Labor unions and online safety advocates are urging Members of Parliament to examine TikTok’s decision to eliminate hundreds of content moderation jobs based in the UK.
The social media platform intends to reduce its workforce by 439 positions within its trust and safety team in London, raising alarms about the potential risks to online safety associated with these layoffs.
Conferences from trade unions, communication unions, and prominent figures in online safety have authored an open letter to Chi Onwurah MP, who chairs Labour’s science, innovation, and technology committee, seeking an inquiry into these plans.
The letter references estimates from the UK’s data protection authority indicating that as many as 1.4 million TikTok users could be under the age of 13, cautioning that these reductions might leave children vulnerable to harmful content. TikTok boasts over 30 million users in the UK.
“These safety-focused staff members are vital in safeguarding our users and communities against deepfakes, harm, and abuse,” the letter asserts.
Additionally, TikTok has suggested it might substitute moderators with AI-driven systems or workers from nations like Kenya and the Philippines.
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The signatories also accuse the Chinese-owned TikTok of undermining the union by announcing layoffs just eight days prior to a planned vote on union recognition within the CWU technology sector.
“There is no valid business justification for enacting these layoffs. TikTok’s revenue continues to grow significantly, with a 40% increase. Despite this, the company has chosen to make cuts. We perceive this decision as an act of union-busting that compromises worker rights, user safety, and the integrity of online information,” the letter elaborates.
Among the letter’s signatories are Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, a British teenager who took her life after encountering harmful online content, former meta-whistleblower Arturo Bejar, and Sonia Livingstone, a social psychology professor at the London School of Economics.
The letter also urges the commission to evaluate the implications of job cuts on online safety and worker rights, and to explore legal avenues to prevent content moderation from being outsourced and to keep human moderators from being replaced by AI.
When asked for comments regarding the letter, Onwurah noted that the layoff strategy suggests TikTok’s content moderation efforts are under scrutiny, stating, “The role that recommendation algorithms play on TikTok and other platforms in exposing users to considerable amounts of harmful and misleading content is evident and deeply troubling.”
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Onwurah mentioned that the impending job losses were questioned during TikTok’s recent appearance before the committee, where the company reiterated its dedication to maintaining security on its platform through financial investments and staffing.
She remarked: “TikTok has conveyed to the committee its assurance of maintaining the highest standards to safeguard both its users and employees. How does this announcement align with that commitment?”
In response, a TikTok representative stated: “We categorically refute these allegations. We are proceeding with the organizational restructuring initiated last year to enhance our global operational model for trust and safety. This entails reducing the number of centralized locations worldwide and leveraging technological advancements to improve efficiency and speed as we develop this essential capability for the company.”
TikTok confirmed it is engaging with the CWU voluntarily and has expressed willingness to continue discussions with the union after the current layoff negotiations are finalized.
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