Buzz
TikTok, the latest sensation in the world of social media, has become a global phenomenon since its 2017 launch. With a staggering 1.5 billion downloads, this Chinese video-sharing app has quickly established itself as one of the most widely used platforms in the world.
Even though TikTok is still relatively young, it was ranked as the seventh most popular app of the last decade. The platform has captivated a large number of users, especially younger generations, who love sharing videos of themselves dancing, lip-syncing, and acting out short skits. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying its immense worldwide popularity.
However, TikTok's brief existence has been marred by a series of controversies. A British investigation has raised alarms over its data protection practices. Pop icon Lizzo has openly criticized the app for fostering a culture of body-shaming. As tensions between China and the US mount, former President Trump even threatened to ban the app. But he’s certainly not the first to point fingers at this highly debated app. Here are ten of its most controversial moments.
10. Marginalizing the Poor and Disabled
Ever wondered why all social media influencers seem impossibly beautiful, successful, and incredibly wealthy? It turns out that some apps are intentionally hiding content from users who are poor, unattractive, or disabled to make their platforms appear more aspirational.
Recently, internal documents shared by The Intercept, a US-based news outlet, have exposed how TikTok moderators censor content based on their subjective judgment of a user's attractiveness. Those with ‘abnormal body shapes’, like dwarfism or obesity, excessive wrinkles, or 'unappealing facial features or deformities' are automatically excluded from the ‘For You’ feed. Similarly, videos shot in rundown areas, like slums or poorly maintained homes, are also barred from appearing on the app, including those with visible cracks or damaged decor.
A representative from the Chinese company claimed these stringent guidelines are put in place to avoid bullying. However, there’s no mention of bullying in any of the leaked documents, and TikTok has used the same justification in the past to defend itself against accusations of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. In reality, the app seems to discriminate against the poor and disabled based on a lack of visual appeal. As stated in the guidelines: 'if the character’s appearance or the filming environment isn’t ideal, the video will be much less attractive,' which means they do not see such content as worth promoting to new users.
9. Randonauting Leads to a Dead Body
While 'randonauting' might sound like nonsense to most people, the TikTok trend became hugely popular during quarantine. The app, Randonautica, generates random coordinates for users to visit, where it claims they can uncover 'synchronicities' and unexpected 'coincidences' outside their usual experiences.
Since its debut in early 2020, randonauting has thrived during social distancing, with the #randonautica hashtag on TikTok now surpassing 700 million views. For many, randonauting has served as an escape from the turmoil of the pandemic. However, one group of randonauters had a far more unsettling experience when their adventure ended with a gruesome find.
In June 2020, a group of teens in Seattle decided to try their hand at randonauting. They drove to a nearby beach and stumbled upon a suitcase that the tide had dragged ashore. Curious, they opened the bag, hoping for money, but after the unpleasant odor dissipated, they discovered something far more horrifying inside: human remains.
Upon the police's arrival, they found a second bag of remains in the water. The bodies were identified as a young couple: 35-year-old Jessica Lewis and 27-year-old Austin Wenner, both of whom had died from gunshot wounds. Their landlord, 62-year-old Michael Lee Dudley, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and is awaiting trial. The motive behind the crime is still unknown.
TikTok user @UghHenry later shared footage of their chilling discovery, which went viral, racking up millions of views, though it has since been made private. 'As soon as I got home, I broke down,' he told his followers. 'I still can’t sleep.'
8. Using Social Media as a Weapon in International Conflicts
In the context of military conflicts, nearly anything can be weaponized, and that includes social media. The Indian government is leveraging a TikTok ban as a tool to pressure China. Relations between China and India are currently fraught. In June 2020, twenty Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops at the Himalayan border. In retaliation, India's Ministry of Information Technology banned 59 Chinese apps, TikTok among them, citing concerns over privacy and data security risks posed by these platforms.
Indian authorities have urged internet service providers to block access to the banned apps. They have also instructed app stores to stop offering updates or downloads for platforms like TikTok, WeChat, and others on the blacklist.
