TikTok Purges Millions of East African Videos

TikTok has recently removed millions of videos uploaded from East African countries due to violations of its content policies. This action is part of a wider campaign to regulate online content within the region. During April and June 2026, Kenya saw over 750,000 videos removed from the platform.

Automated systems are highly effective, detecting 99.8% of content before human moderators review it. This approach has led to significant removals in other countries as well, with Ethiopia seeing over two million videos taken down, followed by Uganda (677,000), Somalia (648,000), and Tanzania (nearly 500,000).

While some users express concern over lost income and free speech, many Kenyans support the removals, especially after public complaints about harmful content. TikTok also deleted over 46,000 Kenyan accounts suspected of belonging to users under 13.

To circumvent automated detection, some Kenyan users are creating multiple accounts or altering word spellings. Content creators are also being advised to clearly label AI-generated content and review their videos before posting. The platform utilizes automated systems and security teams to identify content violating its rules, including misinformation and hate speech.