TikTok Allegedly Favored Amazon Accounts, Internal Communications Reveal

TikTok has come under scrutiny following allegations that the company instructed employees not to flag issues with certain Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN accounts to preserve the fruitful advertising relationship with the e-commerce heavyweight.

What Happened: TikTok moderators were directed not to take negative action against over 60 Amazon-associated accounts. The internal messages viewed by The Guardian reportedly warned TikTok staff against applying any “tags” that could lead to an account’s removal or prevent it from appearing on TikTok's “For You Page.”

The allegations have raised questions about the impartiality of TikTok’s moderation process, particularly concerning major corporate accounts. In response, TikTok argued that the alleged bias was not an official policy, and any such insinuations are either incorrect or based on misunderstandings.

See Also: TikTok’s E-commerce Blitz: Social Media Platform Targets Holiday Goldmine Against Amazon And Walmart

A spokesperson for the ByteDance-owned social media platform, told the publication, "These allegations about TikTok's policies are wrong or based on misunderstandings​​, while the Guardian has not given us enough information about their other claims to investigate. Our community guidelines apply equally to all content on TikTok."

As per the report, Amazon has consistently spent more money on digital ads in the U.S. than anyone else. Last year, the e-commerce company spent $1.4 billion, according to Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm. 

Why It Matters: This revelation comes in the backdrop of TikTok’s ramped-up efforts to challenge Amazon’s e-commerce dominance. Earlier this year, TikTok began incentivizing vendors to promote their products on its platform, offering to cover shipping and discount costs. This strategic move was seen as a direct maneuver to outshine Amazon in the e-commerce sphere.

Meanwhile, TikTok continues to face pushback from U.S. legislators who have time and again called for a ban on the short video-sharing platform. 

Photo by Eliseu Geisler on Shutterstock

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This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.