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TikTok Lays Off Hundreds of Employees in AI Content Moderation Shift

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• TikTok fired nearly 500 employees in Malaysia on Wednesday and more layoffs are expected globally
• AI will replace most content moderation jobs as it has taken over 80% of the operations
• ByteDance has over 110,000 workers across 200 cities worldwide

TikTok, the social media platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is laying off hundreds of employees worldwide as part of a shift toward using artificial intelligence, primarily in content moderation.

According to Reuters , an anonymous source from TikTok confirmed this Friday that nearly 500 employees in Malaysia were affected. The workers were informed this Wednesday via email, and most of them were part of the content moderation operations.

“We’re making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation,” said a TikTok spokesperson in a statement.

The source also confirmed that more employees across the globe are expected to be affected by the ongoing modernization of operational processes. ByteDance has around 110,00 employees and presence in around 200 cities, as stated on its website.

With the new system, the company is now removing 80% of content that violates guidelines and rules with artificial intelligence and plans to invest $2 billion in trust and safety for the rest of the year globally.

According to The Malaysia Reserve , which first reported the story, TikTok had been using a combination of humans and artificial intelligence to manage its content moderation operations. Tiktok’s AI technology has been learning from workers to moderate content under a supervised learning process. Human feedback helped the AI improve its accuracy, and it seems to have reached high standard levels.

TikTok has been sued this week by 13 states in the United States over child safety violations, and it’s being accused of having an addictive algorithm that makes children stay on the platform for long periods.

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TikTok Accused Of Deliberately Making Its Platform Addictive For Young Users

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• Thirteen U.S. states and D.C. are suing TikTok over child safety violations.
• Washington D.C. alleges TikTok illegally manages money through virtual features.
• Critics argue TikTok’s safety measures are weak and easily bypassed by children.

TikTok is facing lawsuits from 13 U.S. states and Washington D.C., alleging that the platform harms young users by failing to protect them adequately. According to Reuters , the lawsuits claim that TikTok’s software is intentionally designed to keep children engaged for long periods, fueling concerns about social media addiction.

This addictive nature is central to the allegations, with critics arguing that TikTok targets children, boosting the company’s profits by exploiting users’ time on the app.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has been vocal in criticizing the app, stating that TikTok is designed to create addiction in young users, who are less equipped to establish healthy boundaries with social media.

Moreover, the lawsuits claim that TikTok’s goal is to maximize user engagement in order to increase advertising revenue, regardless of the potential negative effects on children, reported Reuters.

New York Attorney General Letitia James emphasized that young people’s mental health is being adversely affected by the addictive design of platforms like TikTok, reported Reuters.

Further accusations include the charge that TikTok facilitates the sexual exploitation of minors through its live streaming system. Reuters reports that Washington state’s lawsuit likened TikTok’s live streaming and virtual currency to an unregulated adult venue, allowing such behavior without proper age restrictions.

In response, TikTok has strongly denied the allegations, claiming they are inaccurate and misleading. The company expressed disappointment in the states’ decision to pursue legal action rather than collaborate on industrywide solutions to improve safety, as reported by Reuters.

Further legal claims include accusations from Washington D.C. that TikTok operates an unlicensed money transmission business through its live streaming and virtual currency features, as noted by Reuters.

Washington state’s lawsuit adds that these features enable the sexual exploitation of minors, equating the platform to a virtual strip club without age restrictions, according to Reuters.

The Washington Post (TWP) notes that TikTok has implemented stricter privacy and safety measures for its youngest users. Children under 13 are directed to a separate version of the app that features stronger safeguards, and the platform has also imposed limitations on how teenagers interact with the site.

Despite these efforts, critics argue that TikTok’s safety measures, such as screen time limits, are insufficient. TWP reports that California Attorney General Rob Bonta dismissed some of TikTok’s changes as “empty gestures,” saying they are easily circumvented by children.