TikTok removed dozens of accounts that were posting ISIS propaganda

By Emily Price Published October 21, 2019

Video sharing app TikTok has reportedly removed around two dozen accounts from its platform after they posted extremist propaganda in the app, specifically promoting the work of ISIS.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the videos in question showed armed ISIS militants, dead bodies, and women who spoke in the videos claiming to be “jihadist and proud.” The posts were presumably made as a way to recruit additional followers and to bolster additional support for the organization.

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The news comes just a week after the company’s owner, Bytedance, was accused by lawmakers of censoring content on the platform on the behalf of the Chinese government.

While TikTok’s terms of service prevent content being posted by criminal organizations, enforcing such rules can be hard to do.

According to The Journal, a number of the accounts had more than 1,000 followers on the Platform before TikTok’s monitors found them and were able to shut them down. While TikTok does employ a number of people who are responsible for monitoring content that has been added to the platform, in the case of these videos, those monitors were not fast enough.

ISIS content isn’t the only thing that has gotten TikTok in hot water in recent months. In July TikTok was also investigated by the U.K. government for how it collects, handles, and uses the personal information of children that are using the platform.

Lawmakers in the U.K. took issue specifically with the open messaging system on the platform that would allow adults to contact children. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had similar concerns that the platform was not getting the correct consent prior to allowing children under 13 to use it.

Even in the midst of these controversies, last month TikTok started testing a new reverse-image search feature in China that would allow you to search for videos using people’s faces as well as items like clothing or other products. For instance, you might look for other people wearing a shirt you like, our look for other videos uploaded with a person you enjoy.

TikTok will also offer e-commerce links in the case of products, so if you do find a shirt on the platform you like, you’ll be able to buy it.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Emily is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. Her book "Productivity Hacks: 500+ Easy Ways to Accomplish More at…

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