A TikToker has posted a video of her tearing down blue and white striped flags from outside a New Jersey restaurant, venting her anger towards Israel. She thought that they were Israeli flags, however, to her embarrassment, they turned out to be Greek.&nbsp;

“The time I mistakenly thought the flag for Greek was for Israel and took the restaurant’s flag down OMG,” the title of the video posted by a woman named "Ambamelia" reads.

The TikTok has gone viral, garnering more than 3.2 million views on the platform, and millions more on X since being posted Tuesday. Netizens are confused about why she decided to post the video which shows her engaging in the dumb act.

The flags were strung outside Efi’s Gyro in Montclair. The woman can be heard saying, "Look at that s–t," as she pulls down a string of flags.&nbsp;

The staff inside looks confused as she says, "Free Palestine, ***h! What you looking at?"

She then goes up to the cashier with a fistful of flags, shouting “You know there’s a genocide."&nbsp;

"I don’t stand for Zionism in Montclair!" she goes on to say, flaunting the ripped-down flags.

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Educated at TikTok U, this woman scream at terrified employees as she rips down flags…only to learn it was the flag of Greece, not Israel. <a href="https://t.co/zODDVrx8Eq">pic.twitter.com/zODDVrx8Eq</a>
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) <a href="https://twitter.com/AvivaKlompas/status/1846497772498813035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

"There is nothing against people who are Jewish, but this is not OK," she says.

At this point, two of the confused staffers come outside and tell her that they are flags of Greece.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-cough-medicine-can-help-women-get-pregnant-say-some-on-tiktok-experts-say-767570">Cough medicine can help women get pregnant, say some on TikTok. Experts say...</a>

"What? Really? Oh, I thought it was Israel — my bad," the embarrassed TikToker says.

"Oh s–t … it looked like Israel."

<h2>Owner confirms incident was real</h2>

People believe the incident is too dumb to be real and several of them claim that it was a skit. However, the owner of the Greek restaurant confirmed that the bizarre incident was not staged.&nbsp;

Efi Mihalis opened the restaurant at the age of 18 in 2021 and said that the attack happened on March 11 and it is unclear why was it only posted now. Efi had filed a police complaint in the matter back then.

“It was not a skit as some people believe,” she told The New York Post.

"This was not planned nor was it calculated in any way" and everyone was "taken aback" when it happened.

The TikToker hasn't commented on the reason for posting it now.

Netizens can't believe that someone would post such a video, with several of them asking why would anyone post a clip embarrassing them. One user wrote, "Our education system is failing us i can’t."

A TikToker has posted a video of her tearing down blue and white striped flags from outside a New Jersey restaurant, venting her anger towards Israel. She thought that they were Israeli flags, however, to her embarrassment, they turned out to be Greek.

A TikToker has posted a video of her tearing down blue and white striped flags from outside a New Jersey restaurant, venting her anger towards Israel. She thought that they were Israeli flags, however, to her embarrassment, they turned out to be Greek. “The time I mistakenly thought the flag for Greek was for Israel and took the restaurant’s flag down OMG,” the title of the video posted by a woman named "Ambamelia" reads. The TikTok has gone viral, garnering more than 3.2 million views on the platform, and millions more on X since being posted Tuesday. Netizens are confused about why she decided to post the video which shows her engaging in the dumb act. The flags were strung outside Efi’s Gyro in Montclair. The woman can be heard saying, "Look at that s–t," as she pulls down a string of flags. The staff inside looks confused as she says, "Free Palestine, ***h! What you looking at?" She then goes up to the cashier with a fistful of flags, shouting “You know there’s a genocide." "I don’t stand for Zionism in Montclair!" she goes on to say, flaunting the ripped-down flags. Educated at TikTok U, this woman scream at terrified employees as she rips down flags…only to learn it was the flag of Greece, not Israel. pic.twitter.com/zODDVrx8Eq — Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 16, 2024 × "There is nothing against people who are Jewish, but this is not OK," she says. At this point, two of the confused staffers come outside and tell her that they are flags of Greece. Also Read: Cough medicine can help women get pregnant, say some on TikTok. Experts say... "What? Really? Oh, I thought it was Israel — my bad," the embarrassed TikToker says. "Oh s–t … it looked like Israel." Owner confirms incident was real People believe the incident is too dumb to be real and several of them claim that it was a skit. However, the owner of the Greek restaurant confirmed that the bizarre incident was not staged. Efi Mihalis opened the restaurant at the age of 18 in 2021 and said that the attack happened on March 11 and it is unclear why was it only posted now. Efi had filed a police complaint in the matter back then. “It was not a skit as some people believe,” she told The New York Post. "This was not planned nor was it calculated in any way" and everyone was "taken aback" when it happened. The TikToker hasn't commented on the reason for posting it now. Netizens can't believe that someone would post such a video, with several of them asking why would anyone post a clip embarrassing them. One user wrote, "Our education system is failing us i can’t."

