Sylvia Duruson
TikTok has taken significant action across nine African countries by removing nearly 12 million videos that violated platform policies during 2024’s second quarter. Egypt led the removals with 2.7 million videos, while Nigeria and Algeria followed with 2.1 million and 1.8 million respectively.
The platform’s automated technology has shown remarkable improvement, now handling 80% of content removals compared to 62% in the previous year. Proactive detection rates have reached an unprecedented 98.2%, while instances of wrongful video removal have decreased by more than half annually.
South Africa witnessed particular attention to age restrictions, with over 143,000 account terminations. Most of these accounts, specifically 137,663, belonged to users suspected of being under 13 years old. TikTok has responded by implementing stricter privacy controls to protect young users, following a $92 million settlement in 2021 over allegations of improper data collection from teenage users.
Various African nations have intensified their oversight of the platform. Egyptian authorities announced plans to strengthen content monitoring mechanisms by August 2024, responding to calls from local activists and media professionals for stricter regulation. Kenya has opted for a different approach, requiring quarterly compliance reports rather than implementing an outright ban.
TikTok has actively engaged with African institutions to address safety concerns. A partnership with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate focuses on promoting online safety awareness. The initiative emphasizes creating locally relevant content in native languages to effectively reach diverse African communities.
The platform’s commitment to regional safety has extended to establishing an African council of internet and information experts. This council specifically addresses hate speech and disinformation challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. Somalia, Libya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Morocco have also participated in the content removal initiative, with removal figures ranging from 1.3 million to 645,000 videos respectively.
These comprehensive measures reflect TikTok’s response to growing concerns about social media safety in Africa. The platform’s enhanced moderation systems and collaboration with local authorities demonstrate an evolving approach to digital content management across the continent.
