TikTok India Clarifies Amid Criticism Over Video Glorifying Acid Attacks

Video sharing platform TikTok, attacked widely for a video of violence against a woman, said in a statement that it expected users to adhere to its policies of what is or is not acceptable. The app has been in trouble since a popular video creator posted a clip seen to glorify acid attacks on women.

"Promoting a safe and positive environment is a top priority for TikTok. Our terms of service and community guidelines clearly outline what is and what is not acceptable on our platform. We expect users to adhere to these policies at all times," TikTok India said in a social media post.

"Over the last few days, we have acted on several pieces of content that violated our policies. We have taken action including taking down content, suspending the accounts of the concerned users and are working with law enforcement agencies, as appropriate."

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TikTok is a platform that celebrates creativity & expression. We aim to create a positive in-app environment that brings people and communities together and request all our users to respect this intent.

A post shared by TikTok India (@indiatiktok) on May 19, 2020 at 7:08am PDT

TikTok India had been asked by the National Commission for Women to immediately remove a video showing a man committing violence against women. The women's panel had also asked the Maharashtra police to take action against the maker of the video.

In a letter to the grievance officer of TikTok India, Anuj Bhatia, the panel said the video seemed to promote violence against women and also reflected a patriarchal mindset.

"The commission is seriously concerned about the increase in crimes against women and the video not only seems to promote violence against women but also shows the patriarchal mindset, which would send a very wrong message to the society through this video made by Faizal Siddiqui on Tik-Tok," NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said in the letter.

TikTok has suspended the account of popular creator Faizal Siddiqui after one of his videos was accused of glorifying acid attacks on women. Faizal Siddiqui's account can no longer be accessed on the TikTok.

Several personalities thrashed the 'depraved' video and #BanTikTokinIndia and several similar hashtags have trended on Twitter because of the controversy.