Govt raps TikTok, asks it to act against misleading covid posts

The government has reprimanded popular Chinese video app TikTok, asking it to take action against misleading and false content posted by people from a community making light of the advisory regarding social-distancing to check the spread of coronavirus, reports Pankaj Doval.

Telecom secretary Anshu Prakash is understood to have given a dressing down to the top officials from TikTok India and conveyed the government’s displeasure over the objectionable content, sources said.

A TikTok spokesperson said, ” We have been monitoring and systematically removing all content from our platform that transgresses government advisories. We are suspending or banning accounts, and, where necessary, are reporting the accounts to relevant legal authorities to ensure public safety.”

The sources said that the government has also asked American social-media giant Facebook, and its instant messenger WhatsApp, to keep a tab on posting and sharing of objectionable content, especially anything that spreads misinformation against coronavirus.

“The government has been very clear in its communication with TikTok that any kind of laxity will not be tolerated,” a source said.

―Times of India