Censored topics include videos criticizing the “social rules of any country,” such as China’s socialist system; “foreign leaders or sensitive figures,” like Kim Jong-il and Donald Trump; and “highly controversial topics,” including anything “exaggerating the ethnic conflict between black and white.” Beijing-based ByteDance, which owns TikTok, said it ended the policies in May, and that it has since taken a more localized approach to content moderation. (The Guardian)

Talking point: ByteDance reached one billion users in June, many in other countries. The revelations come amid suspicion Beijing is having TikTok censor dissenting voices, particularly around the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. ByteDance told The Guardian it had changed its moderation guidelines well before the demonstrations began. But earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that videos from the protests were absent from the app, despite being widely available on other social media platforms. ByteDance said it was working on being more transparent about its policies, including by “forming an independent committee of leading industry organisations and experts to continually assess” them.