Short video platform TikTok said that it is working to remove “alarmist warnings” about a supposed day of school violence that was rumoured to take place on December 17. A supposed threat of a nationwide day of violence at schools across the country, that allegedly started as a TikTok challenge, prompted some districts to cancel classes on Friday even as law enforcement mostly determined that the threats were not credible, reports The Verge.
TikTok said on Twitter that the warnings violated its misinformation policy, which prohibits the spread of hoaxes or warnings about hoaxes that treat them as real. After searching “exhaustively”, the company said it had not found content on its platform promoting violence at US schools on Friday, despite the widespread but unsubstantiated rumours.
“What we find are videos discussing this rumour and warning others to stay safe,” TikTok’s communications team posted in a thread on Twitter.
“Local authorities, the FBI and DHS have confirmed there is no credible threat, so we are working to remove alarmist warnings that violate our misinformation policy,” it added.
The company said it would remove and report any threats it did find, adding that it was “deeply concerned that the proliferation of local media reports on an alleged trend that has not been found on the platform could end up inspiring real-world harm”.
As per the report, schools across the US were on alert after reports of threats allegedly made on TikTok began circulating on social media and local television news stations.
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