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 abuse and other horrific material to teach its moderators.
The video content of the app is reviewed and regulated by Teleperformance, a third-party moderation company that collaborates with TikTok and other organisations.
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According to the company’s employees, TikTok requested that they read a spreadsheet labelled DRR, or Daily Required Reading, which contained material that was against the platform’s rules. There were numerous photographs of minors with explicit content.
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 content.
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 video.
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The employees, 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 employees with graphic information to use as samples for tags on the app, with lax access safeguards.