TikTok has shared its newest EU content material enforcement and utilization numbers, as a part of its DSA disclosure reporting, which gives some fascinating notes on moderation, person development, and extra throughout the area
The most recent report covers the interval between July and December 2024, and is the platform’s fourth DSA report. Below the EU Digital Providers Act, massive on-line platforms have to share common knowledge on their efficiency in these key areas.
And whereas lots of the data is in keeping with earlier tendencies, there are some factors of word.
First off, TikTok reviews that it eliminated nearly 21.2 million items of content material within the interval for Neighborhood Tips violations, together with an additional 1.5 million for violations of its advert insurance policies.
The Neighborhood Tips violations are in keeping with the platform’s earlier DSA reviews, however its advert removals have jumped considerably since its final replace (3.4x total).
Why?
TikTok noticed a 4x improve in removals on account of “Deceptive and False Content material” within the interval, and an identical improve in removals for “Grownup and Sexual Content material”.
There was additionally a 6x improve in removals for “IP Infringement”, so clearly, TikTok’s push into in-stream purchasing has seen it up its enforcement on this entrance.
However the greatest improve of all of them? A 19x soar in removals throughout the “Politics and Faith and Tradition” class.
Contemplating the varied main elections throughout the interval, that’s not an enormous shock, however it’s fascinating to see how some politically-motivated teams seemingly sought to make use of TikTok to broaden their messaging. Perhaps that labored to some extent, however the removing numbers present that TikTok’s checking processes additionally caught out lots of deceptive advertisements as nicely.
That might additionally level to extra censorship of “tradition” based mostly exercise, however there’s no particular breakdown of the removals within the report.
When it comes to content material moderation, TikTok reviews having 5,807 individuals devoted to content material moderation of content material within the EU as of the tip of December 2024.
Which is a decline from its earlier reviews.
In its final replace, printed in October final yr, TikTok reported having 6,354 EU moderators, so it’s seemingly decreased that by 547 workers during the last six months.
That’s unlikely to make EU regulators too joyful, although TikTok did publish a slight improve carefully workers final report (+67).
Perhaps, then, that is only a correction in staffing, although it’s a big correction if that’s the case, which extra possible signifies that it’s placing extra reliance on its AI programs to detect and spotlight potential points.
Certainly, TikTok additionally notes that:
“Within the second half of 2024, the accuracy fee for our automated moderation applied sciences was 99.1%. This builds upon the excessive accuracy we achieved within the first half of the yr, whilst moderation volumes elevated, reflecting our continued funding in enhancing precision and lowering incorrect removals.”
As such, it appears that evidently TikTok is lowering its reliance on human moderators over time, which is one other aspect to observe.
Lastly, when it comes to customers, TikTok reviews having 159.1 million month-to-month lively customers in Europe within the interval.
That’s a rise of round 9 million on its final report, which reveals that TikTok is steadily rising within the area, and constructing its broader affect.
Which is nice information, as its future within the U.S. nonetheless hangs within the steadiness. The corporate can also be trying to improve its push on TikTok purchasing inside Europe to capitalize on its recognition.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain stay TikTok’s key EU nations, now with over 20 million customers every.
For context, the U.S. presently has round 170 million TikTok customers.
These are some fascinating notes, which level to TikTok’s rising efforts to stamp out sure parts, significantly regarding IP violations and deceptive merchandise.
As a result of these might erode confidence in its in-app gross sales instruments, and as such, TikTok wants to make sure that its programs are detecting such, whereas it’ll even be fascinating to see how its removals associated to faith and politics shift, or not, over time.
You may take a look at TikTok’s newest DSA report right here.
