Extremism On TikTok In 2022, A Year In Review: Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, And Anti-Government Extremists Active On TikTok; Call For Violent Revolution; Discuss Mass Shootings And Constructing Bombs; Post Racist, Anti-LGBTQ, Antisemitic Content

Introduction

In November 2022, Federal Communications Commission commissioner Brendan Carr became the latest in a line of officials who have called for the total banning of video-sharing app TikTok, on the grounds of threats to national security.[1]The app, Carr claimed, had repeatedly mishandled the data of U.S. users, and had deep ties to the Chinese government, opening the door for massive data collection by a foreign power.

Only a few weeks later, the Senate Homeland Security Committee accused the FBI, DHS, and major social media companies of not adequately addressing the growing threat of domestic extremism. In a 128-page report, committee members argue that these entities have not allocated sufficient resources to counter the "metastasizing" threat of white supremacist and anti-government extremism and that they have failed to track and report on data about domestic terrorism incidents. Federal law enforcement agencies and social media platforms responded to reaffirm their commitment to stopping the spread of violent extremism.[2]

In the context of these two major sources of pressure, TikTok, which was included in the Committee's report, released a statement saying that "a safe and trusted platform is critical" to their "long-term success," and maintaining their dedication to "removing content that incites or glorifies violence or promotes violent extremist organizations."[3] Despite these public promises, TikTok remains home to many white supremacist and antigovernment extremists who share hateful content to the video platform.

TikTok has admittedly taken a hardline approach to banning content, using its aggressive algorithmic content net to catch and deplatform content and users in violation of its terms of use. This has ultimately led to many new methods of evading detection, including the emergence of algorithm-friendly language called "Algospeak," which is used to evade content filters.[4] While a vast majority of users of this technique are in no way extremist, neo-Nazis and white supremacists have adopted this moderation evasion technique, and many have remained on the platform despite this strict policing of content.

Many of the accounts that have posted extremist content throughout 2022 have been taken down or otherwise removed from the platform, however some are still active and post content while others have created new accounts. Additionally, the identity of many account holders is hidden, and some accounts may be linked to intentional misinformation campaigns through botnets and algorithm manipulation.

The MEMRI DTTM produced a report offering a review of extremist content on TikTok from 2022. This content includes threats from neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and accelerationists against immigrants, Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, politicians, healthcare workers, schools, and more. The content also includes the dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories, particularly as they relate to the antisemitic white genocide and QAnon conspiracy theories. The report includes research from the DTTM team around the world covering content on the platform in dozens of languages.

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