EXCLUSIVE: TikTok has restored revenue to a trio of original content creators after the tech giant’s AI-powered moderation tools kicked them out of its creator rewards program.
Kory Mann, an LA-based actress turned independent filmmaker, contacted Deadline to raise her concerns about being demonetized by TikTok. She was punished after her short film, When BFFs are TOO Close, went viral on the platform earlier this month, generating more than 2.6 million views.
TikTok’s moderation tools concluded that her film was “low-quality reaction content,” despite it being an original story written, directed, and starring Mann. Mann appealed TikTok’s decision, submitting evidence including behind-the-scenes photos and proof of her editing When BFFs are TOO Close.
Instead of adjudicating on her appeal, TikTok emailed Mann to inform her that her account had been “permanently disqualified” from the creator rewards program because it featured “unoriginal content.”
After going public with her experience, Mann was contacted by others who had suffered similar fates. This included Dana and the Wolf, the creators of a popular web drama inspired by their polyamorous relationship, and Brandon Jamar Scott, who creates and animates original music videos. The accounts have 46 million and 9 million likes respectively on TikTok.
Mann told Deadline: “Large corporations like TikTok are using faulty AI systems as an excuse to keep emerging independent filmmakers out of Hollywood by taking away their only means of monetization on the platform and financially starving them out.”
When Deadline contacted TikTok to question why Mann’s account had been demonetized, the company reversed its decision. Dana and the Wolf and Scott were also restored to TikTok’s creator rewards program.
TikTok declined to provide an explanation for why the accounts were punished, but the company’s position is that it attempts to make it easy for users to appeal terminations. This was not Mann’s experience. Hours before her revenue was restored, she was told by TikTok support that her account did not qualify for the creator rewards program.
Moderating content and accounts at scale is a complex task, according to TikTok. The company’s position is that it is constantly investing in technology to improve these processes.
