TikTok has reportedly blocked users of its Creator Marketplace from being able to use words and phrases including "Black" and "Black Lives Matter" in their bios, flagging the words as "inappropriate content."
Ziggi Tyler, 23, who is a user of the app, discovered the function while he was attempting to update his bio over the Fourth of July weekend. Tyler then posted several videos to the app detailing his findings.
In a screen recording, Tyler showed his followers how he repeatedly attempted to include Black, Black Lives Matter, Black people," Black success, Pro-Black, and I am a Black man in his bio only to receive an"inappropriate content" error, making him unable to update it.
#greenscreenvideo Im going live in 30 minutes to answer questions. Yall need to get this message out. Please. #fyp #fyp #wrong #justice
In the video, Tyler later attempts to add the wordspro-white and supporting white supremacy" to his bio. In those examples, he was able to save the content without receiving an error.
The TikTok Creator Marketplace feature, which is currently in beta testing, aims to help creators connect with brands to form sponsorship deals. Tyler explained to Forbes that he had hoped to use the platform to highlight his racial background to advertisers looking to diversify their talent or launch campaigns focusing on racial justice.
White people can get on here and call me the n-word and make videos about violent extremism but I cant do anything, Tyler said. We cant do anything.
The social media platform attributed Tyler's experience to a flaw within safeguards designed to filter out hate speech.
Our TikTok Creator Marketplace protections, which flag phrases typically associated with hate speech, were erroneously set to flag phrases without respect to word order, a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. We recognize and apologize for how frustrating this was to experience, and our team has fixed this significant error. To be clear, Black Lives Matter does not violate our policies and currently has over 27B views on our platform."
Last month, Black TikTok users decided to go on an indefinite strike, choosing not tochoreograph dances to popular songs after white users of the platform were accused of taking moves from Black users without offering credit. Some of the messages that were then sent by the white users went viral on the platform.
Updated 7:53 p.m.
View post:
TikTok blocked creators from using 'Black Lives Matter' in bios | TheHill - The Hill
- What Does "Black Lives Matter" Actually Mean? Why Saying ... - July 6th, 2020 [July 6th, 2020]
- Two people were hurt by a car as a Black Lives Matter demonstration was ending in Indiana - CNN - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter movement finds new urgency and allies because of COVID-19 - The Conversation CA - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- Workplace tensions flare over whether employees can wear Black Lives Matter masks - The Detroit News - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement: CSA - Deccan Herald - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run at Seattle Black Lives Matter protest - ABC News - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- NYC Begins Painting Black Lives Matter Mural In Front Of Trump Tower | 90.1 FM WABE - WABE 90.1 FM - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter Murals Are Being Defaced In Cities Throughout The Country - Forbes - July 10th, 2020 [July 10th, 2020]
- Demonstrators gather in Berea to march in solidarity for Black Lives Matter movement - LEX18 Lexington KY News - July 11th, 2020 [July 11th, 2020]
- Olympic gymnast Simone Biles says Black Lives Matter protests are the start of change: Its sad it took all of this for people to listen - The... - July 11th, 2020 [July 11th, 2020]
- Lockdown-focused Facebook groups pivot to attacks on Black Lives Matter - CNBC - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- Boise Police Identify Suspects in Batteries Committed During July 2 Black Lives Matter/Defund the Police Protest - Idaho Press-Tribune - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- LeBron James will not wear Black Lives Matter message on back of jersey, will instead wear traditional James - MassLive.com - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- It seems black lives don't matter quite so much, now that we've got to the hard bit - The Guardian - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- New York AG says Black Lives Matter Foundation 'not affiliated with the movement' and orders it to stop collecting donations - CNN - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- Plan underway for Black Lives Matter mural to be painted on Worcester streets; Mural will be in the Major Tay - MassLive.com - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- We need leaders to affirm that Black Lives Matter, not exploit the phrase to divide us - USA TODAY - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Stormzy on Black Lives Matter: 'If we weren't oppressed, we wouldn't be shouting' - The Guardian - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- COVID And Black Lives Matter Have Spurred Real Change; Why Can't Climate Change Do The Same? - New Hampshire Public Radio - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- Protesters rally in Winston-Salem to demand charges be dropped against demonstrators arrested - WXII12 Winston-Salem - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Only certain black lives matter - Carolinacoastonline - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter march will wind through Jeannette - TribLIVE - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- SLIDESHOW: Back The Blue, Black Lives Matter protests take place in West Peabody - The Salem News - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter Sign Defaced With Paint in Albany - NBC Bay Area - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- The diversity of the recent Black Lives Matter protests is a good sign for racial equity - Brookings Institution - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- What is the 'Black Lives Matter' organization? - Newnan Times-Herald - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- From the George Floyd moment to a Black Lives Matter movement, in tweets - Brookings Institution - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- How we can turn the momentum of Black Lives Matter into real change - CBC.ca - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- Check Out This Amazing Music Video Shot on the Black Lives Matter Mural - Washingtonian - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Federal agency: Supporting 'Black Lives Matter' isn't partisan or political - USA TODAY - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter vigil held on Kenilworth Parkway: "We have to be a voice for change" - The Advocate - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Posts