Exclusive: Internal messages indicate video platform safeguarding lucrative ties with e-commerce firm
TikTok staff received instructions to refrain from reporting potential issues with Amazon accounts in order to safeguard the video platform’s lucrative commercial partnership with the e-commerce giant, as revealed in internal communications reviewed by The Guardian.
During the fall, some moderators were specifically instructed not to take adverse actions against more than 60 TikTok accounts related to Amazon, given the latter’s significant advertising presence on the platform.
As per the exchanges disclosed to The Guardian, personnel responsible for reviewing TikTok videos and ensuring adherence to content guidelines were advised against taking down or tagging these accounts. Tagging could potentially result in an account being removed or not featured on the For You Page.
TikTok asserted that this was not an officially sanctioned company policy.
A spokesperson clarified, “These assertions regarding TikTok’s policies are inaccurate or stem from misunderstandings.”
TikTok’s community guidelines affirm, “our approach to content moderation uses the same criteria, no matter who creates it.”
The Guardian, in a months-long investigation into TikTok’s moderation practices, revealed that the Chinese-owned app, with over a billion global users, has become a significant platform influencing various domains, including politics and Gen Z news consumption and culture. It is the UK’s fastest-growing news source, and approximately one-third of adults aged 18 to 29 in the US claim they regularly obtain news from TikTok.
The investigation by The Guardian uncovered that teams of moderators overseeing thousands of daily posts, mainly from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, were allegedly advised to show preferential treatment to certain creators and accounts, deviating from TikTok’s official guidelines.
Exchanges on Lark, TikTok’s internal messaging system, outlined the rationale for excluding Amazon. The messages seem to emphasize Amazon’s significance as the platform’s top advertising spender and express a desire to safeguard that relationship.
The communication concerning Amazon was transmitted by a team lead, serving as a contact point for moderators and overseeing a team of them. This message occurred in a chat where a site lead, a senior staff member responsible for supervising the entire site, was also present. The Guardian has not come across any evidence suggesting that these messages were subsequently rescinded by senior staff members.
Additional internal communications reviewed by The Guardian suggested the existence of several other undisclosed companies on a protected list. Allegedly, the inclusion of these companies on the list has made some moderators generally cautious about tagging other major corporate accounts or companies of similar size, apprehensive about not adhering to unofficial internal guidance.
This particular message was brought to the attention of a group consisting of dozens of moderators, team leaders, and site managers. The group serves the purpose of disseminating policy updates and conveying information on moderation to moderators responsible for overseeing TikTok across Europe.
A member of TikTok staff mentioned, “The message is instructing not to moderate Amazon accounts, and then there is a list of Amazon accounts.”
Internal messages, as per The Guardian, indicate that this directive was issued in response to instances where a “wrong decision” was made regarding videos from these Amazon accounts.
Moderators were instructed not to ban or tag the official accounts for Amazon’s Prime Video service, boasting 418.2 million likes and regularly featuring clips from films, celebrity interviews, and trailers. Other accounts encompass those for Amazon Music, its Twitch video game streaming service, and the Audible audiobook service.
Among the Amazon-controlled accounts is also the official TikTok account for the film database IMDb, amassing over 45 million likes. In total, there are approximately 60 accounts.
A spokesperson for TikTok responded, stating, “These allegations about TikTok’s policies are wrong or based on misunderstandings, while the Guardian has not given us enough information about their other claims to investigate. Our community guidelines apply equally to all content on TikTok.”
TikTok reports having 6,000 moderators in Europe and a global safety workforce of 40,000 individuals.
The policies that moderators consult to identify videos violating TikTok guidelines are outlined in a comprehensive portal named Opus. This extensive resource holds the platform’s policy frameworks and operational guidelines, serving as an internal reference for moderators to identify videos that may breach these rules and apply the appropriate tags.
The internal policy catalog, visible solely to staff, encompasses guidelines for brief videos covering topics such as “promotion of tobacco,” “high-risk dangerous driving,” “suspected underaged user,” “negative stereotype of a protected group,” “violent fighting in a news or fictional setting/violent fighting in a professional setting,” and “dangerous misinformation.”
According to an industry source in advertising, “Providing preferential treatment to large spending clients in social media is often discussed between platforms and the ad industry. And it is pretty much expected.” The source further commented, “Major advertisers will want any concerns with their content addressed by human moderators promptly.
Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate campaign group, expressed that privileging the speech of specific users over others is “fundamentally unfair.” He contended that “the way these platforms selectively enforce their rules undermines public discourse by giving an unfair advantage to some over others.
“It appears these decisions have been made in secret, without oversight or transparency—permitting abuses of power and potentially resulting in decisions contrary to the public interest,” he added.
Amazon consistently ranks as the largest spender on digital advertising in the US, with an expenditure of $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion) in 2022, as reported by the market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
TikTok’s community guidelines specify that governments, politicians, and news accounts are subject to distinct enforcement measures to align with a commitment to human rights and freedom of expression. However, they emphasize that “we treat their content just like any other account and remove any violations.
TikTok’s community guidelines do not explicitly mention whether companies and those engaged in financial partnerships with the platform are exempt from them. However, all advertisers on TikTok must adhere to its terms of service, community guidelines, and all other policies.