The Indian government's decision is expected to severely impact China's growing technology industry. With a massive internet user base, India accounts for more than a third of global internet users. Furthermore, India has become TikTok's largest market, with over 600 million downloads—more than both the US and China combined. As a result, millions of Indian users will now need to find alternative ways to communicate and interact online.
China has faced severe criticism for its internet censorship practices. The government is frequently accused of blocking foreign news sites and surveilling its citizens. In an ironic turn, India has adopted similar tactics to restrict Chinese apps, arguing that these platforms threaten national sovereignty. However, their actions are also preventing millions of Indian users from accessing some of the country’s most popular apps. The debate continues over whether censorship is the best solution to combat foreign adversaries and unreliable tech giants.
7. Egyptian women sentenced to prison for 'inciting debauchery.'
In most parts of the world, if you mention that you are a 'social media influencer', the worst you might face is a few eye-rolls and some sarcastic remarks about 'entitlement' or 'getting a real job.' But in Egypt, admitting to being one could land you with a two-year prison sentence. That's exactly what happened to five young women in July 2020 when they were sentenced by Egyptian authorities for posting 'indecent videos' on TikTok.
Influencers Mawada al-Adham and Haneen Hossam became TikTok sensations with their lip-sync and dance videos, amassing millions of followers. However, in April 2020, Hossam was arrested after posting a video advising women on how to make money by engaging with strangers on the app Likee. She faced charges of inciting debauchery and human trafficking. al-Adham was arrested shortly after, along with three other unnamed women.
The social media personalities were charged with 'violating family values and principles' and 'creating and managing online accounts to commit these crimes.' In addition to their prison sentences, each of them was fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds (about $19,000).
6. The issue of using unlicensed music
TikTok is revolutionizing how we experience music. Tracks like Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' and Megan Thee Stallion's 'Savage' gained worldwide popularity after going viral on the platform. Aspiring musicians are now aiming to replicate that success by creating the next viral hit. But not everyone in the music industry is thrilled about the rise of this innovative new medium.
In April 2020, the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) threatened to take TikTok to court for copyright infringement. Universal Music, a member of NMPA, had been in discussions with the Chinese-owned app since early 2019, but after a year of negotiations, no agreement had been reached. This left Universal's songwriters, such as Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift, without royalties when their songs were used in TikTok videos. One representative called it a 'blatant infringement... something rarely seen on such a large scale from a multinational corporation.'
However, by July, as a lawsuit seemed imminent, TikTok reached a deal with the NMPA. Now, whenever music is featured in a video, songwriters can be assured that they are being compensated appropriately.
5. Body Shaming—Lizzo Takes a Stand
Despite years of advocacy and backlash, body shaming continues to be a pervasive issue. Beauty magazines, TV shows, and social media platforms have all come under fire for perpetuating harmful standards. Now, TikTok is the latest platform facing accusations of mistreating users based on their physical appearance.
In March 2020, pop star Lizzo shared several videos of herself in swimwear on TikTok, only for them to be promptly removed. As an outspoken advocate for body positivity, Lizzo is accustomed to facing criticism about her size. She quickly responded, highlighting the hypocrisy of her videos being deleted while similar content from slimmer influencers remained online. 'TikTok keeps taking down my videos with me in my bathing suits,' she remarked to her followers, 'but allows other videos with girls in bathing suits. I wonder why? TikTok... we need to talk.'
TikTok explained that the removal of the videos was due to confusion regarding the platform's rules on 'sexual gratification.' However, the videos were eventually restored in full.
4. Australian Government Threatens a Ban
Some politicians clearly need to develop a better sense of humor. In late 2019, as Australia battled devastating bushfires, young Australians used TikTok to express their disdain for Prime Minister Scott Morrison. During the height of the crisis, Morrison chose to take a six-day holiday in Hawaii. During that period, two firefighters lost their lives while trying to control the fires.
