Comment on TikTok explicitly calls out white nationalism, white genocide theory, and male supremacy as hate speech

TikTok explicitly calls out white nationalism, white genocide theory, and male supremacy as hate speech

Members of the Proud Boys, a far right organization dedicated to fighting with leftists, hold a rally on September 26, 2020 in Delta Park, on the northern edge of Portland, Oregon. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images TikTok is being more explicit about what qualifies as hate speech on its platform. The company said it will ban hate symbols and coded hate language, and called out white supremacy, white genocide theory, and male supremacy as hate speech. TikTok's guidelines already ban hate speech and hateful ideology, but the announcement sees the firm condemn certain ideologies more explicitly. TikTok's update comes as Big Tech platforms rush to update policies and try and stem a flood of hate speech. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. TikTok has strengthened its community guidelines to better tackle coded language and symbols that help spread hate speech.The company announced in a blog post on Wednesday morning that it "will stem the spread of coded language and symbols that can normalize hateful speech and behavior."The announcement comes shortly after TikTok joined the European Commission's Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online.The company says it will address the spread of white nationalism, white genocide theory, Identitarianism (an anti-immigration movement spreading in parts of Europe and elsewhere), and male supremacy.Business Insider has previously reported that Identitarianism was linked to the 2019 Christchurch shooting, where a self-proclaimed fascist killed 49 people in a number of New Zealand mosques.White supremacists have used TikTok to push their beliefsThe app, which was criticized in August by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization devoted to tackling anti-Semitism and hate, has faced issues with white supremacists and nationalists using coded messages to perpetuate their beliefs.The ADL highlighted examples of TikTok posters using hashtags like "2316" (the numeric symbol for white power) and "88", which is often used to circumvent moderation and is linked to the phrase "Heil Hitler"."I do think this is an effort worth commending and it appears to be well aligned with what other platforms grappling with similar issues are tackling," said Sabrina Ahmad, an MSc graduate from the Oxford Internet Institute who studied the cultural implications of content moderation."I think it's worth acknowledging, however, the same way Facebook did that with any significant change in content moderation policies such as these, that TikTok won't be getting it right the first time, and that there's a good possibility that they won't ever get it right fully."TikTok also said it would be taking "further action" to remove misinformation and hurtful stereotypes about Jewish, Muslim and other communities, including misinformation about prominent Jewish people, who are often subject to anti-Semitism.However, the app's internal content moderation policies, used by those policing posts, already guards against this.

 

Comment On This Story

Welcome to Wopular!

Welcome to Wopular

Wopular is an online newspaper rack, giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.

Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular, MWB, RottenTomatoes

Subscribe to Wopular's RSS Fan Wopular on Facebook Follow Wopular on Twitter Follow Wopular on Google Plus

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

More Business News