ByteDance’s Content Moderation
They have no idea.
1. Domestic and international content were not originally separated; they were kept together until later on.
2. Language is the top priority in moderation. Any content that isn't in Mandarin generally faces traffic restrictions or manual review, while content in extremely niche languages may even receive a warning to switch to Mandarin.
3. The main focus of moderation is illegal content such as pornography; political content makes up a relatively small share because everyone in China knows what not to say.
4. ByteDance walks a tightrope every year: without strong government connections, it could be shut down at any moment.
5. The moderation team consists of over 20,000 people. After algorithmic screening, content goes through manual review. Every day, the National Administration receives moderation directives to audit both past and current content—and during peak periods, it can receive over a hundred such directives in a single day.
6. Whether it's live streaming or pre-recorded video, all content is converted into text for automated screening, then cross-referenced against an ever-expanding database of sensitive terms and previously flagged material. Based on this comparison, content is either allowed through, sent for manual review, directly deleted or blocked, or in more severe cases, the account is outright banned.
7. Political anniversaries are especially critical—for example, July 1st and October 1st. Ordinary users face stricter scrutiny, while certain individuals enjoy privilege. Dedicated moderators oversee specific accounts to ensure their content passes cleanly and avoids incorrect algorithmic penalties like demonetization or shadowbanning. The highest-profile accounts may even be placed on whitelists, bypassing content review entirely.
8. A key function of content moderation is collectively erasing public memory of major events.