Israel removes more content from TikTok than almost any other nation

A new analysis of TikTok use throughout the world conducted by Canopy.us, an AI app focused on digital family safety, has shown Israel as one of the countries most trigger-happy when it comes to the removal of content. 

TikTok has faced significant backlash in recent years over what was seen as its lax moderation policies.

The research presented the number of video removals as a percentage of the local population who use the app between January and March 2023.

The results:

1. Pakistan – 70.91%  2. Azerbaijan – 65.30%  3. Dominican Republic – 21.70%  4. United Kingdom – 19.65%  5. Cambodia – 17.33% 6. Algeria – 14.48% 7. Turkey – 13.36%  8. Israel – 12.75% 9. Saudi Arabia – 11.85% 10. Philippines – 10.43% 

Pakistan, a country with roughly 16,000,000 users, removed an entire 11,000,000 videos during the timeframe, earning it its first-place spot.

Runner-up Azerbaijan removed a full 65% of TikToks uploaded by its citizens.

The United Kingdom was also a special mention, removing a total of almost 20% of all videos uploaded to the social media site popular among the younger generation. 

Why is Israel removing TikTok content?

The study also looked into the reasons most commonly given for the removal of content.

Minor safety was the most common reason given, making up 30% of all video removals. The display of illegal activities was the second most common reason.

Adult nudity and sexual activities came third as a justification for the removal of content deemed offensive by the national governments.

There are a number of problems that have been pointed to as demanding stricter moderation of the site with an age restriction of 13 years old.

Cyberbullying, predatory behavior as well as scams are all said to be major problems faced by the users of the app, sparking the push for the expansion of content removal.