Charities call on TikTok to crack down on content that can harm children

This photograph taken with a fish-eye lens in Paris on March 1, 2023 shows the social media application logo TikTok. (AFP)
This photograph taken with a fish-eye lens in Paris on March 1, 2023 shows the social media application logo TikTok. (AFP)
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Updated 04 March 2023

Charities call on TikTok to crack down on content that can harm children

Charities call on TikTok to crack down on content that can harm children
  • In an open letter to the video-sharing platform’s head of safety, the nonprofit organizations urged the company to take ‘meaningful action’ to address the issue
  • The organizations accuse TikTok of failing to act swiftly enough in response to concerns raised by a report in December about the delivery of such content to young people

DUBAI: A number of charitable and other nonprofit organizations have urged video-sharing platform TikTok to do more to protect children by strengthening its policies for the moderation of content relating to suicide and eating disorders.

The call came in an open letter to TikTok’s head of safety, Eric Han. It was signed by almost 30 groups, including the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the American Psychological Association, the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and suicide prevention organization The Molly Rose Foundation.

TikTok’s algorithm pushes content about self-harm and eating disorders to teenagers almost as soon as they express interest in the topics, according to research published by the CCDH in December. It found that within 2.6 minutes, the platform recommended suicide-related content to teenagers’ accounts created by CCDH researchers. Within eight minutes, it served up content related to eating disorders. Every 39 seconds, the platform recommended videos about body image and mental-health issues.

The organizations accuse TikTok of failing to act swiftly enough in response to the concerns raised by the CCDH report. In their letter, they urged the platform to take “meaningful action,” including: Improvements to the moderation of content relating to eating disorders and suicide; working with experts to develop a “comprehensive” approach to identifying and removing harmful content; providing support for users who might be struggling with suicidal thoughts or eating disorders; and more transparency about, and accountability for, the steps it is taking to address the issues and the effects their efforts are having.

The letter noted that TikTok had removed only seven of 56 hashtags related to eating disorders that were highlighted by the CCDH research. Content containing those hashtags had received 14.8 billion views as of January 2023, including 1.6 billion views since the report was published, the center said.

“Since CCDH’s report was released in December 2022, you have chosen to deny the problem, deflect responsibility and delay taking any meaningful action,” the organizations said in the letter.

“You were presented with clear harms but continue to turn your backs on the young users you claim to protect. Your silence speaks volumes.”

This month, TikTok announced that teenagers on the platform will be limited to one hour of use each day. It said the limit was set after consulting the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital.

However, users can override this setting when their 60 minutes are up by entering a passcode that allows them to continue using the app. This requires “them to make an active decision,” TikTok said.

“TikTok’s business model is to broadcast content produced by creators to viewers, using algorithms that individually optimize the addictiveness of the content, all so that they can ultimately serve those viewers ads,” said CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed.

“The stakes are too high for TikTok to continue to do nothing, or for our politicians to sit back and fail to act. We need platforms and politicians to have parents’ backs but right now they’re putting profits before people.”

Other organizations that signed the letter included Free Press, the Youth Power Project, the Real Facebook Oversight Board, and the Tech Transparency Project.

 


‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet

‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet
Updated 03 June 2023

‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet

‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet
  • Twitter owner’s move comes after platform accused of stifling free speech 

LONDON: Elon Musk retweeted on Saturday the Daily Wire’s documentary on gender in the digital age, sparking a debate that saw the film gain over 110 million views and get retweeted at least 120,000 times.

The owner of Twitter wrote in his pinned tweet: “Every parent should watch this,” promoting “What is a Woman?”, which features American right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh.  

The move came a day after his platform was accused by users of stifling free speech for curtailing the film’s exposure on the basis of “misgendering.”

But Musk’s promotion of “What is a Woman?” was hailed by many Twitter users, including British broadcaster Piers Morgan, who replied with three claps.

Twitter user Silvia Penack said Musk’s backing for the film provided “two sides of the story” as opposed to “one-sided reporting.”

Another commentator shared a meme showing Musk standing up to a group of people who reject the documentary.

However, not everyone was pleased with Musk’s stance. Columnist Donna Miles said in response to the retweet: “People who want you to watch this so-called documentary clearly neither care about children’s safety nor women’s rights.”

Musk also promoted the film in his response to a tweet by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, in which the latter asked: “If aliens were to visit us right now, what’s one thing we’ve chosen to do as a society (that feels relatively simple or obvious) that would be super hard to explain?”

“What is a Woman?” was censored on Thursday by Twitter staff, but following accusations of “throttling free speech,” to which Musk did not respond, the film was allowed and retweeted by the platform’s owner, who said the initial rejection was “a mistake by many people at Twitter.”


Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum

Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum
Updated 03 June 2023

Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum

Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum
  • “It has indeed been decided this time not to accredit publications from unfriendly countries to the SPIEF,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS
  • “Interest in SPIEF is always great, all other journalists will work on the site“

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Saturday that journalists from “unfriendly countries” would not be allowed into the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which President Vladimir Putin has used to showcase the Russian economy to global investors.
“It has indeed been decided this time not to accredit publications from unfriendly countries to the SPIEF,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS, using the acronym for the forum which is held annually in Russia’s former imperial capital.
“Interest in SPIEF is always great, all other journalists will work on the site,” Peskov said. “Unfriendly countries” is a definition used by Moscow to describe those who have sanctioned it over the war in Ukraine.
Reuters’ Moscow bureau was told by the organizers of the forum on Friday that accreditation for its journalists had been canceled after receiving an earlier confirmation of accreditation on Thursday.
Reuters sought written clarification but none has been issued yet.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said it will not close “the window” to Europe which Tsar Peter the Great sought to open 300 years ago even though the West has imposed the most onerous sanctions in recent history over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects

NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects
Updated 02 June 2023

NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects

NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects
  • 2 movies, TV series already in development, partners say
  • Telfaz11 to open offices at NEOM media hub this year

LONDON: The Kingdom’s media production hub NEOM has signed a deal with studio Telfaz11 to cooperate on at least nine TV and film productions over the next three years.

Two movies and one TV series are already in development, the two sides said after the deal was agreed on Thursday.

Wayne Borg, managing director of media industries, entertainment and culture at NEOM, said: “Our mission is to create a new world-class media hub at NEOM, one that supports the region’s industry to compete and succeed globally.

“This partnership with Telfaz11 complements and accelerates. This partnership, coupled with our evolving infrastructure, crew depth, industry learning programs, and highly competitive incentive scheme shows we are well on our way to achieving these goals.”

Telfaz11’s CEO Alaa Faden said: “We couldn’t be more honored to be at the center of NEOM’s next generation media and entertainment ecosystem.

“Telfaz11 has consistently operated on the leading edge of innovation, from launching the first Netflix partnership in the region to leveraging our powerful social media presence. And this new partnership with NEOM is yet another milestone in that effort.”

As part of the new deal, Telfaz11 will also open offices at NEOM later this year.

One of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 megaprojects, NEOM is a high-tech smart city and global media hub. More than 30 productions have been shot there over the past 18 months, including “Desert Warrior,” “Dunki” and “Rise of the Witches.”


Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV

Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV
Updated 02 June 2023

Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV

Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV
  • Du expected to continue to broadcast beIN until at least end of month
  • BeIN, however, said the partnership ended because the two companies could not reach an agreement

DUBAI: UAE-based Etisalat has removed Qatar’s beIN channels from its platform. The move came into play on Thursday.
“While beIN content will no longer be available on eLife TV, we will continue to invest in sports content to deliver to our customers an extensive range of popular sports both directly and via our partners,” Etisalat said.
BeIN, however, said the partnership ended because the two companies could not reach an agreement.
“After lengthy discussions where beIN has tirelessly sought to extend our decade-long partnership with Etisalat, we are disappointed not to be able to renew this relationship at this time,” it said.
BeIN holds the regional rights for the English Premier League and other major sports events, including last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Etisalat and du, also based in the UAE, are the two major broadcasters showing beIN channels. According to local media reports, du said it would continue to air beIN channels but could not confirm if they would be available after July 1.


EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours

EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours
Updated 02 June 2023

EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours

EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours
  • Luigi Di Maio’s official feed said to have violated platform rules

LONDON: The new EU Special Representative for the Gulf had his official Twitter account suspended within 24 hours of its creation for what the platform said was a violation of its rules.

It remains unclear what rules Luigi Di Maio’s profile broke, just a day after it was created by the former Italian Foreign Minister created to share updates on his new role.

The suspension was lifted within hours.

Di Maio launched the institutional account — @EUSR_Gulf — on June 1, coinciding with his official start. He shared his enthusiasm for the new role in a tweet published in Arabic, Persian, English and Italian.

“First day in office as the EU Special Representative for the Gulf. Ready and fully committed to engaging with the member states and institutions of the EU, as well as each of our partners in the region,” he said in the post.

“There is so much at stake and so much to be done through genuine dialogue and mutual respect. For our common security and prosperity.”

However, before a second tweet could be shared, Twitter suspended the account. 

Di Maio’s new role represents a fresh start after he left Five Star following setbacks in last year’s Italian elections.

His appointment was however criticized at home and in Europe due to a series of faux pas he made while foreign minister.

In 2019, he caused the first diplomatic crisis between Italy and France since World War Two, leading to the withdrawal of the French ambassador from Rome, after he publicly supported the Yellow vests movement as members were demolishing the entrance of a government building in Paris.

He had previously stated that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was Venezuelan and that Russia was a country in the Mediterranean.