TikToker thought Greek flags at Jersey restaurant were Israeli. So she tore them down

An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci.

According to reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong had an AR-15–type rifle, ammunition, and body armour when he was pulled over for driving aggressively on December 21 in Iowa state.

Xiong, who had the White House address on a GPS device, said he was on his way to “combat evil demons,” according to federal court records that were released on Tuesday.

He told investigators that he had found a “weak spot” in the building that would allow him to get inside.

During interrogation, Xiong said he was “the only person remaining who can free the United States of evil and it is necessary for him to kill those in position of power.”

According to court records, Xiong had compiled the “hit list” of targets from TikTok videos.

Apart from Biden and Fauci, the list also had names of former presidents Bill Clinton and Obama and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

“When concluding the interview, Xiong stated that nothing would stop him from carrying out his plan of gaining access to the White House and killing the persons on his hit list,” the complaint said.

Xiong also told the investigators that if released from custody he would immediately resume traveling to the White House in Washington, DC and “do whatever it takes to complete his plan”, according to the court records.

Xiong is scheduled to appear in federal court for a detention hearing on Thursday (US time), with the federal government arguing he should remain in custody for making a threat against a former president, which is a federal crime, the Times reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci.

An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci. According to reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong had an AR-15–type rifle, ammunition, and body armour when he was pulled over for driving aggressively on December 21 in Iowa state. Xiong, who had the White House address on a GPS device, said he was on his way to “combat evil demons,” according to federal court records that were released on Tuesday. He told investigators that he had found a “weak spot” in the building that would allow him to get inside. During interrogation, Xiong said he was “the only person remaining who can free the United States of evil and it is necessary for him to kill those in position of power.” According to court records, Xiong had compiled the “hit list” of targets from TikTok videos. Apart from Biden and Fauci, the list also had names of former presidents Bill Clinton and Obama and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “When concluding the interview, Xiong stated that nothing would stop him from carrying out his plan of gaining access to the White House and killing the persons on his hit list,” the complaint said. Xiong also told the investigators that if released from custody he would immediately resume traveling to the White House in Washington, DC and “do whatever it takes to complete his plan”, according to the court records. Xiong is scheduled to appear in federal court for a detention hearing on Thursday (US time), with the federal government arguing he should remain in custody for making a threat against a former president, which is a federal crime, the Times reported. (With inputs from agencies)

25-year-old armed man with ‘hit list’ of Biden, Fauci arrested on way to White House

According to a report, several countries have been reporting teenage girls developing tics.

The Wall Street Journal reported the reason behind teenage girls complaining of tics could be due to depression, anxiety and TikTok&nbsp;videos where patients were shown with Tourette syndrome.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/suicides-among-children-in-japan-at-record-high-during-pandemic-report-420561">Also Read:&nbsp;Suicides among children in Japan at record high during pandemic</a>

Tourette syndrome is reportedly a genetic disorder linked to the nervous system which causes involuntary movements with&nbsp;tics found mostly among boys. However, according to reports, there were cases in Germany with teen and adult girls reporting about tics.

