TikTok is jeopardizing the roles of hundreds of UK content moderators, despite the implementation of stricter regulations aimed at curbing the dissemination of harmful materials online.
The popular video-sharing platform announced that hundreds of positions within its trust and safety teams could be impacted in the UK, as well as South and Southeast Asia, as part of a global reorganization effort.
Their responsibilities have been shifted to other European locations and third-party contractors, with some trust and safety roles still remaining in the UK, the company clarified.
This move aligns with TikTok’s broader strategy to utilize artificial intelligence for content moderation. The company stated that over 85% of materials removed for violating community guidelines have been identified and deleted through automation.
The reduction poses challenges for companies, necessitating age verification checks for users accessing potentially harmful content, even with new UK online safety laws now in effect. Organizations risk fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue for non-compliance.
John Chadfield from the Communication Workers Union expressed concerns that replacing human moderators with AI could endanger the safety of millions of TikTok users.
“TikTok employees have consistently highlighted the real-world implications of minimizing human moderation teams in favor of hastily developed AI solutions,” he remarked.
TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech firm ByteDance, has a workforce of over 2,500 in the UK.
In the past year, TikTok has decreased its trust and safety personnel globally, often substituting automated systems for human workers. In September, the company laid off an entire team of 300 content moderators in the Netherlands, and in October, it disclosed plans to replace approximately 500 content moderation staff in Malaysia as part of its shift towards AI.
Recently, TikTok employees in Germany conducted a strike against the layoffs in its trust and safety team.
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Meanwhile, TikTok’s business is thriving. Accounts filed with Companies House reveal that combined operations in the UK and Europe reached $6.3 billion (£4.7 billion) in 2024, representing a 38% increase from the year before. The operating loss decreased from $1.4 billion in 2023 to $485 million.
A TikTok spokesperson stated that the company is “continuing the reorganization initiated last year to enhance its global operational model for reliability and safety.” This involves a focus on fewer global locations to increase efficiency and speed in the evolution of this essential function for technological progress.
Source: www.theguardian.com
