Tik Tok Told by Gov. to Censor LGBTQ Content in Turkey, Where it is Not illegal to be Gay
Popular video-sharing app TikTok has come under fire after internal documents revealed that the app’s “local moderators” were once instructed to censor LGBTQ content in Turkey, where it is not illegal to be queer.
The contents of these documents, which were leaked by The Guardian last Wednesday and Thursday, revealed Turkey-specific guidelines restricting content that depicts “intimate activities (holding hands, kissing, touching) between homosexual lovers.” They also uncovered guidelines that banned criticizing or “spoofing” Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s current president.
In response to The Guardian’s coverage, a TikTok spokesperson issued a statement saying that the guidelines regarding LGBTQ content in Turkey are no longer in place. “We have since made significant progress in establishing a more robust localized approach... However, we recognize the need to do more and we are actively working with local third parties and independent advisors to ensure our processes are appropriate,” the statement continued.
With 500 million active users in 150 countries, the video-sharing app’s success is often attributed to its discovery-oriented features, like the “For You” homepage which enables users to connect with others and get famous fast. ⅔ of TikTok users are younger than 30 years old.
This emphasis on self-expression and community has made TikTok an exciting digital space for LGBTQ-identifying users. During Pride Month this past June, the company partnered with RuPaul’s DragCon to launch the #ServingRealness social campaign leading up to the pride festival DragCon LA. The campaign introduced pride-themed video filters and a hashtag, “ShowYourPride,” intended to help LGBTQ-identifying users express themselves. The hashtag has a staggering 735.7M views.
News of the company’s anti-LGBTQ censorship policies in Turkey has prompted queer activists and their allies to question the sincerity of TikTok’s progressive initiatives.
“We’re witnessing now what we’ve already witnessed on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: platforms who get a lot of their advertising dollars and success from the creativity of young people — especially young queer people, young black people, and young women — then creating guidelines that isolate, alienate and exclude us… I’m furious,” said Emily Odesser, a teen activist, sex educator, and social media influencer.
“TikTok has the capacity to introduce millions of people to positive, nuanced, progressive depictions of LGBTQ people on a mobile media app and right now (their) policies are actively discouraging that,” said Daniel Villarreal, writer and co-founder of the pride celebration QueerBomb Dallas.
“We don’t even know what TikTok’s policies for moderation are in countries where it is illegal to be LGBTQ or to broadcast those images. It’s not explicitly illegal in Turkey to be queer,” Villarreal added.
While homosexuality is not explicitly illegal in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has expressed hostility toward LGBTQ-identifying citizens. Turkish authorities have banned the annual Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul every year since 2016, sometimes using tear gas to disperse defiant marchers.
The documents also revealed that Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — also instructed local moderators in China to censor videos that mentioned Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, and foreign leaders such as Donald Trump and Mahatma Gandhi — among other restrictions. While TikTok and Douyin are separate entities, both are owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet technology company.
Comments