Note: This may also be known as Misleading Traffic, Spam and Fraud.

What are Artificial Engagement, Spam, and Other Inauthentic Engagement Practices?

All content must not include any form of spam or fraud in user profiles, content, comments, or chats.

• Artificial engagement refers to manipulating engagement metrics or platform algorithms to artificially inflate performance. This is often done by using systems that generate fake interactions.
• Spam refers to irrelevant or repetitive posts, comments, or messages that are shared excessively. It is often used to promote something, disrupt discussions, or flood timelines with unnecessary content, causing annoyance or confusion for users.
• Other inauthentic engagement practices also aim to manipulate interactions, including activities like engagement pods (groups that agree to interact with each other’s content), deceptive practices such as clickbait, or pretending to have organic growth when the interactions are strategically orchestrated, and these are also prohibited on our platform.

What are some examples of these practices?

Artificial Engagement

• These actions directly involve manipulating engagement metrics or platform algorithms to artificially inflate performance.
• Manipulating platform mechanisms in order to artificially generate orders, views, likes, comments, follows, or positive customer feedback/ratings
• Using multiple accounts to distribute the same livestream
• Creating malicious software or modifying code to artificially increase orders, views, likes, followers, shares, or comments
• Engaging in behaviors that aim to artificially increase/manipulate user engagement or trick TikTok's recommendation system
• This includes uploading content that tricks or manipulates others to increase followers, likes, or views.
• Facilitating the trade of services that artificially increase engagement (e.g., selling followers or likes).
• Providing instructions on how to artificially increase engagement on TikTok.
• Content that tricks or manipulates others as a way to increase engagement metrics (e.g., “like-for-like” promises and false incentives for engagement).

Spam

• These activities involve mass, unsolicited actions that disrupt the platform or deceive users in bulk.
• Impersonating other individuals or organizations in order to deceive the public or make malicious representations
• Promoting artificial traffic generation services
• Any other attempt to direct users to non-authorized landing pages, including:
• Invalid landing pages
• Landing pages that require a user’s personal information to proceed
• Landing pages that automatically download files to a person's computer
• Repetitive and Non-Engaging Content Publishing
  • Repeatedly posting near-identical product videos that add little informational or entertainment value. Examples include:
  • Large volumes of nearly identical videos with minimal creative variation
  • Videos showing only products or hands, with no faces, voices, or personal context
  • Overuse of generic narration (e.g., text-to-speech, basic text overlays) without meaningful creator input or commentary
  • Posting similar videos across multiple accounts

Inauthentic Engagement Practices

• This category includes deceptive tactics that manipulate or influence customer behavior in ways that are not genuine.
• Engaging in activities that deceive consumers or induce them to order, like, comment, or more
• Promoting products by inducing sympathy in the customer

What happens if I breach these guidelines?

• Violating these guidelines will result in enforcement actions taken against your content or account. Repeated offenses will result in more significant penalties.
• Please see our Creator Performance Evaluation Policy and Creator Terms of Use for more information. If you think an enforcement action has been taken against you in error, appeal via the TikTok App. Please read our Creator Appeal Guidelines article for more information.
• Please read our TikTok Shop Content Policy for more information.