Skip to main content

TikTok told its moderators to suppress videos by ‘ugly’ or poor users

 

TikTok reportedly told its moderators to demote or suppress content featuring “ugly” people or users who show signs of being poor.

Recommended Videos

The Intercept reports that TikTok’s content policy judged people’s physical appearance when determining whether to promote their videos on the platform. The Intercept was able to obtain copies of these moderator policies, which were written in Chinese and translated into English.

The company’s policy lays out what type of things moderators should look for when it comes to suppressing posts. This includes characteristics like “chubby,” “have obvious beer belly,” “ugly facial looks,” “senior people with too many wrinkles,” and “facial deformities (not limited to: eye disorders, crooked mouth disease, and other disabilities.” 

TikTok's Logo
Getty Images / SOPA Images

“Unlike diversified videos of which the content itself is the main focus, in the non-diversified content, the character himself/herself is basically the only focus of the video, therefore, if the character’s appearance or the shooting environment is not good, the video will be much less attractive, not worthy to be recommended to new users,” the policy states as a reason for the rules. 

In addition to people’s physical features, moderators were also told to look out for shooting environment that is “shabby and dilapidated,” such as “slums.” Moderators were also told to look out for cracked walls and “disreputable decorations” in the background of videos.  

A spokesperson for TikTok told The Intercept that the policies of suppressing unattractive or disabled users “represented an early blunt attempt at preventing bullying, but are no longer in place, and were already out of use when The Intercept obtained them.”

Digital Trends reached out to TikTok to comment further on these reports of suppressed posts. We will update this story when we hear back.

This kind of content censorship only adds fuel to the fire about accusations that the company censors different topics from transgender users to Tiananmen Square. However, the company recently announced a TikTok Transparency Center meant to allow outside experts to see how content moderation at TikTok actually works. 

In a little over two years, TikTok has rapidly accumulated more than a billion users and more than 700 million downloads across the globe. TikTok allows users to take short videos of themselves, to which they can attach sounds or music. The app also offers other customization options such as filters, stickers, and special effects, making it popular among younger audiences. 

Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
TikTok will interrupt teens’ late-night doomscrolling with calming music
The Wind Down feature on TikTok.

Most teens have a TikTok account, and now the app plans to interrupt late-night doomscrolling with a fullscreen reminder to take a deep breath, wind down, and prepare for bed. Recently, TikTok has placed a heavier emphasis on the safety and well-being of its younger user base by adding more parental controls.

Aside from the addition of the meditation feature, this update gives parents more control over the content their child can view on the app. Parents can re-enable the dedicated STEM feed if it has been disabled and set customizable daily screen time limits. By default, all TikTok users under 18 have a one-hour daily limit.

Read more
The TikTok experience is getting better on desktop
Viewing TikTok videos on desktop.

TikTok is giving a lift to the experience of viewing viral short-form videos on desktop. The company says it is bringing what it calls a modular layout to the Tiktok web app, which includes a full-screen LIVE video feed and a floating player that is exclusive to desktop viewing.

The platform has changed the position of the navigation bar as part of the modular design makeover. TikTok says the new design opens the doors for a more immersive viewing experience and better discovery of their respective feeds.

Read more
Amazon is replacing its TikTok-like Inspire with Rufus the AI bot
Amazon Inspire

Amazon has shut down its TikTok-esque social shopping feed, Inspire, and will be replacing it with Rufus. By "Rufus," we mean the AI shopping chatbot, not the naked mole rat from Kim Possible.

According to a report from The Information, Amazon users received a message from the online retail company saying that the Inspire feed was no longer available. The lightbulb icon that was used to access Inspire from the bottom of the Amazon app's home screen also disappeared. Kevin King, the founder of the Billion Dollar Sellers newsletter, posted a screenshot of the message on LinkedIn, which reads, "Thank you for using Amazon Inspire to discover and shop new products on Amazon. Please note that Inspire is no longer available in the Amazon shopping app."

Read more