TikTok guidelines said not to promote posts by ugly and poor users

TikTok directed its moderators to prevent people with “ugly facial looks” or who shot videos in “slums” or “dilapidated housing” from having their posts promoted to its widely viewed “For You” section, according to The Intercept. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed to The Intercept that the policies had once been in place but said the guidelines were “an early blunt attempt at preventing bullying” that are no longer used.

Portions of these discriminatory guidelines have leaked in the past, revealing that TikTok intentionally prevented posts from LGBTQ users and users with disabilities from surfacing in this section. The Intercept has more detail from the leaked documents, showing that they ban people who have an “abnormal body shape” such as...

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