TikTok is facing criticism from those who allege that it falls short in its content moderation duties amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
TikTok responded, saying, “More than a billion people use our platform to freely express themselves, we implement comprehensive policies to protect this experience and help people feel safe while using our platform.”
The company provided new details in a statement about the number of accounts and videos it has removed since October 7.
According to TikTok, it has removed over 925,000 videos in conflict areas and millions of other pieces of content worldwide for violating its policies related to violence, hate speech, misleading information, and terrorism.
TikTok noted a significant increase in fake interactions in recent weeks, stating, “Since October 7, we have removed over 24 million fake accounts worldwide and over half a million automated comments on conflict-related content.”
These details come at a time when TikTok is facing increased scrutiny regarding its content recommendations in the ongoing conflict.
Some lawmakers have previously intensified calls to ban the platform, alleging that its algorithms disproportionately promote content in favor of Palestinians.
TikTok explained that such claims are based on incorrect data analysis.
The company said, “Some informed commentators have falsely portrayed our actions as preventing the spread of hate speech and misleading information surrounding the crisis, particularly regarding anti-Semitism, we take these issues seriously, and it is necessary to put things in the right context with facts.”
It added, “In recent days, there has been inaccurate data analysis of hashtags related to the conflict, leading some commentators to mistakenly suggest that TikTok is pushing content in favor of Palestine over content supporting Israel to American users.”
According to the platform, the hashtag #standwithisrael has garnered 46 million views in the United States since October 7, compared to 29 million views for #standwithpalestine.
TikTok is not the only platform facing increased scrutiny over its moderation policies as tensions surrounding the conflict spill over into social media platforms.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, faced accusations of banning accounts on Instagram that posted news about Gaza, which it attributed to a technical glitch, while Twitter deals with an EU investigation into its handling of misleading information related to the conflict.