Reports say there has been a ten-fold increase in cases of patients reporting tics which was significantly lower at one or two cases before the pandemic.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-says-global-tuberculosis-deaths-rise-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic-420891">Also Read: Global tuberculosis deaths rise due to coronavirus pandemic</a>

Doctors say&nbsp;those who developed the disease apparently suffered from depression and anxiety earlier which experts said is not typically a case of Tourette syndrome but a form of functional movement disorder.

Kids are reportedly watching the TikTok videos of the disease repeatedly, although no data or research is currently available on the phenomena which has puzzled experts.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pandemic-saviors-food-delivery-apps-now-under-fire-419567">Also Read:&nbsp;Pandemic saviors, food delivery apps now under fire</a>

According to research, psychological disorders which were&nbsp;earlier confined to a particular area has&nbsp;the ability to spread and now with&nbsp;the advent of social media, it has now spread to various locations worldwide, although a person does not develop a tic just by watching a video but the repeated watching of similar videos has worried experts.

The research showed six teenage girls were found with "explosive onset of tic-like movements".

Doctors say the disorder can be treated by moving away from social media and for parents to monitor the kinds of videos their children have been watching, also the kid should be referred to a doctor as soon as tics develop.

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

According to a report, several countries have been reporting teenage girls developing tics. The Wall Street Journal reported the reason behind teenage girls complaining of tics could be due to depression, anxiety and TikTok videos where patients were shown with Tourette syndrome.

According to a report, several countries have been reporting teenage girls developing tics. The Wall Street Journal reported the reason behind teenage girls complaining of tics could be due to depression, anxiety and TikTok videos where patients were shown with Tourette syndrome. Also Read: Suicides among children in Japan at record high during pandemic Tourette syndrome is reportedly a genetic disorder linked to the nervous system which causes involuntary movements with tics found mostly among boys. However, according to reports, there were cases in Germany with teen and adult girls reporting about tics. Reports say there has been a ten-fold increase in cases of patients reporting tics which was significantly lower at one or two cases before the pandemic. Also Read: Global tuberculosis deaths rise due to coronavirus pandemic Doctors say those who developed the disease apparently suffered from depression and anxiety earlier which experts said is not typically a case of Tourette syndrome but a form of functional movement disorder. Kids are reportedly watching the TikTok videos of the disease repeatedly, although no data or research is currently available on the phenomena which has puzzled experts. Also Read: Pandemic saviors, food delivery apps now under fire According to research, psychological disorders which were earlier confined to a particular area has the ability to spread and now with the advent of social media, it has now spread to various locations worldwide, although a person does not develop a tic just by watching a video but the repeated watching of similar videos has worried experts. The research showed six teenage girls were found with "explosive onset of tic-like movements". Doctors say the disorder can be treated by moving away from social media and for parents to monitor the kinds of videos their children have been watching, also the kid should be referred to a doctor as soon as tics develop. (With inputs from Agencies)

Teen girls complain of tics; experts link it to depression & TikTok videos

After being shown being hugged and bathed in social media footage, Cambodian authorities confiscated a lion that was being illegally kept as a pet.

Officials stated the animal had been smuggled from China and was being raised in a villa in the capital, Phnom Penh.

According to environment ministry official Neth Pheaktra, the 18-month-old male weighing 70 kilogrammes was imported from overseas by the owner to be grown in his home.

"People have no right to raise rare wildlife as pets. Cambodian authorities started investigating this lion since we saw it on TikTok in late April," Pheaktra said. 
 
<img alt="Pet-Lion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0e0d4be3-8452-4b30-9cc1-8ab30a071f2d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_9DB2NR.jpg" />

The conditions of a private residence were "intolerable for a wild animal," according to the Wildlife Alliance, an animal rescue non-government organisation that cooperated with the raid.

“In addition, the lion's canine teeth, as well as its claws, had been removed, drastically reducing a lion's quality of life,” it claimed.

The owner had posted a photo of the lion lounging in a driveway while a dog played nearby on the TikTok.

