Video making app, TikTok, owned by the Chinese firm ByteDnace has announced to join the European Union’s Code of Conduct against hate speech.
“I commend TikTok for their decision to sign up to our EU Code of Conduct,” EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders commented on Tuesday, when retweeting an announcement from the EU’s executive arm.
“By signing up to our Code of Conduct, TikTok has demonstrated a firm commitment to tackling illegal hate speech online. The EU needs robust cooperation with such prominent actors to make the digital environment a safe place for all,” Reynders said in the announcement.
By joining the Code of Conduct, TikTok has become ninth application to curb hate speech on its platform. Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter are other giants to have joined the conduct.
“Our ultimate goal is to eliminate hate on TikTok. We recognise that this may seem an insurmountable challenge as the world is increasingly polarised, but we believe that this shouldn’t stop us from trying,” TikTok’s head of trust and safety for EMEA Cormac Keenan said in a statement.
The Code of Conduct was set up in May 2016 by EU for tech companies to come under the same umbrella and adhere to same values to remove online hate speech.
The easy accessibility of social media has led to the increase in vile content on the web platforms. For which, the apps have received constant flak from the politicians and governments. TikTok being one of the wildly popular mediums has also been constantly under observation, but by adhering to European Union’s voluntary Code of Conduct, the video-sharing-app has made its intention clear to be a part of civil society.
