TikTok Launches African Safety Advisory Council

TikTok has launched the Sub Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council and an expansion of its #SaferTogether community education campaign. This is a major step that the social media platform is taking to boost safety on the platform across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This announcement was made at TikTok’s Safety Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya. By partnering with key stakeholders, including policymakers, members from academia, NGOs, and community leaders, TikTok aims to foster a collaborative approach to ensuring a secure and positive platform environment.

The Safety Advisory Council

Since 2020, TikTok has established nine regional Safety Advisory Councils alongside the U.S. Content Advisory Council, each composing 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 newly launched Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council will 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.

“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,” Valiant Richey, Global Head of Outreach and Partnerships, Trust and Safety, TikTok.

TikTok’s Community Guidelines are integral to the platform’s safety efforts. Developed through comprehensive research and input from various stakeholders, including safety experts and community members, these guidelines set the 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.

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)