TikTok introduces new brand protection and AI safety tools

TikTok is strengthening its brand safety offering with a new centralised resource for advertisers, as the platform looks to give brands more control over their presence amid the growing use of AI-generated content.

The platform introduced its "TikTok brand safety center" at its APAC Responsible Media Forum in Singapore, alongside a "Brand protection playbook" and "AI safety essentials", a guide to responsible AI-powered advertising developed with independent marketing consultancy Responsible Marketing Advisory.

The forum brought together 30 representatives from brands, agencies and partners to discuss brand safety and responsible advertising across the region.

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The new resources build on TikTok's existing approach to brand safety, which combines platform-wide advertising standards with controls that brands can tailor according to their individual requirements.

These include its 'Inventory filter', 'Category exclusion' and 'Vertical sensitivity' tools, as well as exclusion lists. TikTok also works with independent verification partners including DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science and Zefr.

Beyond determining where advertisements appear, TikTok is also expanding tools aimed at helping brands monitor how they are being discussed and identify potential reputational and intellectual property risks.

Among them is 'TikTok market scope brand perception' within Business Center, which gives brands visibility into the volume and sentiment of conversations around them and the topics associated with their brands.

Brands can also report suspected copyright and trademark infringements through TikTok's reporting channels, while rights holders selling through TikTok Shop can use its Intellectual Property Protection Center to flag potentially infringing listings.

TikTok Real, meanwhile, is aimed at tackling counterfeit products on TikTok Shop by allowing brands to review seller authorisations, receive alerts about suspicious listings and act on confirmed counterfeits.

Keeping AI in check

The push comes as TikTok increasingly turns to automated systems to moderate content at scale. Between April and June this year, the platform said it removed more than 30 million videos across 10 Asia Pacific markets for breaching its community guidelines, representing around 0.3% of videos published in the region.

According to TikTok, 99.5% of those videos were removed proactively, while 91% were taken down within 24 hours. Globally, automated systems, including AI moderation, accounted for 97.4% of video removals during the quarter.

Content on TikTok first undergoes automated review, with human moderators providing additional context where required. Potentially misleading claims can also be referred to more than 20 independent fact-checking organisations accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network, covering 60 languages and 130 markets.

At the same time, TikTok is putting greater emphasis on transparency around AI-generated advertising and content. Its responsible AI framework includes disclosure measures designed to help users distinguish content that has been generated or significantly altered using AI.

The platform said it has labelled more than three billion videos as AI-generated content through a combination of Content Credentials, creator labelling tools and invisible watermarking technology.

The moves come as trust remains closely tied to how consumers perceive branded content on the platform. Research conducted by Ipsos across 12 markets found that consumers exposed to sponsored brand content on TikTok rated those brands 30% more authentic and 11% more trustworthy than an unexposed control group.

Francis Stones, head of global responsible media and brand safety, global business solutions at TikTok, said protecting the platform's sense of authenticity is important to giving brands the confidence to participate in its culture.

"People come to TikTok for authenticity, and protecting that experience helps create an environment where brands can connect with audiences confidently. Our role is to build and maintain trust while giving brands the tools and safeguards they need to participate in culture with confidence," said Stones.

The developments come as major digital platforms face growing scrutiny over how advertiser and publisher content is handled in the age of AI. Meta recently faced concerns from publishers and digital advertisers over updated commercial terms that they said could give the company broad rights to use their content for its AI services. The concerns have reached antitrust authorities in the European Union and the UK, while Meta has rejected claims that the terms grant it unlimited rights over such content.

Amid the pushback, Meta delayed the implementation of its updated Commercial Terms and Self-Serve Ad Terms from 30 October to 20 November. The European Publishers Council has maintained concerns over what it described as a lack of clear contractual safeguards around publishers' content, arguing that operating a business page or advertising a subscription should not grant broader rights over a publisher's website and archive.

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