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

The videos represent less than 1 per cent of all its content worldwide

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A man holding a phone walks past a sign for TikTok, known in China as Douyin. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:02pm, 22 Sep 2020Updated: 6:02pm, 22 Sep 2020

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.

TikTok is currently in the process of being divested by its Chinese parent ByteDance in the US after 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.