tiktok safety videos

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TikTok releases safety videos

The app wants users to be proactive about harassment.

 

Esther Bell

Internet Culture

Posted on Oct 23, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 12:46 am CDT

TikTok released a set of videos Wednesday that highlight the app’s commitment to safety and “positivity.” The video series, titled “You’re In Control,” gives users tips to stay safe online.

“TikTok is committed to building a positive environment where creativity radiates and everyone feels safe,” Kudzi Chikumbu, TikTok’s director of creator community, said in a press release. “Our in-app controls are designed to keep TikTok welcoming for everyone and we love showcasing these creators’ enthusiasm to help keep our community safe.”

“You’re In Control” shows users how to keep information private on TikTok, as well as how to block certain users from interacting with your profile. TikTok also urged users to be “thoughtful” about what they put in their profiles and to “keep TikTok positive” by reporting hate speech.

TikTok partnered with popular creators for the “You’re In Control” campaign. This approach to safety does seem to stand out from other platforms like Facebook or Twitter, where safety concerns took longer to address.

But there is a concern that these safety features are a guise to make censorship easier. TikTok is based in Beijing and has come under fire before for censoring topics that it may not want Chinese users to see, like protests in Hong Kong. TikTok has not yet appeared to censor political issues in the U.S. However, earlier this month Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) requested the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States investigate Tik Tok over censorship concerns.

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*First Published: Oct 23, 2019, 1:30 pm CDT