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In the second quarter of 2024, TikTok removed 11,887,516 videos violating its community standards from nine African nations, with Egypt and Nigeria at the forefront.

The crackdown included content violating guidelines on integrity, advertising, privacy, and security, highlighting TikTok’s intensified content moderation efforts to enhance user safety on the platform.

The company revealed that automated technology was instrumental, accounting for 80% of the removals, up from 62% a year ago. Proactive content detection surged to 98.2%, and instances of video restorations after removal dropped by more than half compared to last year.

Egypt saw the highest number of removals at 2,754,574 videos, followed by Nigeria with 2,137,687. Other affected nations included Algeria (1,837,202), Somalia (1,380,154), Libya (1,149,855), Ethiopia (702,622), Sudan (665,456), Morocco (645,560), and South Africa (614,406).

In South Africa alone, over 143,998 accounts were banned, primarily for violations, with 137,663 accounts removed on suspicion that the users were under 13.

TikTok has rolled out enhanced privacy features in recent months, aligning with global standards to bolster online protections for minors.

TikTok’s regulatory challenges in Africa continue. Egyptian authorities announced in August they would heighten oversight on the platform to align content with national values, as some advocates have pushed for a platform ban. Kenya has also implemented new compliance requirements, mandating quarterly reports to curb harmful content.

To counter these challenges, TikTok has collaborated with the African Union’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate on campaigns to promote online safety.

Additionally, it has assembled an advisory council of internet experts in Sub-Saharan Africa to guide policies on hate speech and misinformation.