FAQs

Useful Resources

Data and Security

Where is TikTok’s data stored?

TikTok is hosted by internationally and regionally certified third-party data center providers on their cloud platform (“Third-Party Data Center”) in the US and Singapore. These cloud platforms have achieved certifications against many international and regional standards including, but not limited to, ISO 27001, SOC2 and SOC3 global standards. Additionally, we have deployed our own data center infrastructure located (“TikTok Data Center”) in the US and we are in the process of attaining ISO 27001 certification for the TikTok platform.

What are some of the security practices and procedures that we follow for safeguarding data and promoting transparency in our industry?

We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users, and we want to set a new bar for data safeguarding and transparency in our industry.

Global Transparency centre: Will initially focus on TikTok’s content moderation. Later, the Center will include insight into our source code, and our efforts around data privacy and security.
Data storage: Choosing data centre locations that are acceptable to our Community and governments.
Data collection: Limiting the types of data that we collect and disclosing what we collect, how we used it, and with whom it is shared.
Data access & transfer:
- Ensuring data access and data transfers are subject to internal controls and appropriate risk assessments.
- Restricting access further by ensuring that employees outside the countries where TikTok is available cannot access individual user records.
- Trusted vendors: Work with trusted and qualified vendors to further develop data access systems and take responsibility for oversight and monitoring.

Algorithm

How does TikTok's algorithm select content for users?

On TikTok, the For You feed reflects preferences unique to each user. The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors – starting from interests you express as a new user and adjusting for things you indicate you’re not interested in, too – to form your personalized For You feed.

Recommendations are based on a number of factors, including things like: User interactions such as the videos you like or watch all the way through, accounts you follow, etc. All these factors are processed by our recommendation system and weighted based on their value to a user.

Trust & Safety

How do we ensure a safe and positive experience for the users on TikTok?

TikTok is a space designed to inspire creativity and bring joy. Our top priority is to promote a safe and positive experience so that everyone – from emerging artists to dancing grandparents – can be free to express their creativity.

There are three main ways we do this:

Our Community Guidelines reflect our values and explain the kind of behaviour we expect from our community. We enforce these rules using a combination of technologies and thousands of safety experts around the world.
We develop pioneering safety policies and features, like restricting direct messaging to over 16s only, or allowing parents to manage their teen’s TikTok experience through Family Pairing. And we actively promote these features to our users.
We collaborate with others (NGOs, Industry Associations) in the industry to make the digital world safer for everyone.

As a newer platform, we are uniquely positioned to set the bar for safety, and we will never stop working to make TikTok a safe platform for our community so they can feel free to express themselves.

How is your Trust and Safety team structured?

We have set up regional Trust and Safety hubs to take a localised approach to content policy. There are three global hubs designed to continuously strengthen the policies, technologies and safety strategies that detect and review problematic content and accounts. They shape our content moderation policy and practices to ensure they complement local culture and context and work closely with regional regulators, policymakers, government and law enforcement agencies.

We have also formed an Safety Advisory Council for Asia, comprised of technology and safety experts, to advise TikTok on content moderation policies covering a wide range of topics affecting the industry. This Council brings together thought leaders from academia, law and government from various sectors in the region who can help develop forward-looking policies that not only address the challenges we face today, but also identify existing and emerging issues in APAC, which affect TikTok’s platforms and users, and develop strategies to tackle these challenges.

The council includes Amitabh Kumar, Founder, Social Media Matters, from India known for his initiatives on social digital campaigns and is highly regarded for his digital safety programmes focused on gender sensitisation, digital rights and online safety.

How is TikTok combating misinformation?

TikTok’s Community Guidelines prohibit misinformation that could cause harm to our community or the larger public, including content that misleads people about the pandemic, content distributed by disinformation campaigns, and health misinformation. We always strive to be more transparent about our policies and content moderation, and are frequently updating these guidelines to better reflect the scope of our existing policies.

Given the serious and critical need for accurate information We introduced an enhanced in-app ‘Misleading Information’ reporting feature especially for COVID-19. When users come across content they believe contains intentionally deceptive information, they could report such violations directly on the app. The notification is then sent to a priority moderation queue which is manned by an internal Taskforce and escalated to third-party fact-checkers.

TikTok recently released a Public Service Announcement film – #MatKarForward with an aim to raise awareness about curbing the creation and spread of misinformation.

TikTok Corporate

How many people in India used TikTok?

Over 200 million Indians love TikTok because it is their home for expression, entertainment, and connection. Our userbase includes users not only from major towns and cities but also rural population from small towns and villages of India.

Where is TikTok Headquartered?

TikTok in India is owned by TikTok Pte Singapore, which is a part of ByteDance, a private company backed by global institutional investors such as: GeneralAtlantic, KKR, Sequoia, Softbank, Coatue, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, and NewEnterprise Associates.

What is the employee strength at TikTok?

We have leadership teams and employees based in over 30 countries. We have made a steadfast commitment to a robust presence in India, including economic investments and creating jobs, as we continue to recruit even in the tough times of Covid-19. In the last couple of years, our talented and passionate team has grown to over 1,000 employees across eight offices. The team comprises key leadership and senior hires, representing an integral part of the digital ecosystem – who are committed to providing a rich app experience for our users and creators.