TikTok Explicitly Bans Misgendering, Deadnaming and Promotion of ‘Conversion Therapy’
Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTikTok is taking new steps to protect the LGBTQ community and women from harassment and hate speech.The widely used short-form video app, which has more than 1 billion monthly users, on Tuesday announced updates to its Community Guidelines to expressly prohibit misgendering, deadnaming and misogyny, as well as ban any content that supports or promotes so-called “conversion therapy” programs on the platform.“Though these ideologies have long been prohibited on TikTok, we’ve heard from creators and civil society organizations that it’s important to be explicit in our Community Guidelines,” Cormac Keenan, TikTok’s head of trust and safety, wrote in a blog post about the changes. “On top of this, we hope our recent feature enabling people to add their pronouns will encourage respectful and inclusive dialogue on our platform.” The changes come as TikTok — along with other social media apps — have been a continual target of critics who argue that internet companies do not do an adequate job of protecting users from hate speech and harassment.Advocacy organization GLAAD applauded TikTok’s updated guidelines.