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TikTok Removes Islamic State Group Propaganda Videos

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Social media app TikTok recently took down accounts guilty of posting propaganda videos for the Islamic State group. A company employee said this on Tuesday, 22nd October 2019. This is the latest scandal to hit the popular platform.

 

TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, claimed some 500 million users globally last year. That made it one of the most popular social apps.

 

An employee at the organisation told AFP that TikTok removed about 10 accounts for posting the videos. The staffer, who requested anonymity, said: “Only one of those videos even had views that reached into double digits before being taken down.

 

The videos featured corpses paraded through streets and Islamic State fighters with guns. The Wall Street Journal first reported the story on Monday.

 

The Journal said the posts were from about two dozen accounts that social media intelligence company Storyful identified.

 

In a statement emailed to AFP, the company said:

“Content promoting terrorist organisations have absolutely no place on TikTok. We permanently ban any such accounts and associated devices as soon as identified, and we continuously develop ever-stronger controls to proactively detect suspicious activity.”

 

 

The Islamic State’s self-declared “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria fell in March. However, the group remains active in several countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It is also still inspiring jihadists through an online presence.

 

The TikTok platform, which allows users to create and share videos of 15 seconds, is particularly popular with teenagers.

 

Darren Davidson, the editor-in-chief of Storyful, said:

“Unlike other platforms, which are centred around users’ friends or communities, TikTok is based on engaging with a never-ending stream of new content.

 

“The ISIS postings violate TikTok’s policies. But the sheer volume of content makes it difficult for TikTok to police their platform and root out these videos.”

 

In recent months, controversy has marred the app. In April, an Indian court briefly banned TikTok over claims it was promoting p*********y among children.

 

Meanwhile, neighbouring Bangladesh banned the app. The United States also hit it with an enormous fine for illegally collecting information from children.

 

The company refuted the allegations, saying they abide by local privacy laws.

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