People scrolling through TikTok in Morocco may notice fewer accounts posting content linked to online begging, false information and the commercial use of children, after the platform suspended or banned more than 535,000 accounts in the country. The accounts targeted include well-known content creators and ordinary users. The crackdown focuses on violations such as spreading false information, insults, defamation, artificially increasing followers and soliciting money through live broadcasts.
TikTok has also removed profiles belonging to minors and accounts that use children to make money.
Much of the harmful content is detected and removed automatically before users report it, the newspaper says. However, the report does not provide a Morocco-specific figure for the proportion of content removed in this way.
The crackdown comes after months of public debate about content that many people in Morocco consider vulgar, misleading or degrading.
Online begging during live streams has become a particular source of anger. Some creators have staged family disputes or involved children and vulnerable people to attract virtual gifts from viewers. These gifts can be converted into money.
The practice is sometimes described locally as krout or shâawada. Campaigns using hashtags have called for action against such content, while other groups have urged the authorities to restrict or ban TikTok.
The debate has reached the media and parliament, where lawmakers have questioned how foreign platforms should be regulated and held accountable for content published by their users.
The main question is whether stricter enforcement of existing rules will be enough or whether additional laws, or even restrictions on certain applications, are needed.
The platform’s crackdown coincides with legal action against prominent online figures in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech.
Several internet personalities have faced prosecution or convictions involving alleged or established offences such as defamation, invasion of privacy, public indecency and fraud linked to donations made during live streams.
Moroccan law already provides for criminal penalties for certain online offences. Articles 447-1, 447-2 and 447-3 of the Penal Code, introduced under Law 103-13, address offences involving private life, including the unauthorised recording or distribution of private material.
Depending on the offence and the circumstances, penalties can range from six months to five years in prison, alongside fines. These penalties do not apply uniformly to every type of online offence.
The National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP) and civil rights advocates have also called for stronger safeguards for children’s personal data and image rights, including more effective age verification.
Lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors have raised questions about the legal responsibilities of foreign platforms. These include whether companies should have local legal representatives and how they should comply with tax and content regulations.
How automated moderation works
TikTok’s crackdown reflects a wider shift towards systems that identify and remove harmful material before users flag it.
The company’s global Community Guidelines Enforcement Reports show increasing use of automated moderation. Background research for this article cites proactive detection rates of more than 95% to 98% globally, meaning that most detected violating content can be removed before users report it. These figures are global estimates, not figures specific to Morocco.
Automated systems can scan large volumes of posts and live-stream content much faster than human moderators working alone. Human moderation teams remain important for assessing context and handling cases that automated systems may struggle to interpret.
The research also points to efforts to improve systems’ understanding of Moroccan Arabic, known as Darija, and local slang. This can help identify insults, hate speech and potentially deceptive requests for money.
The reported violations include fake engagement, such as using bots to inflate follower and like counts; accounts involving children; and networks suspected of fraud or unlawful financial solicitation.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance. Along with Meta and other technology firms, it has engaged with regulators in North Africa over local content rules and cultural concerns.
