TikTok bans some deepfakes due to security concerns

TikTok announced a ban on some deepfake videos on Tuesday as part of an update to its community guidelines that comes as the Chinese-owned video-sharing app faces a possible ban in the United States over reasons security and confidentiality.

The new rules were introduced just days before the TikTok CEO is due to testify before Congress this week. Shou Chew is scheduled to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday to discuss TikTok’s privacy and data practices.

Chew said in a TikTok video on Tuesday that the hearing “comes at a pivotal time” for the company. “Some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok,” Chew said in the TikTok, “(and) it could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.” Chew said he plans to tell the House committee “everything we’re doing to protect Americans using the app.”

At the heart of the updates presented by TikTok on Tuesday is the issue of posting deepfakes, which use artificial intelligence to manipulate video and audio and make it look like someone is saying or doing something he does not do. TikTok’s new rules now require synthetic or manipulated media depicting realistic scenes to be clearly labeled as fake.

The rules update also prohibits deepfakes of private figures and young people, while synthetic media featuring public figures will still be allowed, subject to certain restrictions – abuse, political misinformation and commercial endorsements will be banned.

The new rules, which take effect April 21, also include updates to its moderation procedures, including removing content that violates the service’s rules and restricting viewing of mature content to those 18 or older. .

“These principles guide our decisions about how we moderate content, so that we can strive to be fair in our actions, protect human dignity and strike a balance between freedom of expression and prevention of harm. “said Julie de Bailliencourt, global product manager at TikTok. policy, said in a statement outlining the changes.

TikTok, a popular short form video app owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, has for months come under increasing pressure from US officials amid growing concerns that user data in the US is being passed on to the Chinese government. . One of officials’ main concerns is that the Chinese government could dictate what content is or is not posted on the platform in an effort to sway popular public opinion in the United States.

TikTok has repeatedly said it does not share data with the Chinese government, but the company’s remarks were not enough to appease US officials. Earlier this month, the Biden administration demanded that ByteDance sell its stake in the app or face a possible ban in the United States.