TikTok introduces 'creator diversity council'
#BlackLiveMatter, #GeorgeFloyd posts appeared to be suppressed by a programming glitch
Popular social media app TikTok on Monday said it is implementing a "creator diversity council" at the company after receiving backlash from users claiming the app was suppressing black users.
Users have publicly accused TikTok of being unfair to black users due to a glitch that made posts labeled with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd appear to have no likes or comments even after users reacted to those posts.
"We have identified and resolved an issue that had widely affected the view count displayed on hashtags in the upload stage," a TikTok spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement. "This bug had temporarily affected view count displays on hashtags in the Compose screen only; it did not affect tags, videos, or discovery of uploaded content. We apologize for the confusion this caused for our community."
In a message addressed to the app's black community, senior TikTok officials Vanessa Pappas and Kudzi Chikumbu said the company takes "great pride and responsibility in knowing that we provide underrepresented communities a platform to be seen and heard," but they acknowledged that TikTok needs to create a more inclusive environment on the platform.
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One way the company is planning to become more inclusive is by "establishing a creator diversity council and impact-driven programs geared towards recognizing and uplifting the voices driving culture, creativity, and important conversations on the platform," the message said.
Other steps include investing more in technology and moderation strategies, expanding the company's "internal diversity task force" and other organizations, as well as developing a "creator portal expand communication channels with and opportunities" between creators.
Pappas and Kudzi also said TikTok is donating a total of $4 million toward "non-profits that help the Black community" and "fighting the racial injustice and inequality that we are witnessing in this country."
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They note that the donations are "just a first step" in the direction of a more inclusive platform, and the company continues to work on improvements to the app every day.
"It has never been a more important time to support Black employees, users, creators, artists and our broader community," TikTok CEO Kevin Meyer said in a statement. "I invite our community to hold us accountable for the actions we take over the coming weeks, months and years. Black Lives Matter."
It's not the first time TikTok has come under fire for content moderation issues. The Wall Street Journal issued a bombshell report in October highlighting videos linked to the Islamic State and targeted toward youth. The platform, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, also apologized in November for temporarily deleting a video of a girl curling her eyelashes while simultaneously talking about human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang province.