TikTok's big boss loses his position

ByteDance's content censorship chief leaves the company amid increasingly stringent censorship requirements in China.

ByteDance's content moderation and data labeling team has lost a "very senior" member, according to sources. Photo: Reuters .

Li Tong, the head of content quality control at Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has disappeared from the HR system of parent company ByteDance, according to SCMP sources.

Mr. Tong was a senior executive in charge of content moderation and data labeling for ByteDance’s apps in China. Li Tong’s departure comes as Beijing increasingly imposes strict censorship requirements on social media.

Li Tong previously headed the Content Quality and Data Services (CQC) team at Douyin Group, one of ByteDance's core business units responsible for flagship products such as short video platform Douyin and news aggregator Jinri Toutiao, the Chinese version of Reddit.

An unnamed employee said Li was a "very senior" employee who had been with ByteDance for many years.

Established in 2017, CQC is responsible for monitoring content quality and user experience across more than 10 apps. According to Chinese media, the group's role is necessary because some extremely sensitive content cannot be detected by machines. Meanwhile, in China, social media platforms are obliged to censor content deemed illegal.

In May, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced that it would continue to regulate how online platforms recommend and control content, an initiative that began last October. One of the main goals is to reduce “vulgar” content.

Data labeling is also key for ByteDance. Douyin President Han Shangyou said in March that the short video platform's content recommendation system does not rely on traditional content labeling methods.

In March, local media reported that the CQC team was looking for third-party providers to help with data labeling for AI development, particularly in areas such as healthcare, law, and education . The move signals the department’s expanding role in data labeling, in addition to its content moderation duties.

Source: https://znews.vn/sep-lon-o-tiktok-mat-vi-tri-post1559509.html