TikTok has apologised after being accused of censoring posts with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd.
Several users have questioned why posts with these hashtags were shown to have zero views, with some suggesting that TikTok was censoring posts linked to the Black Lives Matter campaign.
Now, TikTok has now apologised for the issue in a blog titled ‘A message to our Black community.’
In the blog, Vanessa Pappas, TikTok US General Manager, and Kudzi Chikumbu, Director of Creator Community, said: “To our Black community: We want you to know that we hear you and we care about your experiences on TikTok.
“We acknowledge and apologize to our Black creators and community who have felt unsafe, unsupported, or suppressed. We don’t ever want anyone to feel that way. We welcome the voices of the Black community wholeheartedly.”
Users trying to use the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd were told that the hashtags had zero views.
TikTok claims that a ‘technical glitch’ was to blame for the zero views on the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd.
Ms Pappas and Mr Chikumbu explained: “A technical glitch made it temporarily appear as if posts uploaded using #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd would receive 0 views.”
According to TikTok, the issue affected several other hashtags, including #cat and #dad.
The blog added: “This was a display issue only that widely affected hashtags at large, and powerful videos with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag continued to be uploaded, viewed, and engaged with – in fact, videos with these hashtags have currently generated well over 2 billion views, which is a testament to their importance to and resonance among our community.
“Nevertheless, we understand that many assumed this bug to be an intentional act to suppress the experiences and invalidate the emotions felt by the Black community.
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“And we know we have work to do to regain and repair that trust.”
TikTok has also pledged to donate $3 million (£2.39 million) to charities helping the black community during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as another $1 million (£800,000) towards fighting racial injustice and inequality in the US.
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