TikTok finally bans deepfakes, albeit with nuances

After a controversy that seemed to lead TikTok to an inevitable ban in the US, the company behind the popular app decided to update its content moderation policy. While most remain intact, new restrictions have been added to posting AI-generated deepfakes. The practice of uploading this kind of video has become increasingly popular on the platform.

More and more content created by artificial intelligence appears on the platform. In fact, it's not uncommon to find cloned voices of famous people being forced to speak hate speech.

So far, TikTok has had only one limitation regarding deepfakes. The app banned content that could "mislead users by distorting the truth about events or causing significant damage to the subject matter of the video." However, the new ban requires all such content to be labeled as AI-generated. To do this, a visible sticker will be applied, for example, with filters and music.

In addition, TikTok announces that deepfakes "containing the likeness of any real private figure" will no longer be allowed. What does the company mean by this term? As they describe, this applies to all persons over the age of 18 who have a public role (celebrities, government officials, politicians, company executives, etc.).

But this move by TikTok isn't just for celebrities, politicians, and app users. The company is facing a possible ban on its app in the US. However, this is not the only country that can ban the ByteDance app. The European Union is also looking into the internal workings of the service, with New Zealand and Canada also joining the review.