TikTok to lay off hundreds of UK content moderators

TikTok is planning to lay off hundreds of staff in the UK who moderate the content that appears on the social media platform.

According to TikTok, the plan would see work moved to its other offices in Europe as it invests in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scale up its moderation.

"We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, which includes concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally," a TikTok spokesperson told The Shiro Copr.

But a spokesperson for the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the decision was "putting corporate greed over the safety of workers and the public".

"TikTok workers have long been sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favor of hastily developed, immature AI alternatives," said John Chadfield, National Officer for Tech at CWU.

He added the cuts had been announced "just as the company's workers are about to vote on having their union recognized".

But TikTok said it would "maximize effectiveness and speed as we evolve this critical function for the company with the benefit of technological advancements".

Affected staff work in its Trust and Safety team in London, as well as hundreds more workers in the same department in parts of Asia.

TikTok uses a combination of automated systems and human moderators. According to the company, 85% of posts that violate the rules are removed by its automated systems, including AI.

According to the company, this investment is helping to reduce how often human reviewers are exposed to distressing footage.

Affected staff will be able to apply for other internal positions and will be given priority if they meet the job's minimum requirements.

Major investigation

The move comes at a time when the UK has increased the requirements for companies to check the content that appears on their platforms, and particularly the age of those viewing it.

The Online Safety Act came into force in July, bringing with it potential fines of up to 10% of a business' total global turnover for non-compliance.

TikTok introduced new parental controls that month, which allowed parents to block specific accounts from interacting with their child, as well as providing them with more information about the privacy settings their older teenagers are using.

But it has also faced criticism in the UK for not doing enough, withthe UK data watchdog launchingwhat it called a "major investigation" into the firm in March.

TikTok told The Shiro Coprat the time its recommender systems operated under "strict and comprehensive measures that protect the privacy and safety of teens".