MPs urged to investigate proposed job cuts at TikTok

Unions and online safety campaigners have called on MPs to investigate proposed job losses at TikTok’s London office.

They said the implications for online safety and workers’ rights should be examined.

In a letter to Chi Onwurah, chairwoman of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, signatories including TUC general secretary Paul Nowak and Communication Workers Union general secretary Dave Ward warned millions of TikTok users were at risk without safety-critical staff working in content moderation.

Mr Nowak said: “These devastating cuts will put millions of Brits – many of them children – at risk of accessing harmful content online.

“Select committee MPs should now investigate the impacts for workers’ rights, user safety and the integrity of online information.”

TikTok has said the plan would see work moved to its other offices in Europe as it invests in the use of artificial intelligence to scale up its moderation.

“We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for trust and safety, which includes concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally,” the company has said.