TikTok is banning users from “misgendering” and “deadnaming” others in an effort to improve the social media platform, the company announced Tuesday.
The company announced the new policies in updated community guidelines released Tuesday, saying it will now explicitly ban certain practices classified under the umbrella of “hateful ideologies.”
“This includes deadnaming, misgendering, or misogyny as well as content that supports or promotes conversion therapy programs,” TikTok head of trust and safety Cormac Keenan wrote in the announcement. “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.”
“Deadnaming” means referring to a transgender person by their birth name rather than a name they have chosen, while misgendering means identifying someone as a gender other than that which they claim to be. (RELATED: POLL: Most Americans Don’t Trust TikTok, Facebook To Keep Their Data Safe)
A young man holding a smartphone walks past an advertisement for social media company TikTok on Sept. 21. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Under the new policies, users will be prohibited from uploading, posting, streaming or sharing content that attacks or slurs groups based on protected attributes, including gender identity and sexual orientation. Banned behavior includes “content that targets transgender or non-binary individuals through misgendering or deadnaming” and “content that depicts harm inflicted upon an individual or a group on the basis of a protected attribute.”
TikTok said the new policies were designed to promote “safety” and “security” by including more individuals on the platform.
“At TikTok, we believe people should be able to express themselves creatively and be entertained in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment,” Keenan wrote. “Our Community Guidelines support that by establishing a set of norms so that people understand what kinds of content to create on our platform and viewers know what to report to us. Our policies are designed to foster an experience that prioritizes safety, inclusion, and authenticity.”
TikTok did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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