There was also footage of it being splashed down with a hose as a small cub.

The animal was seized a day after a Twitter user shared an overhead photo of it wandering through a garden in Phnom Penh's posh Boeung Keng Kang area.

(With inputs from agencies)

After being shown being hugged and bathed in social media footage, Cambodian authorities confiscated a lion that was being illegally kept as a pet. Officials stated the animal had been smuggled from China and was being raised in a villa in the capital, Phnom Penh.

After being shown being hugged and bathed in social media footage, Cambodian authorities confiscated a lion that was being illegally kept as a pet. Officials stated the animal had been smuggled from China and was being raised in a villa in the capital, Phnom Penh. According to environment ministry official Neth Pheaktra, the 18-month-old male weighing 70 kilogrammes was imported from overseas by the owner to be grown in his home. "People have no right to raise rare wildlife as pets. Cambodian authorities started investigating this lion since we saw it on TikTok in late April," Pheaktra said. The conditions of a private residence were "intolerable for a wild animal," according to the Wildlife Alliance, an animal rescue non-government organisation that cooperated with the raid. “In addition, the lion's canine teeth, as well as its claws, had been removed, drastically reducing a lion's quality of life,” it claimed. The owner had posted a photo of the lion lounging in a driveway while a dog played nearby on the TikTok. There was also footage of it being splashed down with a hose as a small cub. The animal was seized a day after a Twitter user shared an overhead photo of it wandering through a garden in Phnom Penh's posh Boeung Keng Kang area. (With inputs from agencies)

Pet lion of Chinese owner confiscated in Cambodia after TikTok videos

TikTok is facing a public relations crisis after its ratings dropped from 4.3 to 1.3 in a matter of a few days when Indian citizens took over Twitter and Youtube to highlight several problematic social media contents being circulated on the video-sharing platform ranging from animal abuse, rape, acid attack to justifying terrorism and promoting communal violence. Complaints before National Commission for Women have been filed, and letters have been written to the central government highlighting that the application is not suitable for the youth and that TikTok is deliberately not censoring content deemed against the interests of the Indian society. &nbsp;

This problem is more profound than it seems as the company behind TikTok, ByteDance has earlier been accused of censoring social media content related to Tibet, Dalai Lama and the Hongkong protests thereby acting as a mouthpiece of China Communist Party (‘CCP’). Due to the fears of espionage and data theft, US senators have moved a bill seeking to ban federal employees from using the application altogether. The connection between Chinese corporations and the Chinese Communist Party is not hidden, and it is a well-known fact that Chinese corporations do the bidding for the Chinese Communist Party overseas to advance its interests and protect its ‘Face’ by censoring content deemed unfavourable and against the ‘One China’ Policy’. &nbsp; 
 
<img alt="Tiktok" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8d2f03f6-8a76-4093-bb94-1ea0f34da373" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Wion%20Infrographic%20TikTok.png" />&nbsp;

This incident highlights many lacunas existing in our current regulatory framework ranging from the protection of user data to the risk and susceptibility of the government officials, agencies, and corporations against data theft by China. Further, it showcases how an application can be used in future to harm national interests as a means of ‘social warfare’. Due to this, the central government needs to understand that TikTok is a national threat if left unchecked. Furthermore, this incident emphasizes the need for data localisation and data protection laws that protect data sovereignty and privacy. Data has been termed as the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and moving forward regulating and safeguarding data is going to be one of the major challenges that regulators will face ranging from its impact on the economy, international affairs and the security of its citizens. &nbsp;

The Reserve Bank of India in 2018 had issued a directive to companies for storing financial system-related information in India in sectors ranging from insurance, healthcare to e-commerce, thereby mandating data localization in some form. Still, this does not cover or stop social media platforms per se to engage in cross-border transfer of personal data. On December 11 2019, the Personal Protection Bill 2019 was tabled before the parliament by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (‘MietY’) which called for restrictions on cross-border transfer of personal data, the problem with the current bill is that it only restricts the flow of “sensitive personal data” abroad. This is problematic as this does not stop adversaries from transferring personal data not considered sensitive and make a citizen database out of such collected information. Even though the majority of the companies won’t go down this path, the current TikTok incident highlights serious issues existing in our current framework, which can be seen as a threat to national security later on. This warning does not come in isolation as US officials and experts have pointed out that China by conducting a series of hacks, the most recent one being Equifax is building a massive database of American personal information through which it wants to exploit the vulnerabilities of the US.&nbsp; &nbsp;

