# TikTok Shares Information on Account Removals and Authorities Reqeusts in 2024

With TikTok staring down a ban within the U.S., its transparency stories, which look at its numerous content material removals and actions, tackle elevated relevance, as they might level to Chinese language Authorities manipulation of the app, or potential censorship or management efforts.

And looking out on the information within the newest report (launched as we speak), TikTok is receiving extra requests from governments world wide to take away content material.

Guess what number of of these got here from China?

In the event you guessed none, you’ll be right.

In line with TikTok’s newest report, Malaysian authorities submitted probably the most removing requests within the first half of this yr (2,606 complete requests), adopted by Indonesia (778), and Australian authorities (522).

Chinese language regulators didn’t request that TikTok take away something, not less than based mostly on this report.

After all, the suggestion appears to be that China-based teams, which often search to infiltrate different social media platforms with pro-CCP propaganda and affect efforts, are additionally utilizing TikTok for a similar objective. Which might make sense, in that in the event that they’re making an attempt to sway Western audiences on different platforms, why not use the one they’ve extra direct entry to?

However these wouldn’t essentially present up as authorities requests or points. Although they’d present up within the “Covert Affect Operations” section. In that factor of the report, TikTok has recognized two China-based affect operations this yr, one working a community of 350 accounts, the opposite with 16 profiles.

Each of those campaigns meant to “artificially amplify narratives that the U.S. is corrupt and unsafe” and “amplify constructive narratives of China.”

Although it’s noteworthy that TikTok is seeing (or detecting) considerably fewer China-based affect operations, with Meta lately reporting that it uncovered 11 covert affect campaigns working out of China all through this yr.

TikTok is seemingly seeing so much much less, which appears unlikely, given its origins. However that’s what the reported information says.

TikTok’s full transparency report additionally exhibits a rise in authorized enforcement requests this yr:

And extra efforts by questionable sellers to market items within the app:

IPR is “mental property rights”, and TikTok has been detecting and eradicating much more sellers based mostly on such violations.

Additionally, extra faux engagement:

However the large focus for TikTok proper now’s its origins, and the affect, or not, of the CCP over its operations. And whereas TikTok has reported that it’s detecting and eradicating China-based affect efforts, it does appear odd that it’s had no removing request from the Chinese language authorities, and that it’s seeing fewer pushes than different apps.

Perhaps Meta’s detection is simply higher, however I’m undecided that this report will do a lot to appease considerations concerning the app.

You’ll be able to learn TikTok’s full transparency Experiences overview right here.