Recently, TikTok’s ByteDance instructed moderators regarding a series of restrictions, including to act on videos that mention Tiananmen Square, criticize political systems, or promote controversial groups.
The documents illustrating the moderation rules were disclosed by The Guardian, but according to the company, the rules were retired in May.
The Guardian also reported that TikTok moderators received instructions to flag content based on very general rules, in order to over Chinese censorship concerns. Among the taboo topics mentioned were the Tiananmen Square protests and the Tibetan or Taiwanese independence movements.
Altogether, the rules are part of a policy meant to limit posts that make any type of reference to a controversial political topic, the violations resulting in outright removal or a ban.
According to a Tweet by Alex Hern, the rules were applied worldwide.
This month, we’ve told you about The Washington Post disclosing that TikTok might be banning videos of protests in Hong Kong, but according to the company it was just an “approach to minimizing conflict on the platform,” a spokesperson told The Guardian.
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