TikTok Introduces New Safety Feature in India

Giving Indian users more account management control on its platform, video-sharing app TikTok on Friday launched a new safety feature that allows them to filter self-defined words in Hindi and English from the comments section. The "Filter Comments" feature would automatically remove up to 30 user-defined words from the comments section. Users can also change the listed words as and when they want, the company said in a statement. 

The safety feature comes as part of TikTok India's #SafeHumSafeInternet and #BetterMeBetterInternet campaigns launched in partnership with the Cyber Peace Foundation to mark the Safer Internet Day (SID) on February 4.

The app's existing privacy and safety settings allow users to decide who can comment and react to their videos or send them a message and download content from their accounts. 

Earlier, TikTok had said the company was committed to maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment for its users in India.

The Chinese social media apps recently came under the spotlight after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) economic wing Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) called for a ban on China-based apps.

The plea to ban Chinese apps came after 40 CRPF troopers were killed in a deadly suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. But a quick search on the TikTok app showed that Hindu chauvinistic content is very popular among its users. While a search for #Ayodhya showed 14.1 million views, the RSS tag had nearly 64.5 million views.

TikTok has over 54 million monthly active users (MAUs) in India.

Owned by China-based company ByteDance, TikTok was first launched in China in 2016 as "Douyin". It was rolled out to international markets in 2017.