London CNN —TikTok is stepping up efforts to counter misinformation, incitement to violence and hate relating to the Israel-Hamas war on its online platform, it announced Sunday, days after the European Union (EU) warned social media companies they risked falling foul of the bloc’s content moderation laws.
As the conflict escalates — Israel has blocked the provision of electricity, food, fuel and water to Gaza, and has been signaling it is preparing for a ground invasion of the area — millions have turned to social media for updates, while misinformation has proliferated on these sites.
One recent TikTok video, seen by more than 300,000 users and reviewed by CNN, promoted conspiracy theories about the origins of the Hamas attack, including false claims that it was orchestrated by the media.
Last week, the EU told social media companies they needed to better protect “children and teenagers from violent content and terrorist propaganda” on their platforms.
Breton has sent similar letters to X, Google and Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook.
Persons:
London CNN —, TikTok, “, ”, China’s ByteDance, Thierry Breton, Breton
Organizations:
London CNN, European Union, CNN, EU, Google, Facebook
Locations:
Israel, Gaza