TikTok recently announced updates to its community guidelines, which are the rules and standards that govern how the app deals with videos with harmful content or that may contain misinformation.
Among the changes to TikTok’s community guidelines is an entire section dedicated to “synthetic media,” which is the company’s term for content created or generated by AI technology. There are also additional details about TikTok’s restrictions on deepfakes.
In the updated community guidelines, TikTok explicitly says that all AI-generated deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be clearly labeled to indicate that they are fake or altered in some way.
TikTok explains that while it welcomes the creativity that AI may unlock, the technology can make it more difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction, which can lead to risks. Therefore, any synthetic media on the platform must now be disclosed.
The company says that users can do this through the use of a sticker or caption, such as “synthetic,” “fake,” “not real” or “altered” on videos.
TikTok previously banned deepfakes that misled viewers about real-world events and cause harm. However, the company’s updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are also not allowed.
