SF 4th of July Celebrations So Wild, TikTok Takes Down Video for “Dangerous Acts”

Photo via SF Funcheap

Apparently posting a video of gardening on the 4th of July during my neighborhood celebrations was a violation of TikToks Community Guidelines. I can explain…

So, I was out on the 4th of July celebrating liberty and independence and like a good citizen I was planting native non-invasive wildflowers…like you do (note: the below video may take a few seconds to load):

@sfinbloomSprucing up the neighborhood!♬ Hide and Seek – Shane Ivers

So, I decided to make a post contrasting how I was celebrating against the local fanfare. As well as warning folks not to drive in The Mission as I had done on Twitter.

The post got 10K views in 20 minutes with many commenting that my behavior was more constructive and patriotic. After 50 minutes Tik Tok added a disclaimer that “The actions in this video could result in serious injury or adverse health effects.” After 2 hours the video was removed citing Community guidelines violation for Dangerous Acts.

“We do not promote participation in activities that could lead to harm. We also do not permit users to encourage others to take part in dangerous activities. See Community Guidelines.”

Okay, well it was definitely not my intention to promote or encourage participating in harmful or dangerous activities. Quite the opposite. It was my intention to encourage others to celebrate safely on the 4th of July and make people aware of danger – albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way – so they could avoid it.

I understand that TikTok has a responsibility to be a good influence and holds liability for content promoted on the app. I just wish it could recognize that you can show dangerous acts while making people aware of them so they can avoid them.

As well as be consistent with enforcing Community Guidelines. You can find several examples of posts that have been reviewed that actively promote sideshows and fireworks.

@elchrisitoTeaser for instagram drop 🥶🥶🎥 #cadillac #sts #carsoftiktok #carhub #fypシ #drift #sideshow #v8 #fyp♬ original sound – El Chrisito

@side_shows408#bayarea #hyphy #sideshow #takeovers #sanjose #california♬ original sound – side_shows408

@toniofkTHE BAY DOES IT BEST🖕🏼#sideshow #oakland #bayarea #itssafe #getbackorgetsmacked not dangerous .♬ original sound – .

And I wish that more people celebrated freedom and independence in ways that were constructive for the community rather than destructive. The road at Harrison & 24th street was literally burned to rubble and requires refinishing. And the newly opened Housing Action Coalition building offering affordable housing for seniors was severely vandalized. If people want to celebrate with explosive fanfare they are going to do it, but can we not trash our community in the process? That would be super patriotic in my humble opinion.

The street needs refinishing after the 4th of July celebrations