The popular social media firm, TikTok, has announced that it has signed up to the European Union’s ‘Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online’. The firm said that it has always tackled hate on its platform and says it should be fought across the internet as a whole.
The E.U.’s code of conduct isn’t new, according to its dedicated web page it has existed since May 2016 to prevent and counter the spread of illegal hate speech online. Initially, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube signed up, since then, Instagram, Snapchat, Dailymotion, and Jeuxvideo.com have signed up too.
Commenting on the news, Cormac Keenan, Head of Trust and Safety at TikTok in the EMEA region, said:
“Our ultimate goal is to eliminate hate on TikTok. We recognise that this may seem an insurmountable challenge as the world is increasingly polarised, but we believe that this shouldn't stop us from trying. Every bit of progress we make gets us that much closer to a more welcoming community experience for people on TikTok and out in the world.”
YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter have all started going after content they deem to be troubling (though, not necessarily illegal) in the last several years. These firms have received criticism from some who believe the removal of their content is a violation of basic freedoms but the firms say that they have rules which new users agree to when they sign up.
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