BMA has learned that TikTok, a short-form video hosting site, has removed over 334,000 videos from its platform in Kenya due to violations of its community guidelines.
According to TikTok’s latest Q3 2024 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, released on Thursday, the decision is part of the company’s efforts to ensure a safer environment for its platform users in the country.
TikTok also revealed that 88.9% of videos were removed before they could be viewed by others, with 93% removed within 24 hours after publishing.
The report also showed that in Kenya, the policy categories with the most removed were Integrity and Authenticity. TikTok removed 99.7% of infringing videos before any user reported them, with 94% removed within 24 hours.
These efforts, it claims, are crucial in countering disinformation and fraud, allowing Kenyan users to interact in a trustworthy and legitimate online environment.
Another area is Mental and Behavioural Health. TikTok stated that 99.9% of hazardous content was removed before people reported it, with 96.4% removed within 24 hours.
This, it argues, underscores its commitment to protecting its users, particularly younger audiences, from content that may hurt mental health.
Other areas include Youth Safety and Well-Being: 99.7% of content that violated youth safety policies was removed before any views, with 94.3% removed within 24 hours; and Sensitive and Mature Themes: TikTok removed 99.5% of inappropriate videos before any user reported them, with 95.8% removed within 24 hours.
The Kenyan government has previously accused TikTok of promoting falsehoods, facilitating fraud, and distributing graphic sexual content.