As a result, Morrison quickly became the subject of ridicule on Australian social media, and TikTok memes mocking him exploded. One video, set to Billy Joel’s 'We Didn’t Start The Fire,' garnered over 120,000 views in under a week. Another video, featuring the 2006 euro-pop hit 'Cry For You,' which includes the lyrics 'you’ll never see me again,' received nearly 220,000 views. By the time Morrison returned to work, the hashtag #scomo had accumulated over a million views.
Months later, after his viral embarrassment, Morrison announced that the Australian government would investigate TikTok. The Prime Minister stated that intelligence agencies would thoroughly assess the app to determine whether it posed a threat to national data security. Several MPs called for an outright ban. Ultimately, after the investigation, it was concluded that TikTok did not pose a security risk, and the app was allowed to remain operational. Looks like Morrison took those 'incompetency' memes in stride after all.
3. Blocking Users for Highlighting Communist Concentration Camps
The treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, China has sparked widespread global outrage and division. Chinese authorities stand accused of imprisoning over a million Uighur Muslims in so-called 'concentration camps' aimed at indoctrinating them and erasing their religious identity. The Chinese government, however, defends the camps as voluntary 're-education centers' that they claim help curb terrorism. They assert that Western governments and media are deliberately misrepresenting the situation.
Feroza Aziz, an Afghan-American from New Jersey, shared with her followers that she had to alter her videos to avoid them being flagged and removed by TikTok. Despite her efforts, her account was suspended in November 2019. TikTok later apologized, attributing the incident to a 'human moderation error,' claiming her videos did not violate any security guidelines.
TikTok has been criticized for aligning its video moderation policies with the views of the Chinese government. A leaked moderation guide revealed that 'highly controversial topics' are prohibited on the platform, including issues like separatism, religious conflicts, and ethnic tensions. This includes censoring content related to Tibetan independence, the Falun Gong movement, and the Tiananmen Square massacre.
2. Allegations of Data Collection
TikTok has faced significant scrutiny regarding its data collection and security practices. Former President Trump repeatedly warned of the app’s potential risk to U.S. national security. Wells Fargo, the California-based bank, has even mandated that all employees remove the app from their phones. In the UK, concerns have grown to the point where an inquiry into TikTok's data protection measures for young users is now underway.
While Western authorities often paint TikTok as a data-hungry villain, this portrayal may not be entirely accurate, according to tech experts. Despite notable concerns over the app’s data privacy practices, these issues are not unique to TikTok. Most mobile apps routinely gather extensive personal information, including users' location data. It's a standard practice in the tech industry, with many apps selling this data to third-party buyers, which, while invasive and somewhat disconcerting, is part of the industry's nature.
As tensions rise between the U.S. and China, it's understandable that the U.S. government might be wary of China's growing influence. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has raised concerns about China’s cybersecurity laws, fearing that the Chinese government could demand user data from TikTok. However, TikTok has firmly denied these claims, stating that it has never shared user data with the Chinese government and would refuse any such request if made. No evidence has emerged suggesting that Chinese officials have attempted to obtain user data from TikTok or that the company would comply with such demands.
1. The unauthorized reposting of TikTok content on Zynn
In May 2020, a new app called Zynn unexpectedly surged to the top of the app store rankings. Users flocked to the platform, eager to explore its collection of short videos and skits. Some even earned money by watching certain videos or recommending the app to others. However, many users discovered that a large portion of Zynn's content was plagiarized from other platforms, reposted without permission.
TikTok stars like Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae have fallen victim to video piracy, with many of their clips being stolen. Some creators have even had their entire accounts hijacked by impersonators attempting to pose as real influencers. This has left many baffled as to how their TikTok and Instagram content ended up on a completely unfamiliar platform.
Such fraudulent activities are hardly a new phenomenon on the internet. Each time a new social media platform emerges, there’s a rush to claim celebrity usernames and redistribute stolen content. What makes Zynn particularly troubling is that some of the pirated videos date back to February 2020, months before the app even launched. Zynn has promised to investigate and take action against these incidents of stolen content. Additionally, the app has faced accusations from critics who allege it operates like a pyramid scheme—an accusation its creators in China strongly deny.
