TikTok removes thousands of items of terrorism content

Analysis shows Pakistan and Turkey have been among the worst offenders

TikTok has removed thousands of terrorism-related content in a Europe-wide police operation. PA Wire

TikTok has removed thousands of items of terrorism-related content from its platforms in Europe in a police operation to tackle online extremism.

In a joint operation with Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), the video-sharing platform worked with 11 countries to target suspected terrorist and violent extremist content online.

Investigators found 2,145 items of content which they assessed as glorifying past terrorist attacks or terrorists.

The material was then flagged to TikTok for a voluntary review against their terms of service.

Among the referred content were items linked to ISIS and violent right-wing extremism and terrorism, such as videos and memes.

The action was put in motion by Spain and the EU, in co-operation with law enforcement authorities from Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The Referral Action Day was part of an ongoing public-private partnership between TikTok, police forces and Europol that aims to address terrorists' abuse of the internet, prevent online radicalisation and safeguard fundamental rights.

The day of action comes as analysis revealed the top 10 countries with the highest percentage of TikTok video removals between January and March 2023.

Pakistan was the country with the highest percentage of removals, with 70.91 per cent of its videos being removed compared with its TikTok population.

Azerbaijan came a close second with a TikTok video removal rate of 65.3 per cent.

The United Kingdom had a 19.65 per cent TikTok video removal rate, Turkey 13.36 per cent, Israel 12.75 per cent and Saudi Arabia 11.85 per cent.

“This data underscores the complexities associated with content moderation on a global scale. As a global platform, TikTok grapples with the delicate balance of adhering to local regulations and maintaining a vibrant and diverse content ecosystem," said safety app Canopy.us, the company that carried out the analysis.

"The varying percentages of video removals reflect the platform's ongoing efforts to address these challenges. The findings also shed light on the importance of region-specific content guidelines and the need for transparent and effective communication between platform operators, content creators, and regulatory authorities.

"As TikTok continues to evolve, it remains imperative for the platform to adapt and refine its content moderation strategies to foster a safe and inclusive environment for users worldwide, particularly vulnerable minors. Parents of young TikTok users may take solace in this video removal data, as it suggests a strict removal of inappropriate content.”