These incidents call for serious deliberations between the Indian regulators and governmental agencies to understand the depth and seriousness of this problem. Wars in future are going to be fought over the internet where the foundations of digital economies are being laid down, and sadly India is notoriously behind the technological curve in all aspects. Not to mention that most of the government websites are not even SSL encrypted, which is an essential requirement these days.&nbsp;

The Indian legislators and regulators need to create appropriate safeguards that restrict the flow of information that can be used in future as espionage against Indian assets. Further, the Indian government needs to create infrastructure which monitors the transfer of data overseas in realtime. This is easier said than done, but the Indian workforce and industry experts have the technical prowess to implement such tranches that protect data sovereignty and modernize data governance. Going forward if TikTok wants to operate in India, it needs to function as an independent body, separate from the supervision and control of its Chinese counterpart or it would find it challenging to navigate the regulatory waters in India. Majority of the TikTok users are Indian, and a ban on the social media application would severely cut and limit the prospects of the company. This will impact its revenue and future valuation, a nightmare for ByteDance to say the least. &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

TikTok is facing a public relations crisis after its ratings dropped from 4.3 to 1.3 in a matter of a few days when Indian citizens took over Twitter and Youtube to highlight several problematic social media contents being circulated on the video-sharing platform ranging from animal abuse, rape, acid attack to justifying terrorism and promoting communal violence.

TikTok is facing a public relations crisis after its ratings dropped from 4.3 to 1.3 in a matter of a few days when Indian citizens took over Twitter and Youtube to highlight several problematic social media contents being circulated on the video-sharing platform ranging from animal abuse, rape, acid attack to justifying terrorism and promoting communal violence. Complaints before National Commission for Women have been filed, and letters have been written to the central government highlighting that the application is not suitable for the youth and that TikTok is deliberately not censoring content deemed against the interests of the Indian society. This problem is more profound than it seems as the company behind TikTok, ByteDance has earlier been accused of censoring social media content related to Tibet, Dalai Lama and the Hongkong protests thereby acting as a mouthpiece of China Communist Party (‘CCP’). Due to the fears of espionage and data theft, US senators have moved a bill seeking to ban federal employees from using the application altogether. The connection between Chinese corporations and the Chinese Communist Party is not hidden, and it is a well-known fact that Chinese corporations do the bidding for the Chinese Communist Party overseas to advance its interests and protect its ‘Face’ by censoring content deemed unfavourable and against the ‘One China’ Policy’. This incident highlights many lacunas existing in our current regulatory framework ranging from the protection of user data to the risk and susceptibility of the government officials, agencies, and corporations against data theft by China. Further, it showcases how an application can be used in future to harm national interests as a means of ‘social warfare’. Due to this, the central government needs to understand that TikTok is a national threat if left unchecked. Furthermore, this incident emphasizes the need for data localisation and data protection laws that protect data sovereignty and privacy. Data has been termed as the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and moving forward regulating and safeguarding data is going to be one of the major challenges that regulators will face ranging from its impact on the economy, international affairs and the security of its citizens. The Reserve Bank of India in 2018 had issued a directive to companies for storing financial system-related information in India in sectors ranging from insurance, healthcare to e-commerce, thereby mandating data localization in some form. Still, this does not cover or stop social media platforms per se to engage in cross-border transfer of personal data. On December 11 2019, the Personal Protection Bill 2019 was tabled before the parliament by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (‘MietY’) which called for restrictions on cross-border transfer of personal data, the problem with the current bill is that it only restricts the flow of “sensitive personal data” abroad. This is problematic as this does not stop adversaries from transferring personal data not considered sensitive and make a citizen database out of such collected information. Even though the majority of the companies won’t go down this path, the current TikTok incident highlights serious issues existing in our current framework, which can be seen as a threat to national security later on. This warning does not come in isolation as US officials and experts have pointed out that China by conducting a series of hacks, the most recent one being Equifax is building a massive database of American personal information through which it wants to exploit the vulnerabilities of the US. These incidents call for serious deliberations between the Indian regulators and governmental agencies to understand the depth and seriousness of this problem. Wars in future are going to be fought over the internet where the foundations of digital economies are being laid down, and sadly India is notoriously behind the technological curve in all aspects. Not to mention that most of the government websites are not even SSL encrypted, which is an essential requirement these days. The Indian legislators and regulators need to create appropriate safeguards that restrict the flow of information that can be used in future as espionage against Indian assets. Further, the Indian government needs to create infrastructure which monitors the transfer of data overseas in realtime. This is easier said than done, but the Indian workforce and industry experts have the technical prowess to implement such tranches that protect data sovereignty and modernize data governance. Going forward if TikTok wants to operate in India, it needs to function as an independent body, separate from the supervision and control of its Chinese counterpart or it would find it challenging to navigate the regulatory waters in India. Majority of the TikTok users are Indian, and a ban on the social media application would severely cut and limit the prospects of the company. This will impact its revenue and future valuation, a nightmare for ByteDance to say the least. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Why TikTok is a threat to national security if left unchecked

