news
TikTok affirms commitment to safety in parliament appearance
Short-form video hosting platform TikTok has reiterated its commitment to upholding safety on the platform for its users in Kenya.
While appearing before parliament, Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, director of government and public policy for Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, said the platform’s user policies and tools are developed to promote a positive and safe environment for its community.
Known as Community Guidelines, Mgwili-Sibanda said these policies define a set of norms and a common code of conduct for TikTok users; they provide guidance on what is, and what is not allowed on the platform to make it a welcoming space for everyone.
"TikTok is an entertaining and joyful place because of the work we put into keeping the platform safe, including investing more than $2bn in our Trust and Safety efforts this year, globally. ‘’ Mgwili-Sibanda said.
In a session to address concerns over TikTok in Kenya, Mgwili-Sibanda also announced that the platform will continue with capacity-building workshops for policymakers and regulatory agencies, with a special focus on online safety, data privacy, and content moderation.
Additionally, TikTok has encouraged legislators and other government officials to visit its Transparency and Accountability Centre in Dublin. Through this tour, legislators will have the opportunity to see how TikTok's teams work to secure the community's safety.
Mgwili-Sibanda said that TikTok currently has more than forty thousand trust and safety professionals worldwide, working around the clock to protect its community.
Locally, Mgwili-Sibanda said the platform will continue with capacity-building workshops for policymakers and regulatory agencies on how TikTok works, with a special focus on online safety, data privacy and how we moderate content on the platform.
‘’We value the opportunity to contribute to keeping our Kenyan community safe on our platform and look forward to collaborating more closely with all our stakeholders in Kenya including government, the media, civil society, parents, teachers, guardians and our wider community itself.’’ he said.
Mgwili-Sibanda stressed that keeping Kenyans safe online requires a collaborative effort as well as collective action, and TikTok’s commitment to this is ongoing and unwavering.
