TikTok removes 136.5m videos globally for violating policies

Short video platform, TikTok says it removed 136.5 million videos globally in the third quarter of 2023 for violating its policies, adding that 1.4 million of the removed videos is from Nigeria.

The removed content was said to have violated one or more ore of TikTok’s policies, which center around Integrity and Authenticity, Privacy and Security, Mental and Behavioural Health, Safety, and Civility, among others.

In its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report just released, the company said the top 50 markets recorded to have violated its policies account for approximately 90 per cent of all content removals for the quarter.

“As always, we remain vigilant in our efforts to detect external threats and safeguard the platform from fake accounts and engagement. These threats persistently probe and attack our systems, leading to occasional fluctuations in the reported metrics within these areas.

“Despite this, we remain steadfast in our commitment to promptly identify and remove any accounts, content, or activities that seek to artificially boost popularity on our platform. As we navigate an ever-evolving threat landscape, TikTok remains dedicated to preserving the integrity of our community and strengthening our cyber response to adversarial actors,” TikTok said.

The company said it also removed a total of 348.7 million likes from videos. It also removed 211.3 million fake followers and 7.2 billion fake follow requests.

According to TikTok, the removed likes, followers, and follow requests were discovered to have come through ‘automated or inauthentic mechanisms’.

During the third quarter of 2023, TikTok said there was an increase in the volume of ads removed for violating its advertising policies and a decrease in the volume of ads removed due to account-level actions. The report shows that a total of 1.3 million ads were removed in the third quarter of 2023 for violating its ads policies, an increase from 962,574 recorded in the second quarter of 2023

“We are continually reviewing and strengthening our systems to identify new patterns and quickly and accurately remove ads that violate our policies. By upholding strict policies, leveraging advanced detection mechanisms, and continuously improving our systems, we strive to foster an advertising experience that is trustworthy, enjoyable, and aligned with the values of our vibrant TikTok community,” the company added.

Despite the removals, TikTok remains one of the most-used social media platforms in the world even as its user-generated revenue continues to soar.

According to a recent report from data.ai, TikTok has generated $3.8 billion in consumer spending from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in 2023 to bring its total revenue to $10 billion.