Short video platform, TikTok in the first 6 months of 2020 removed more than 104 million videos from its platform. The company made this known in the latest edition of its published transparency report released on Tuesday.
According to TikTok, the figure represents less than 1% of all videos uploaded to the popular app between Jan. 1 and June 30.
The update comes amid the crisis surrounding the future of the app in the United States. A future hanging in the hope of the finalization of a complicated deal for Oracle and Walmart to acquire stakes in the app’s US operations.
Analysing the contents removed, TikTok said 30.9% violated the company’s policies on adult nudity and sexual activities, 22.3% violated rules related to minor safety and 19.6% violated its policies on illegal activities and regulated goods.
The company also stated that it relied much on technology due to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that it detected and automatically removed more than 10 million videos that violated the app’s policies. The largest number of videos were removed from India, the US, Pakistan, Brazil, and the UK.
TikTok added that 96.4% of videos that violated its community guidelines were found and removed even before they were reported by a user, while 90.3% were pulled off before users could view.
The app owned by Chinese company ByteDance is embroiled in a geopolitical clash between the US and China. The US Department of Commerce threatened to obstruct new downloads of TikTok last week with officials saying the app poses a threat to national security.
The move was halted and pushed back after President Donald Trump approved a deal “in concept” over the weekend between TikTok, Oracle , and Walmart.
