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Content moderation on TikTok • Account strikes and bans
Content moderation on TikTok
Our Community Guidelines set the rules for what is and isn't allowed on TikTok to help foster a welcoming, safe, and entertaining experience. We've developed tools and technology to identify and remove harmful content and behavior that goes against our Community Guidelines. These tools help us advance the safety of our community and maintain the integrity of our platform.
How does TikTok detect violations and enforce its Community Guidelines?
We use both automated and human evaluation to detect and take action against violations of our Community Guidelines. If we find violations and remove that content, the account owner will be notified.
What happens if your TikTok content is under review?
If your TikTok content is under review, it will be reviewed by our Trust and Safety team to determine whether it should be removed or made ineligible for the For You feed according to our Community Guidelines. This may happen when you upload content, if it gains popularity, or if it's reported.
If a violation is identified:
• We'll remove the content and, if so, notify you of the reason.
• You'll be given the opportunity to appeal the decision.
What happens if your post is ineligible for the For You feed?
In some cases, as outlined in our Community Guidelines, we may determine your content is ineligible for recommendation in the For You feed. When this happens, your post will no longer be displayed in the For You feed. You can review the reason, submit feedback on our decision, and appeal if you believe we've made a mistake. If the appeal is successful, your post will be eligible for recommendation in the For You feed.
Keep in mind that you'll need to turn on analytics in your TikTok settings to view our decision.
To turn on analytics for your posts:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then select TikTok Studio.
3. Tap Get started within Analytics.
4. Tap Turn on.
To get more details on our decision:
1. In the TikTok app, go to the post you'd like to know more about.
2. Tap More insights at the bottom or tap the More options … button on the side of the post, then tap Analytics.
3. Tap the notification for the ineligible post.
4. Review the feedback. You can choose Yes or No to whether or not you understand why your post isn't eligible for the For You feed. If you choose No, you can follow the steps on the next screen to share feedback and help us improve our moderation measures.
If you don't agree with our decision that your post is ineligible for the For You feed, you can submit an appeal.
To submit an appeal:
1. In the TikTok app, go to the post that is ineligible for the For You feed.
2. Tap More insights at the bottom or tap the More options … button on the side of the post, then tap Analytics.
3. Tap the notification for the ineligible post.
4. Tap Appeal at the top.
How does TikTok enforce its Community Guidelines for government, politicians, and news accounts?
We use the same content moderation practices for Government, Politician, and Political Party Accounts and news entities as we do for other TikTok accounts. This means we'll remove any violative content and permanently remove the account for any single severe content violation, such as showing real-world violence or torture. However, because of the role these public interest accounts play in civic processes and civil society, we enforce different account restrictions in keeping with our commitment to human rights and free expression. If they reach the strike limit set for all accounts, they'll be temporarily ineligible to appear in the For You and Following feeds for 90 days.
In some cases, where public interest accounts may present a particularly high risk to public safety—such as during periods of civil unrest, elections, or other high-risk social and political environments—we may impose other restrictions. If a public interest account posts content during high-risk times that promotes violence, hate, or misinformation that could undermine a civic process or contribute to real-world harm, we may restrict that account from posting content for a period of 7 to 30 days, depending on the severity of the violation and surrounding risk. We may extend the restriction period if we determine that the actions of the account owner indicate they're likely to continue violations and public safety is still at high risk. We may also consider behavior outside of TikTok in our decision.
Account strikes and bans
What happens to your TikTok account if your content is removed?
The first time your content is removed because of a Community Guidelines violation, you'll receive a warning strike on your account. You'll receive a notification to explain why your content was removed, which guideline the content violated, and how to submit an appeal if you believe we've made a mistake. Keep in mind that if your first violation is severe, this won't apply and you'll receive a strike instead of a warning. We may also ban your account.
Our system counts the number of times your account has violated our Community Guidelines, and for each violation after your first warning, you'll receive a strike on your account.
We count strikes by policy area as listed in our Community Guidelines (for example, safety and civility) or by feature (for example, comments or direct messages). Your account will receive a strike based on the severity of the policy violation. We'll count the strikes until your account reaches the threshold for a permanent account ban. We'll notify you of any consequences of violations, including if you're on the verge of being banned. You can also access a record of your violations in account check.
To review notices of violations:
1. In the TikTok app, tap Inbox.
2. Tap System notifications.
3. Tap Account updates. You may need to scroll across.
Keep in mind that for repeated violations or depending on the severity of a single violation, we may permanently ban your account. In some cases, for violations when using certain features such as LIVE or direct messages, we may temporarily restrict access to the feature while your content is under review to ensure that you don't immediately re-engage in violative behavior.
Do strikes on your TikTok account expire?
Strikes on your TikTok account will expire after 90 days and will no longer be taken into consideration for a permanent account ban.
When does TikTok permanently ban accounts?
We may permanently ban accounts if we identify the following violations of our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, including:
• You don't meet the minimum age or other requirements as indicated in our Terms of Service.
• The account impersonates another person or entity in a deceptive manner.
• You have a severe violation on your account:
༚ Post, promote, or facilitate youth exploitation or child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
༚ Promote or threaten violence.
༚ Post or promote content that depicts non-consensual sex acts such as rape or molestation.
༚ Post content that facilitates human trafficking.
༚ Post content that depicts real-world torture.
• Create or use another TikTok account to intentionally avoid restrictions or a permanent ban imposed on another account.
• Your account has reached the strike threshold for multiple violations within a policy or feature.
• Multiple violations of our Intellectual Property Policy.
• Your account exists solely to violate our rules.
How will you know if your TikTok account is permanently banned?
If your account has been banned, you'll receive a banner notification when you try to log in to inform you of the ban.
How to access your TikTok account after it's banned
If your account is banned, you can log in to the account to submit an appeal and download your personal data. Keep in mind that we delete personal data after a period of time in accordance with applicable laws and our data retention policy. After the deletion, your account will no longer be available.
How to appeal if your content is removed or your TikTok account is banned
If you believe your content or account has been removed by mistake, you can appeal this decision.
If your appeal is approved:
• Your content or account will be reinstated (unless you've already deleted the account or content).
• The strike will be removed from your account.
Note: Deleting your content does not remove strikes, and we may still issue strikes after you delete violative content.
Can you create a new TikTok account after a ban?
You can create multiple accounts on TikTok. However, we may restrict or permanently ban your account if you make any attempts to avoid a restriction or ban imposed on another account you own, including:
• Create a new account after your account has been banned for a severe violation.
• Post violative content on a new or existing account.
• Spread content violations across multiple accounts.
This applies for as long as the restriction remains active on your other account.