There are some unsettling details concerning TikTok’s moderation procedures in a recent Forbes story. According to reports, the social media behemoth has been using recordings of child sexual assault and other horrific material to teach its moderators.
The video content of the app is reviewed and regulated by Teleperformance, a third-party moderation business that collaborates with TikTok and other organizations. According to the company’s workers, TikTok requested that they read a spreadsheet labeled DRR, or Daily Required Reading, which contained material that was against the platform’s rules. There were several photographs of minors with sexual material.
According to these workers, there was a significant possibility of a widespread breach due to the fact that Teleperformance and hundreds of other users of TikTok had access to this material. However, TikTok claims that its training procedures have “tight access limits,” but did not specify if all third-party moderators have that standard. Teleperformance also denied showing its staff any underage pornographic videos.
The workers, however, provide a different account that can give rise to legal action as child pornography is prohibited in the US. Businesses are required to report it to the police, and one employee claimed to have done so with the FBI, however, it is unknown if a case was really filed.
According to charges made against TikTok, Teleperformance allegedly provided staff with graphic information to use as samples for tags on the app, with lax access safeguards.
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