TikTok is set to restructure its UK trust and safety operations, putting hundreds of jobs at risk as the platform shifts toward AI-assisted content moderation.
The move is part of a global reorganisation by parent company ByteDance that will also impact moderator roles in South and Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. A TikTok spokesperson said the company was concentrating operations in fewer locations and redesigning moderation “with the benefit of technological advancements.”
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The platform, with more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, said AI technologies now remove over 85% of content that violates guidelines and also help shield moderators from exposure to harmful material.
However, under the new plan, much of the UK moderation work will be relocated to other European offices and third-party providers.
Unions have criticised the layoffs, warning they could compromise user safety. “TikTok workers have long been sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favour of immature AI alternatives,” said John Chadfield of the Communication Workers Union, adding the changes could put millions of British users at risk.
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TikTok, which has faced scrutiny from Western governments over data privacy concerns, announced in June that it would expand investment in the UK with 500 new jobs. Currently, more than 30 million Britons use the platform each month.
