TikTok announces an industry first with regional Africa Safety Advisory Council

By Seth ONYANGO

TikTok announced on Thursday (August 22) that it was taking major steps to boost safety on its platform across Sub-Saharan Africa with the launch of a Safety Advisory Council and the expansion of its #SaferTogether community education campaign. By partnering with key stakeholders, including policymakers, members from academia, NGOs, and community leaders, TikTok said, it aims to foster a collaborative approach to ensuring a secure and positive platform environment. The announcement was made at a TikTok Safety Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.

**A Continuous Investment: The Safety Advisory Council**

Since 2020, TikTok has established nine regional Safety Advisory Councils alongside the U.S. Content Advisory Council, each composed of experts in areas such as youth safety, free expression, and hate speech. These councils play a vital role in shaping TikTok’s policies, product features, and safety processes, ensuring the platform remains responsive to evolving challenges, the streamer said.

The newly launched Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council is intended to further this effort by bringing together local experts who will collaborate with TikTok to develop forward-looking policies and address regional safety concerns. Their input will help TikTok manage current issues and anticipate future challenges, reinforcing the platform’s commitment to user safety and fostering a positive online environment

**Members of the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council are:**

– Prof Guy Berger, Rhodes University (South Africa)
– Dennis Coffie, Content creator (Ghana)
– Peter Cunliffe-Jones, University of Westminster Visiting Research Fellow (UK)
– Aisha Dabo, Co-Founder and coordinator of AfricTivistes (Senegal)
– Lillian Kariuki, Founder and Executive Director of Watoto Watch Network (Kenya)
– Dr Akinola Olojo, Expert on preventing and countering violent extremism (Nigeria)
– Prof Medhane Tadesse, Policy academic on peace and security issues (Ethiopia)
– Berhan Taye, Independent Researcher (Ethiopia)

“With the launch of the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council, we are demonstrating our commitment to including expert African voices in our Trust and Safety work. This group of leaders was chosen for their broad range of expertise and experience, and we look forward to working with them over the coming years,” explained Valiant Richey, Global Head of Outreach and Partnerships, Trust and Safety, TikTok

**#SaferTogether: A Community-Centric Approach**

This iteration of the #SaferTogether campaign is designed to engage the community actively in promoting a basic understanding of the platform’s community guidelines and safety features. This initiative will include workshops, social media outreach, and partnerships with key stakeholders to raise awareness about the importance of following TikTok’s community standards. The campaign aims to foster a collaborative effort to ensure a secure environment for creative expression.

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, Director of Government Relations & Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa emphasised, that online safety was a shared responsibility. he called on the TikTok community “to join us in making TikTok a safer space for all by ensuring they follow the Community Guidelines and use the safety features available to them. With the additional layer that the Safety Advisory Council presents, we believe that safety can be achieved, collectively.”

**Understanding TikTok’s Community Guidelines**

TikTok’s Community Guidelines were developed through comprehensive research and input from various stakeholders, including safety experts and community members, according to the company, in an effort to set a standard for acceptable behaviour and content on the platform.

“They are designed to foster a safe and welcoming environment, ensuring that everyone can express themselves freely and creatively while staying protected from potential harm. The guidelines are continuously updated to address emerging safety concerns and support a respectful online community.”

**Impact of the #SaferTogether Partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa**

In Kenya, TikTok has so far achieved remarkable milestones with its flagship #SaferTogether workshops.
– Reaching students and youth aged 13 to 24 from secondary schools to universities.
– Conducting workshops in 26 out of 47 counties across Kenya, these workshops continue to encourage best practices on online platforms.
– Workshops have also benefitted over 64,000 students, more than 467 parents, and 346 teachers.

TikTok launched its #SaferTogether workshops and campaign launched in Nigeria, in 2022. Earlier this year, the platform announced an official partnership with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) at the TikTok Safer Internet Summit in Ghana. The partnership is intended to help deliver digital literacy programmes across Africa, guiding young people and their caregivers on how to diversify their livelihoods using digital platforms, in a safe and engaging way.

Kenya’s Safaricom has been a long-standing strategic partner of TikTok, collaborating on a number of mobile and network initiatives over the past several years, including TikTok data bundles and participating in the #LevelUpAfrica Creator event.

The East African telecoms giant expressed strong support for TikTok’s recent efforts to enhance online safety in Africa.

“At Safaricom, we see the internet as a resource that everyone should have access to, safely. Having witnessed the announcement of the TikTok Safety Advisory Council and the launch of the #SaferTogether campaign, we commend TikTok’s efforts in bringing together various stakeholders for a common goal – ensuring online safety and promoting the safe use of its platform across Africa,” said Fawzia Ali, Chief Consumer Business Officer, Safaricom PLC.

The social media platform announced further that through thought-provoking conversations and candid feedback, it hoped productive ways would be found to support platform integrity and protect the interests of its community.

More information about the work of the Safety Advisory Councils can be found on TikTok’s Transparency Centre.