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TikTok modifies its community guidelines amid concerns about a US ban

TikTok is facing troubles in the US. It is at risk of getting banned in the United States due to national security concerns. The social media platform has come forward with a possible solution to this problem. Reportedly, the video-sharing app is making an upgrade to its community guidelines that will make the platform safe and secure.

Revising the community guidelines is a measure taken by the company to avoid a possible ban in the US. The platform has issued clear guidelines regarding how the content and creators will be treated. In addition to this, the company has issued specific guidelines for the content generated by AI as well as for synthetic media.

The updates have been scheduled for April 21. The description of the app mentions it as the “most comprehensive update to our Community Guidelines to date.”

New community guidelines put a constraint on AI-generated media

With the new updates, users have to clarify the synthetic media. They must distinguish the synthetic content by using stickers or cations that indicate “synthetic,” “fake,” “not real,” or “altered” media content.

The usage of synthetic media that bears the likeness of any actual public figure is also prohibited by TikTok. Synthetic media, as defined by TikTok, is “extremely realistic” content produced or altered by AI. A public figure is a person over the age of 18 who plays a prominent public role, such as celebrities, governmental officials, etc. If the content is meant to promote products or breaches any other rules, we do not permit the use of synthetic media featuring prominent people. This includes outlawing sexual exploitation, hate speech, and severe kinds of harassment.

The company states that synthetic media based on public figures is only permitted for education-based content. It is not allowed for any sort of political or commercial purposes. Furthermore, the platform has introduced transparency to the current policies as well. The company has provided each section with a brief description of what is allowed and what is not. For example, any false information about civic and electoral procedures, such as voting, candidate eligibility, ballot counting, etc. is prohibited on TikTok.

The company is hopeful that it could avoid a potential ban in the US by following the laws of the country. The CEO of TikTok will appear before congress on March 23 to address national security concerns.