TikTok Removed Over 8 Million Harmful Videos in Sub-Saharan Africa in Q4 2024
TikTok, the Short-form video hosting platform, has revealed that it removed more than 8 million harmful videos from its platform in Q4 2024 in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a 14.06% increase compared to the 7.5 million videos the platform removed in Q3 2024.
Notably, TikTok says 99.5% of these videos were removed before any user reports, underscoring its commitment to proactive moderation and swift action.
A similar trend was observed in North Africa, where TikTok removed over 7 million videos in both Q3 and Q4 of 2024. This represented an 8.70% increase in removals between the quarters, with 99.3% of these takedowns also occurring before user reports.
The company says these figures highlight its ongoing efforts to provide a safe and positive online environment through robust, technology-enabled content moderation systems.
TikTok revealed this when it hosted its second Annual Africa Safer Internet Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. The summit brought together government officials, regulators, and industry leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa. Delegates from South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, and other countries convened to discuss critical issues on online safety, content moderation, and digital policy development.
The Summit underscored TikTok’s ongoing efforts to prioritize user safety in Africa while fostering an open dialogue with policymakers to shape robust frameworks that protect users’ rights while encouraging innovation and creativity in the digital space.
Helena Lersch, TikTok’s Vice President for Public Policy, in her remarks, reaffirmed the platform’s commitment to user safety and the role of partnerships in creating a secure digital environment.
“Billions of people come to TikTok every day to create, share and connect and we’re continually evolving our policies and practices to safeguard our platform so our community can discover and do what they love. This summit underscores the importance of collaboration between industry leaders and regulators in shaping a digital ecosystem that is both innovative and secure,” said Lersch.
As part of its broader commitment to digital safety and education, TikTok said it is expanding its efforts across Africa through strategic partnerships and training programs that promote digital literacy, safety awareness, and responsible content creation.
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