mentioning 'Black lives matter' spiked on lawmakers' social media accounts after George Floyd killing - Pew Research Center - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Artists paint Black Lives Matter murals on boarded-up windows in Fort Wayne - Business Insider - Business Insider - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Teenagers lead the way in Black Lives Matter movement - Press Herald - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter rally held in Saginaw after couple says they were targeted twice by hate crime - WNEM Saginaw - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Fugitive the Source of Debate Over Black Lives Matter Mural in Palo Alto - NBC Bay Area - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Edward Colston's statue stood for 125 years. The Black Lives Matter statue that replaced it stood for about 25 hours - CNN - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Removing the statue of Black Lives Matter activist Jen Reid was a mistake - The Guardian - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter events continue in Portland amid tensions with feds - KOIN.com - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Unspeakable video highlights the role of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Black Lives Matter - The Verge - July 20th, 2020 [July 20th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter: A primer on what it is and what it stands for - July 20th, 2020 [July 20th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter -- Manifesto in Ten Points | National Review - July 20th, 2020 [July 20th, 2020]
- For Friends Of The Children, Black Lives Matter Is More Than A Moment - Forbes - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- How The Black Lives Matter Generation Remembers John Lewis - Voice of America - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- That fake story connecting dead bodies and Black Lives Matter is back - PolitiFact - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Keke Palmer condemns rumors that her show was canceled because of Black Lives Matter activism - NBC News - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- How Graffiti Artists Are Propelling the Vision of the Black Lives Matter Movement - Artsy - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural placed on top of building in 5 Points neighborhood - WRAL.com - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Introducing the new Black Lives Matter digital platform that will help you become a better ally - harpersbazaar.com - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- What Black Lives Matter Has Revealed About Small-Town America - The New York Times - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- 63% support Black Lives Matter as recognition of discrimination jumps: POLL - ABC News - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter stirs hope for change in England's ancient city of York - NBC News - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- 12 White Female Bodies in Garage Freezer Tagged "Black ... - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- The lies told by the Black Lives Matter movement - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural in Redwood City washed away after suggestion to paint MAGA 2020 - KRON4 - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- The Black Lives Matter Street Art That Contain Multitudes - The New York Times - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- How the Black Lives Matter generation remembers John Lewis - The Associated Press - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural to be removed in Springfield due to lack of permits - WWLP.com - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- 21-year-old who wrote Black Lives Matter over blue line: I did it because I love this country' - SILive.com - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- 5 pitfalls Black Lives Matter must avoid to maintain momentum and achieve meaningful change - Waging Nonviolence - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter Protest Held on Saturday in Fort Bragg to Honor the Two Months Since George Floyd's Murder - Redheaded Blackbelt - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Corporate ads said Black Lives Matter. But the industry creating them is nearly all white. - NBC News - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Cubs To Hold Moment Of Silence For Black Lives Matter | 670 The Score - 670 The Score - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter posters placed on top of building in 5 Points neighborhood - WRAL.com - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter in the Food System - Civil Eats - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- After being told to remove her "Black Lives Matter" face mask, Whole Foods employee quits in protest. - Berkeleyside - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Letter to the Editor: Black Lives Matter? - Pine and Lakes Echo Journal - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter Activist: Abolishing The Police '100%' Means Just That - Here And Now - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Why the Black Lives Matter movement doesn't want a singular leader - POLITICO - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- 5 Things You Need To Know About Black Lives Matter | The ... - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- DeKalb Black Lives Matter to host die-in demonstration on Thursday in Memorial Park - DeKalb Daily Chronicle - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Don't Exploit 'Black Lives Matter' - UT News - UT News | The University of Texas at Austin - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Cleveland Indians show support for Black Lives Matter during moment of silence, stand together during national anthem - WKYC.com - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Roseville Man Accused Of Leaving Threatening Notes At Homes With Black Lives Matter Signs, Inclusive Messages - CBS Minnesota - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- We Need to Say to Them You Matter': Black Lives Matter Rally Held in Bloomfield - NBC Connecticut - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- New Black Lives Matter Muskegon group aims to keep the fire going - mlive.com - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Phillies start season with Black Lives Matter painted on the mound - The Philadelphia Inquirer - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter: Most Controversial Quotes And Statements - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Orioles Kneel During Pregame Tribute To Black Lives Matter Movement; Stand With Arms Locked For National Anthem - CBS Baltimore - July 26th, 2020 [July 26th, 2020]
- Meet the organisers of Worthing Black Lives Matter - Worthing Herald - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]