TikTok to activate automated system to take down nude and violent videos

TikTok will be taking down all videos that will show violence and nudity. The Chinese app will be pulling out the said videos automatically, which will be detected through an automated system.

The move comes as concerns over the site’s safety for minors have emerged. TikTok made an announcement that it will be removing any videos that show nudity or sexual activity as part of its efforts to tighten its safety policy for the youngsters.

Filtering inappropriate content

Based on the announcement, the moderators of the site do not have to view every won’t have to view as many disturbing clips that were posted by users. The platform will start using an automated system to delete them instead.

As per Fox Business, the new policy on TikTok will be rolled out in the next few weeks and will initially apply to users in Canada and the United States. The removal of the inappropriate videos will allow users of every age bracket to experience a safer viewing environment.

Prior to the introduction of the automated system, moderators at TikTok checked every single video before deciding whether to delete the content or not. With the automation, the moderators will not have more time to focus on other types of videos that should not be on the site, including hate speech, misinformation, and bullying.

The new automated system

TikTok made the announcement as it aims to be more transparent on how it monitors the content. Their work includes reporting how many accounts belong to youngsters under the age of 13. The moderators also inform users if they violated any policy.

“Over the next few weeks, we'll begin using technology to automatically remove some types of violative content identified upon upload, in addition to removals confirmed by our Safety team,” TikTok’s head of US safety, Eric Han, said in a statement. “Automation will be reserved for content categories where our technology has the highest degree of accuracy, starting with violations of our policies on minor safety, adult nudity and sexual activities, violent and graphic content, and illegal activities and regulated goods.”

Finally, Han added that they know that there is no technology that can be 100% accurate when it comes to content moderation, but they will keep improving the system until the detection for distressing videos become more precise.