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is pressurizing moderators to suppress videos from users deemed too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company’s efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes.

Moderators were also told to censor political speech in TikTok live streams, punishing those who harmed ''national honour''&nbsp;or broadcast streams about ''state organs such as police''&nbsp;with bans from the platform, according&nbsp;to&nbsp;new documents published by The Intercept.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-senators-move-bill-to-ban-federal-employees-from-using-tiktok-285930">US Senators move bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok</a>

The documents exposed that the moderators were told that videos were to be removed from the feed if “the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated”, since ''this kind of environment is less fancy and aesthetically unappealing''.

These previously unreported Chinese policy documents provide new details about the company's efforts to enforce rigid constraints across its users while it simultaneously attempts to bolster its image as a global paragon of self-expression creativity.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tiktok-accused-in-california-lawsuit-of-sending-user-data-to-china-265867">TikTok accused of sending user data to China in California lawsuit</a>

A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to&nbsp;a report from December&nbsp;that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users’ videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour.&nbsp;

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based tech unicorn Bytedance.

Other documents published by The Intercept show the extent of TikTok’s former rules requiring moderators to enforce Chinese foreign policy overseas.

The site published the company’s live streaming policies, which instruct moderators to take down ''controversial content''&nbsp;that promotes the independence of Taiwan.

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is pressurizing moderators to suppress videos from users deemed too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company’s efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes.

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is pressurizing moderators to suppress videos from users deemed too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company’s efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes. Moderators were also told to censor political speech in TikTok live streams, punishing those who harmed ''national honour'' or broadcast streams about ''state organs such as police'' with bans from the platform, according to new documents published by The Intercept. Also read: US Senators move bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok The documents exposed that the moderators were told that videos were to be removed from the feed if “the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated”, since ''this kind of environment is less fancy and aesthetically unappealing''. These previously unreported Chinese policy documents provide new details about the company's efforts to enforce rigid constraints across its users while it simultaneously attempts to bolster its image as a global paragon of self-expression creativity. Also read: TikTok accused of sending user data to China in California lawsuit A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to a report from December that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users’ videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based tech unicorn Bytedance. Other documents published by The Intercept show the extent of TikTok’s former rules requiring moderators to enforce Chinese foreign policy overseas. The site published the company’s live streaming policies, which instruct moderators to take down ''controversial content'' that promotes the independence of Taiwan.

TikTok coercing moderators to 'filter out videos from ugly, poor or disabled users'

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