TikTok is adding a new mute option for live broadcasters. The new option will allow creators to mute comments from individual viewers within streams. The company is planning to evolve the use of its livestreaming product into eCommerce.
TikTok, like so many other social media platforms want to go big when it comes to eCommerce. The mute option will enable host to have the option to mute specific viewers for a period of the broadcast. You can also mute specific users for the entire period of the stream.
“Now, the host or their trusted helper can temporarily mute an unkind viewer for a few seconds or minutes, or for the duration of the LIVE. If an account is muted for any amount of time, that person’s entire comment history will also be removed. Hosts on LIVE can already turn off comments or limit potentially harmful comments using a keyword filter. We hope these new controls further empower hosts and audiences alike to have safe and entertaining livestreams,” TikTok said in a blog post.
The real deal is the capacity to remove all previous comments of the users. This could help to manage livestream interaction, and reduce distractions flooding the stream.
In July, TikTok adding a new tool to automatically remove videos that violate the company’s policy upon upload. Once a violation has been identified, the video will be removed while the creator will be notified of the removal.
The creator will also be notified of the reason and given the opportunity to appeal the removal. However, if no violation is identified, the video will be posted for everyone on the platform to see.
In January 2021, an event that led to the death of a 10-year old girl while taking part in a “blackout challenge” she saw on TikTok generated a lot of issues. This led the Italian data privacy watchdog to order TikTok to block the accounts of users in Italy whose age cannot be verified.
Responding to the request, TikTok said: “Privacy and safety are absolute priorities for TikTok and we are constantly working to strengthen our policies, our processes and our technologies to protect our community and younger users in particular,” a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed comment.
Of course, the order to block unverified underage accounts will only affect users in Italy; but such demand may be extended to other countries with time. The victim, a 10-year old girl from Palermo, Sicily died of asphyxiation after participating in a “blackout challenge” she watched on TikTok.
