

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects.

TikTok

About the platform

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

THE ALGORITHM

CONTENT MODERATION

Content moderation

DATA BEING MONITORED

CONTENT MODERATION

Have you heard the term shadowban?

HOW TO REPORT CONTENT

How to report content

REPORTING

How to recover from a ban

HOW TO RECOVER FROM A BAN

STEPS TO APPEAL

SHARE YOUR STORY

YOUR VOICE MATTERS

YOUR VOICE MATTERS

MEET THE TEAM

Kristine Kalnina

Gemma Alcodori

Viola Miebach

Cornelius Udeh

Charles Ikem

Supported by OSCE