London [UK], March 22: TikTok went on a counteroffensive Tuesday amid increasing Western pressure over cybersecurity and misinformation concerns, rolling out updated rules and standards for content as its CEO warned against a possible US ban on the Chinese-owned app.
CEO ShouZi Chew is scheduled to appear Thursday before US congressional lawmakers, who will grill him about the company's privacy and data security practices and relationship with the Chinese government. "I'll be testifying before Congress this week to share all that we're are doing to protect Americans using the app," he said.
TikTok app has come under fire in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation. So far, there is no evidence to suggest this has happened or that TikTok has turned over user data to the Chinese government, as some critics have argued it would do. Norway and the Netherlands on Tuesday warned apps like TikTok should not be installed on phones issued to government employees, citing security or intelligence agencies. There's a "high risk" if TikTok or Telegram are installed on devices with access to "internal digital infrastructure or services," Norway's justice ministry said, without providing further details.
TikTok also rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users in a reorganized set of community guidelines, including eight principles to guide content moderation decisions."These principles are based on our commitment to upholding human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks," said Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok's global head of product policy. She said TikTok strives to be fair, protect human dignity and balance freedom of expression with preventing harm. The guidelines, which take effect April 21, were repackaged from TikTok's rules with extra details and explanations. Among the changes are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media created by AI.
Source: Qatar Tribune