TikTok plans mass job cuts on UK moderation and safety teams

TikTok plans to slash the UK team that protects users from harmful content, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal.

At least 125 people who work in content moderation and other safety roles at the video platform have been told they may be made redundant.

TikTok employs about 500 UK workers in the division, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU). In a snap survey from the CWU, almost every worker who responded – 125 out of 127 – said they’d been told their job was at risk.

TikTok moderators screen videos posted by users and remove harmful and illegal content.

An email sent to TikTok employees on Friday said: “In recent years, our industry has faced increasing demands on our moderation efforts due to fluctuating volumes, growing complexity, and a wider range of harmful content and bad actors.

“To meet these evolving challenges, we are proposing to make some changes to our in-house moderation teams.”

The email said the proposed redundancies would “allow us to further leverage advanced technology for greater accuracy, consistency, and scalability”, suggesting it intends to rely more heavily on automated content removal.

The email was signed off with a link to a “wellbeing resources” document, illustrated with an image of hands in the shape of a heart.

A TikTok spokesperson told TBIJ: “We’re making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation. We expect to invest $2bn globally in trust and safety in 2024 alone and are continuing to improve the efficacy of our efforts, with 80% of violative content now removed by automated technologies.”

John Chadfield, technology officer at the CWU, which represents 200 TikTok workers, said: “TikTok works because content moderators keep the quality of their content consistently safe. Treating their own staff in Trust and Safety as disposable is shortsighted.

“TikTok HR alludes to job cuts being driven by AI, but as tech workers we know that behind AI is the very human exploitation of content moderators in the Global South.

“In London, hundreds of TikTok employees are coming together to form a union to fight for their jobs and improve their conditions. We hope TikTok takes this as an opportunity to think strategically about employee retention and the very clear link with the business' global profitability and growth.”

In its email to staff TikTok said it would “enhance … collaboration with [its] third-party partners”. TikTok works with several contractors who provide content moderation services, many operating in countries where wages are substantially lower than the UK.

In 2022, a TBIJ investigation into one of these contractors, Teleperformance, found its Colombian employees faced widespread occupational trauma and inadequate psychological support, demanding or impossible performance targets, punitive salary deductions and extensive surveillance.

Some Teleperformance moderators in Colombia earned as little as £235 per month in 2022, compared to about £2,000 a month for UK moderators. CWU said the lowest-paid trust and safety workers earn £26,000 a year.

In response to TBIJ’s 2022 investigation, a TikTok spokesperson said: “Our Trust and Safety team partners with third party firms on the critical work of helping to protect the TikTok platform and community, and we continue to expand on a range of wellness services so that moderators feel supported mentally and emotionally.”

The UK layoffs appear to be part of a wider global reduction of in-house moderation teams. About 500 Malaysian TikTok employees, most of whom were content moderators, were also told they were being made redundant, Reuters reported today.

One UK moderator who could lose their job told TBIJ: “From the moment we saw the emails coming in, everyone started worrying. At first, they didn’t mention the word ‘redundant,’ but it was clear the news wasn’t going to be good. Personally, I’m afraid there’s more to come.

“Looking back, it seems like this was just a matter of time. Some roles were already moved to other countries where workers are paid much less than us… I’m worried I won’t have enough for Christmas, and possibly even my rent if I can’t get hired quickly and run out of the little savings I have … I don’t even earn that much to begin with.”

TikTok had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.