TikTok recruits experts for new content advisory council amid US scrutiny over censorship, data privacy
- Video app is ramping up efforts to maintain its US market presence in the face of scrutiny over national security, censorship and data privacy
- Short video app was the world’s most downloaded non-game app over the past two months
TikTok has named a group of US experts in technology, policy and mental health to form a new content advisory council as it seeks to shape moderation policies amid concerns by some US lawmakers that the viral video app censors content on behalf of the Chinese government.
“We want to surround ourselves with experts who can both evaluate the actions we’ve taken and provide guidance on additional measures we could be pursuing”, Vanessa Pappas, TikTok’s US general manager, said in a blog post.
TikTok, the overseas version of China’s Douyin, is ramping up efforts to maintain its US market presence in the face of scrutiny by regulators over national security, censorship and data privacy.
The short video app was the world’s most downloaded non-game app over the past two months, according to Sensor Tower. However, ByteDance is facing a US national security inquiry into TikTok's handling of user data, amid increased scrutiny of Chinese tech firms as tensions rise between the US and China over censorship and related concerns.