TikTok Boosts EU Moderation, Struggles with Local Language Expertise
Brussels, Friday, 25 October 2024.
TikTok has increased its European content moderation team to over 6,300 members, but faces challenges in smaller EU markets. While non-language specific moderators have tripled, the platform lacks experts for languages like Maltese and Irish, raising concerns about effective regional content management.
The Importance of Local Language Moderation
TikTok’s effort to bolster its content moderation in Europe is a significant stride towards maintaining a safer online environment. However, the absence of moderators for languages such as Maltese and Irish highlights a crucial gap. Effective content moderation demands nuanced understanding of local languages and cultural contexts, as these elements are pivotal in accurately interpreting and addressing regional issues[1]. Despite a robust increase in non-language specific moderators, TikTok’s ability to manage content in lesser-spoken languages remains limited.
The Role of Automated Moderation
To address the sheer volume of content, TikTok utilizes automated moderation technologies that have successfully removed approximately 80% of violative videos. This represents a significant improvement from the previous year’s 62%[2]. The platform’s automated systems are designed to swiftly identify and eliminate content that breaches community guidelines, ensuring a more streamlined approach to managing potentially harmful material. However, the reliance on automated systems underscores the need for human moderators who can provide contextual judgment, which is especially critical in understanding cultural and linguistic nuances.
Challenges in Regional Content Management
The complexity of moderating content across diverse regions in Europe lies in the cultural and linguistic differences that automated systems may not fully comprehend. TikTok’s global strategy includes covering at least one language per EU country, but the lack of local expertise in smaller markets like Malta and Ireland poses challenges. These gaps could lead to oversight in moderating culturally sensitive content, thereby affecting the platform’s credibility and user trust[3].
Future Prospects for TikTok’s Moderation Strategy
As TikTok continues to expand its user base, with over 150 million monthly active users in the EU alone, the company must prioritize enhancing its localized moderation capabilities. This involves not only increasing the number of moderators fluent in lesser-spoken languages but also training them in cultural sensitivity and legal compliance to better manage region-specific content issues. Such strategic shifts are vital for TikTok to maintain its position as a leading social media platform, especially in light of the European Union’s stringent content moderation regulations[4].