12.5 million Pakistan videos banned by TikTok

Popular short-form video app TikTok has taken down nearly 12.5 million videos in Pakistan for violation of community guidelines.

With 12,490,309 videos removed, Pakistan is now ranked second in the world for the largest volume of videos taken down for violations between January and March 2022, reported Dawn.

The videos were removed because they violated TikTok's robust set of community guidelines that are designed to foster an experience that prioritises safety, inclusion and authenticity.

The report revealed that in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, TikTok's safety team removed 41,191 videos, 87 per cent of which violated its policies against harmful misinformation. TikTok also labelled content from 49 Russian state-controlled media accounts, reported Dawn.

The platform also identified and removed six networks and 204 accounts globally for coordinated efforts to influence public opinion and mislead users about their identities.

The report revealed that the total volume of ads removed for violating TikTok's advertising policies and guidelines increased in the first quarter of 2022, reported Dawn.

TikTok has released its latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report for the first quarter (January-March 2022), including updates on its commitment to support the safety of the community and foster kindness on the platform.

The report reflects the platform's ongoing commitment to earn trust by being accountable while working to be safe and welcoming. Efforts include fostering authentic engagement across the comment space, safety reminders for creators and adhering strictly to the extensive Community Guidelines, reported Dawn.

TikTok, one of the most popular short-form video apps, has recently shifted from solely funny content to serious and informative videos too, including political developments.

According to the report, Pakistan had a removal rate of 96.5 per cent before any views and 97.3 per cent before 24 hours, whereas 98.5 per cent proactive removal rate was used by TikTok to remove 12,490,309 Pakistani videos.

With these figures, Pakistan ranks second in the world for the largest volume of videos taken down in the first quarter of 2022, behind the US which ranks first with 14,044,224 videos removed. In this quarter, 102,305,516 videos were removed globally, which represents about 1 per cent of all videos uploaded to TikTok, reported Dawn.

Earlier in April, TikTok had taken down almost 6.5 million videos in Pakistan for violating community guidelines.