With Election in mind, Bytedance-owned TikTok launches local `Safety Centre’

In the run-up to the coming General Elections, the Chinese short video platform TikTok has launched localised version of its Safety Centre. It’s in the form of a local website that consists of safety policies, tools, and resources to equip users with product education and protection measures.

TikTok encourages responsible behaviour by its user and expects them not to upload or share any illegal content on social media platforms, says an ET report .

The General Elections resource page guides users to visit eci.gov.in to read the Model Code of Conduct by the Election Commission of India (ECI) along with other resources.

The report stated that with the launch of this localised website, TikTok users across India can better understand various online safety settings and features to keep their accounts safe in their own language.

Additionally, TikTok mentions, users can learn how to enable the 'Restricted Mode' that allows users to restrict content that might not be age-appropriate or even enable the 'Digital Wellness' feature which limits the number of screen hours.

Users can also read up on how to report, flag, block and delete comments.

Besides settings such as making the account private, users can decide with whom a user can make duets with, delete comments or control who can comment on a video. Users can also report a bully, delete a fan or permanently block another user.

Created by Beijing-based Bytedance Technology Co, TikTok has emerged as the fastest growing social media platform in India. It has been downloaded more than 240 million times in India so far, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Considering that it is hugely popular among the rural youths, it’s being used by politicians of all hues to reach out to people living in remote corners of the country.

Just as other social media platforms, it has also facing increased scrutiny from authorities over fake news and undesirable content ahead of the polls. An ECI proposal has asked them to swiftly remove “unlawful” content when asked.