TikTok Removed 81 Million Videos in Q2

TikTok's Transparency Report: Content Removal Data (Q2 2021)

TikTok recently published an update detailing content removals from its platform between April 1st and June 30th, 2021. During this period, the platform took down 81,518,334 videos for breaches of its community guidelines or terms of service.

This figure represents less than 1% of all videos uploaded. Consequently, over 8.1 billion videos were posted on TikTok during the quarter, averaging approximately 90 million uploads daily.

Automated Content Moderation

In July, TikTok implemented automated technology designed to identify and remove content violating policies concerning minor safety, adult nudity, sexual activities, violent content, and illegal activities.

The app prioritizes automation in these areas due to the high accuracy levels achieved by its technology. Human content moderators also remain an integral part of TikTok’s safety team, reviewing content flagged by users.

Removal Accuracy and Reinstatement

TikTok previously stated a 5% false-positive rate for removals – instances where content is taken down despite not violating rules. This is corroborated by the transparency report, which indicates that roughly 4.6 million of the 81 million removed videos were subsequently reinstated.

Violations of minor safety guidelines were the most frequent reason for content removal, accounting for 41.3% of all cases. Notably, 94.1% of removed content was proactively identified and taken down before any user reports were submitted.

Challenges in Content Moderation

Despite advancements, instances of flawed content moderation persist. For example, creator Ziggi Tyler highlighted how the app flagged his bio as “inappropriate” when including phrases such as “Black Lives Matter” or “I am a black man.”

Conversely, phrases promoting “supporting white supremacy” were not immediately censored, raising concerns about potential bias in the system.

Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation

As other platforms like YouTube and Facebook address vaccine misinformation, TikTok is also confronting similar challenges. Its community guidelines prohibit false or misleading information regarding COVID-19, vaccines, and broader anti-vaccine narratives.

During Q2, TikTok removed 27,518 videos containing COVID-19 misinformation. A significant 83% of these were removed before user reporting, 87.6% within 24 hours of posting, and 69.7% had zero views.

COVID-19 Information Hub

TikTok’s COVID-19 information hub, developed in collaboration with the WHO and CDC, garnered over 921 million views globally.

Growth and Continued Monitoring

TikTok’s user base continues to expand, surpassing 1 billion monthly active users last month. The transparency reports reflect this growth; in the first half of 2020, 104 million videos were removed, representing 1% of all content.

The current 1% removal rate remains consistent, but the latest report covers removals from a single quarter (81 million videos) compared to two quarters in the previous period.