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Spanish companies including Banco Santander, Moeve, El Corte Inglés, and Eroski suspended advertising on TikTok after investigations revealed the platform’s AI moderation systems failed to remove child sexual abuse content, allowing ads to appear alongside illegal material. The incident has led to reputational and economic harm, prompting legal and regulatory scrutiny in Spain.[AI generated]
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
TikTok employs AI systems to moderate and recommend content. The reported presence of child sexual abuse content on TikTok, alongside advertisements, shows that the AI systems failed to detect and remove this harmful content, leading to violations of human rights and harm to communities. The direct link between the AI system's malfunction (content moderation failure) and the harm (distribution of illegal and harmful content) meets the criteria for an AI Incident. The event involves realized harm, not just potential harm, and the AI system's role is pivotal in the dissemination and monetization of the harmful content.[AI generated]