TikTok has identified Uganda as one of the leading sources of content violations on its platform, according to the company’s latest transparency report.
The China-based short-form video app revealed that Ugandan users are increasingly sharing material that breaches its community guidelines, including hate speech, misinformation, and sexually explicit content.
Between April and June this year, TikTok deleted more than 1.5 million videos posted by users in Uganda — a massive figure compared to the 450,000 removals recorded in neighbouring Kenya, despite Kenya’s larger online population.
The surge in policy violations has pushed Uganda into the global top 30 countries with the highest number of content removals, ranking 29th worldwide. This marks the first time Uganda has appeared on the list, surpassing several European nations such as France, Italy, and Spain.
TikTok is now Uganda’s second most-used social media platform, after WhatsApp. According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the country has about 8.8 million TikTok users, representing roughly 17 per cent of the population.
While some expected the removed videos to involve political or censorship issues, TikTok’s data shows otherwise. Over 60 per cent of the deleted content was linked to nudity, sexually suggestive material, or depictions of regulated products like alcohol, drugs, and firearms.
Globally, TikTok took down 189 million videos during the same period, attributing the increase to more effective moderation tools. The company says nearly 99 per cent of all flagged videos were removed before users reported them.
