Germany: TikTok replaces its trust and safety team with AI
What's the story
TikTok employees in Berlin are staging protests against the company's decision to lay off its entire trust and safety team. The social media giant plans to replace its moderation team, which is responsible for removing harmful content from the platform, with artificial intelligence (AI) and contract workers. This move will result in the termination of 150 employees.
Union negotiations
TikTok yet to respond to union demands
The trade union representing TikTok workers, ver.di, has been trying to negotiate with the company over the past few weeks. Kalle Kunkel, a ver.di spokesperson for Berlin-Brandenburg region, said they sent a list of demands to TikTok. These included severance for the affected employees and an extension of the layoff notice period to one year. However, TikTok has not responded positively so far.
Company response
What did the firm say?
Anna Sopel, a TikTok spokesperson, said the proposed layoffs are aimed at "streamlining workflows and improving efficiency." She added that the company is still committed to ensuring the safety and integrity of its platform. The trust and safety team in Germany, like in other countries, is responsible for ensuring that short-form videos posted on TikTok do not have harmful content or violate company policy.
Worldwide shift
Layoffs across the globe
Over the past year, TikTok has been laying off trust and safety staff globally, often replacing them entirely with automated systems. In September, the company laid off its entire team of 300 content moderators in the Netherlands. In October, it announced plans to replace around 500 content moderation employees in Malaysia with AI-powered moderation.
Investment assurance
TikTok to invest $2B in trust and safety
Despite the layoffs, Sopel assured that TikTok is investing another $2 billion in trust and safety this year. However, she did not answer questions about the current size of the team globally. The German layoffs come after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before US Congress in 2024 that the company would increase spending on trust and safety with a team of over 40,000 people worldwide.