TikTok has revised its policies and guidelines for users and content in response to mounting criticism from western authorities who are worried that content on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app may be used to disseminate false information.
A revised set of community rules that the firm published includes eight guiding principles for content moderation choices.
Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok’s global head of product policy, stated that these guidelines are founded on the company’s commitment to upholding human rights and are consistent with international legal frameworks.
The Chinese-owned app has drawn criticism in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, where an increasing number of governments have prohibited TikTok from being used on devices used for official business due to concerns that it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or that it could be used to spread false information and narratives in favor of Beijing.
No proof exists that this has occurred or that TikTok has provided user information to the Chinese government, as some of its detractors have said it would.
On Thursday, chief executive Shou Zi Chew is due to testify before the US Congress. He will be questioned about the company’s privacy and data-security policies as well as its ties to the Chinese government.
The rules were repackaged from TikTok’s previous standards with more information and justifications, and will go into force on April 21.
More information about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media produced by artificial intelligence technology, is one of the adjustments that are more noteworthy.
In a clearer statement of its policy, TikTok states that all deep fakes or edited video that depicts realistic settings must bear a label indicating that they are fake or have been in some way altered.
Deepfakes of public figures and children are prohibited, according to the organization’s amended rules.