TikTok changes conditions to remove videos with disinformation

TikTok has changed its video removal guidelines from its platform. The company has given itself the power to remove videos containing disinformation. Also misleading videos about elections are no longer allowed.

TikTok put the new guidelines online on Wednesday and users can compare them with the current guidelines online. The new rules should above all provide clarity, says TikTok. According to owner ByteDance, the new rules form the basis, after which teams of moderators in countries must enforce the rules according to the applicable laws and standards.

In addition, TikTok has given itself the option to remove videos with misleading information. So are hoaxes that are meant to do harm. TikTok does not explain how it determines if something is misinformation and who exactly determines that.

In addition, the social media has specified that videos should not contain information that mislead voters about elections. Presidential elections will be held in the US at the end of this year. In the previous elections, Facebook was discredited due to the large amount of popular fake news on the platform. Candidates would also have tried to persuade voters to vote for certain parties through specifically targeted advertisements via data from Cambridge Analytica, for example.