TikTok creates Safety Council

TikTok has launched an inaugural Safety Advisory Council to boost safety on its platform across Sub-Saharan Africa.

It is partnering with key stakeholders, including policymakers, members from academia, NGOs, and community leaders, aiming “to foster a collaborative approach to ensuring a secure and positive platform environment”. 

Making the announcement at TikTok’s Safety Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, last week, the video-sharing service also unveiled an expansion of its #SaferTogether community education campaign. 

A Continuous Investment: The Safety Advisory Council

Since 2020, TikTok has established nine regional Safety Advisory Councils alongside the US Content Advisory Council, each composed of experts in areas such as youth safety, free expression, and hate speech. 

“These councils play a vital role in shaping TikTok’s policies, product features, and safety processes, ensuring the platform remains responsive to evolving challenges,” says the organisation.

“The newly launched Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council will further this effort by bringing together local experts who will collaborate with TikTok to develop forward-looking policies and address regional safety concerns. Their input will help TikTok manage current issues and anticipate future challenges, reinforcing the platform’s commitment to user safety and fostering a positive online environment.”

Members of the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council are:

• Prof Guy Berger, Rhodes University (South Africa)
• Dennis Coffie, Content creator (Ghana)
• Peter Cunliffe-Jones, University of Westminster Visiting Research Fellow (UK)
• Aisha Dabo, Co-Founder and coordinator of AfricTivistes (Senegal)
• Lillian Kariuki, Founder and Executive Director of Watoto Watch Network (Kenya)
• Dr Akinola Olojo, Expert on preventing and countering violent extremism (Nigeria)
• Prof Medhane Tadesse, Policy academic on peace and security issues (Ethiopia)
• Berhan Taye, Independent Researcher (Ethiopia)

Valiant Richey, TikTok global head of outreach and partnerships for trust and safety, said: “With the launch of the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council, we are demonstrating our commitment to including expert African voices in our Trust and Safety work. This group of leaders was chosen for their broad range of expertise and experience, and we look forward to working with them over the coming years.”

#SaferTogether: A Community-Centric Approach

TikTok said the #SaferTogether campaign is designed to engage the community actively in promoting a basic understanding of the platform’s community guidelines and safety features. This initiative will include workshops, social media outreach, and partnerships with key stakeholders to raise awareness about the importance of following TikTok’s community standards. The campaign aims to foster a collaborative effort to ensure a secure environment for creative expression.

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, TikTok director of government relations and public policy for Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “The community empowerment campaign highlights the importance of safety being a shared responsibility. 

“This part of the campaign will speak directly to the TikTok community, to join us in making TikTok a safer space for all by ensuring they follow the Community Guidelines and use the safety features available to them. With the additional layer that the Safety Advisory Council presents, we believe that safety can be achieved, collectively.”

• For more information about the work of the Safety Advisory Councils, visit TikTok’s Transparency Centre.