TikTok said on Sunday it has assigned more people to combat disinformation on its platform in the wake of the attack on Israel by Hamas, after the European Union chastised the social media company, The Guardian reported.
The company, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, said in a statement it had “immediately mobilized significant resources and personnel to help maintain the safety of our community and integrity of our platform”, and that it had removed more than 500,000 videos and closed 8,000 live streams in the region.
TikTok said it had launched a command center to look at the latest conflict, updated its automated detection systems to look for graphic and violent content, and added an unspecified number of moderators who speak Arabic and Hebrew.
It also said it restricted live broadcasts “given the heightened safety risk in the context of the current hostage situation”.
The EU on Friday said it has opened an investigation into X, formerly Twitter, over disinformation related to the conflict, while it also reprimanded Facebook’s owner, Meta.
The EU’s commissioner for industry, Thierry Breton, on Thursday wrote to Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, calling for the company to step up its efforts to respond promptly to law enforcement requests to take down illegal content, and asking for a response to his letter within 24 hours.
Breton said the EU had seen “indications that TikTok is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU.”
The social media platform insisted it “stands against terrorism”.
“We are shocked and appalled by the horrific acts of terror in Israel last week,” TikTok said. “We are also deeply saddened by the intensifying humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Our hearts break for everyone who has been affected.”
The company said it remains “focused on supporting free expression, upholding our commitment to human rights, and protecting our platform during the Israel-Hamas war”.