LIVE Feature Guidelines

Account & Service Control · Context

TikTok describes LIVE features in seven groups, as examples rather than a full list

TikTok says it offers LIVE features so LIVE creators can customize their streams, interact with audiences and other creators, and be promoted to new audiences. The document sorts them into content customization (for example LIVE Studio, Green Screen, mobile gaming); gaining Gifts or monetization (Treasure Box, LIVE goal, subscription, LIVE match); interacting with viewers and creators (multi-guest, co-host, LIVE match); leaderboards (Weekly Ranking); exposure (flare, Promote); categorizing content (topics, LIVE Events); and other interactive features (poll, voice effects, pin comments). LIVE match is listed in two groups.

Supporting quotations

These include, but are not limited to, the following features:

Features that may assist with content customization, e.g. LIVE Studio, Green Screen, mobile gaming

Features that assist with gaining Gifts or monetization, e.g. Treasure Box, LIVE goal, subscription, and LIVE match

Features that allow you to interact with other viewers and creators, e.g. multi-guest, co-host, LIVE match

Features that present creators on leaderboards, e.g. Weekly Ranking

Features that assist with increasing exposure to your content, such as flare, Promote

Features that assist with categorizing your content, such as topics and LIVE Events

Other interactive features, e.g. poll, voice effects, pin comments

Qualifications & exceptions

• The features named are examples: the document says the features it lists are not a complete list ("include, but are not limited to").

Not stated here

• Whether each feature is available to every creator, or what a feature does in detail, is not stated in this document.

Legal Rights & Agreement Rules · Context

The page gives its date only as "Last updated, January 2024"

The only date in this document is a last-updated line showing a month and year, January 2024. The text states no separate effective date and no day of the month.

Supporting quotations

Last updated, January 2024

Qualifications & exceptions

• It is a last-updated date, not an effective date.

Not stated here

• No effective date, day of the month, or description of what changed is given in the document.

Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception

Creators who do not follow the behavioral standards may see access to certain features restricted

To foster an authentic, diverse and welcoming community experience, TikTok asks LIVE creators to follow behavioral standards. It says creators who do not follow them "may see their access to certain product features being restricted."

Supporting quotations

we ask creators to follow behavioral standards that maintain a safe, positive community

LIVE creators who don’t follow these standards may see their access to certain product features being restricted

Qualifications & exceptions

• Restriction is described as something that may happen ("may see"), not as automatic.
• It applies to "certain product features", not to all features.

Not stated here

• This paragraph does not itself list the standards or say which features are restricted for which behavior.

Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception

LIVE creators must follow the Community Guidelines, or risk losing the ability to go LIVE

TikTok says that, as with all content on the platform, LIVE creators must comply with its Community Guidelines. Not doing so "may result in revoking their ability to go LIVE, or action being taken against their account."

Supporting quotations

LIVE creators must comply with our Community Guidelines; not doing so may result in revoking their ability to go LIVE, or action being taken against their account.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The consequences are stated as possible ("may result"), not automatic.

Not stated here

• The Community Guidelines are not part of this document; their content is not summarized here.
• Which kind of non-compliance leads to revoking the ability to go LIVE, rather than other account action, is not stated.

Cross-references

• referred to by (model-proposed): Violations can lead to restricted access to relevant features, for longer when repeated across LIVE streams — Restriction for violations is stated for violations of the Community Guidelines and the standards above.

Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception

The For You feed Eligibility Standards also apply and can affect access to LIVE features

TikTok says its For You feed Eligibility Standards also apply to LIVE creators. They "may affect" a creator's access to LIVE features if the creator engages in behaviors "including, but not limited to" the three that follow in the document: manipulating others to raise engagement, faking engagement to seek Gifts, and creating intellectual-property-violating or unoriginal content.

Supporting quotations

Our For You feed Eligibility Standards are also applicable, and may affect a LIVE creator’s access to LIVE features if they engage in behaviors including, but not limited to:

Qualifications & exceptions

• Access "may" be affected; the effect is not automatic.
• The listed behaviors are examples ("including, but not limited to").

Not stated here

• The For You feed Eligibility Standards are not part of this document; only the three behaviors listed here are described.

Cross-references

• narrowed by (model-proposed): Manipulating others to raise engagement metrics is a listed behavior that can affect LIVE feature access — This is one of the behaviors listed under the For You feed Eligibility Standards sentence.
• narrowed by (model-proposed): Fake engagement to seek Gifts is a listed behavior that can affect LIVE feature access — This is one of the behaviors listed under the For You feed Eligibility Standards sentence.
• narrowed by (model-proposed): Infringing or unoriginal content is a listed behavior that can affect LIVE feature access — This is one of the behaviors listed under the For You feed Eligibility Standards sentence.

Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception

Manipulating others to raise engagement metrics is a listed behavior that can affect LIVE feature access

Among the behaviors under the For You feed Eligibility Standards that may affect a creator's access to LIVE features is tricking or manipulating others to increase engagement metrics, such as "like-for-like" promises or creating false incentives for engaging with content.

Supporting quotations

Tricking or manipulating others as a way to increase engagement metrics, such as “like-for-like” promises or creating false incentives for engaging with content

Qualifications & exceptions

• The behavior is tied to doing it "as a way to increase engagement metrics".
• "Like-for-like" promises and false incentives are examples ("such as").

Not stated here

• How TikTok decides that an incentive is false is not stated.

Cross-references

• narrows (model-proposed): The For You feed Eligibility Standards also apply and can affect access to LIVE features — This is one of the behaviors listed under the For You feed Eligibility Standards sentence.

Charges & Financial Obligations · Restriction or exception

Fake engagement to seek Gifts is a listed behavior that can affect LIVE feature access

Another behavior listed as possibly affecting access to LIVE features is using fake engagement to seek or request Gifts. The document gives examples: mechanical or overly repetitive activities, automatic systems or programmed loops, and engaging in demeaning or mildly reckless behavior.

Supporting quotations

Using fake engagement to seek or request Gifts, such as through mechanical/overly-repetitive activities or automatic systems/programmed loops, or by engaging in demeaning or mildly reckless behavior

Qualifications & exceptions

• The behavior concerns seeking or requesting Gifts.
• The examples ("such as") are not a closed list.

Not stated here

• The document does not define "overly-repetitive" or "mildly reckless" behavior or say how much repetition is too much.

Cross-references

• narrows (model-proposed): The For You feed Eligibility Standards also apply and can affect access to LIVE features — This is one of the behaviors listed under the For You feed Eligibility Standards sentence.

Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception

Infringing or unoriginal content is a listed behavior that can affect LIVE feature access

A third listed behavior is creating content that violates someone else's intellectual property rights, or otherwise contains unoriginal content that does not have any new or creative changes. The document names two grounds: infringing content, and other content that is unoriginal because it has no new or creative changes.

Supporting quotations

Creating content that violates someone else’s intellectual property rights, or otherwise contains unoriginal content that does not have any new or creative changes

Qualifications & exceptions

• The second ground applies to content that "otherwise" is unoriginal, in addition to rights violations.

Not stated here

• The document does not say how much change counts as "new or creative".

Cross-references

• narrows (model-proposed): The For You feed Eligibility Standards also apply and can affect access to LIVE features — This is one of the behaviors listed under the For You feed Eligibility Standards sentence.

Charges & Financial Obligations · Restriction or exception

Monetization and ranking features have their own standards, and access may be temporarily restricted

TikTok says that, to promote a diverse, welcoming and authentic experience appropriate for a broad audience, it also has eligibility requirements and standards for its monetization features, including LIVE gifting, LIVE match, and time-based ranking features such as Weekly Ranking, Daily Ranking and Hourly Ranking. It says it "may temporarily restrict" creators' access to these features if they engage in the two behaviors listed next.

Supporting quotations

we also have eligibility requirements and standards for our monetization features, including but not limited to LIVE gifting, LIVE match and time-based ranking features, like Weekly Ranking, Daily Ranking, and Hourly Ranking. We may temporarily restrict creators’ access to these features if they engage in:

Qualifications & exceptions

• The restriction is something TikTok "may" do and is described as temporary.
• The features named are examples ("including but not limited to").

Not stated here

• The eligibility requirements themselves are not set out in this document; only the two behaviors listed next are described.
• How long a temporary restriction lasts is not stated here.

Cross-references

• narrowed by (model-proposed): Inflammatory "pay-to-support" content can lead to a temporary restriction on monetization features — This is one of the two behaviors listed after the monetization-feature sentence.
• narrowed by (model-proposed): Exploiting an ongoing tragedy for personal gain can lead to a temporary restriction on monetization features — This is one of the two behaviors listed after the monetization-feature sentence.

Charges & Financial Obligations · Restriction or exception

Inflammatory "pay-to-support" content can lead to a temporary restriction on monetization features

One of the two behaviors that may lead to a temporary restriction on monetization features is promoting "pay-to-support" content that presents sensitive topics in an inflammatory or polarizing manner, to try to incentivize viewers to send Gifts or engage.

Supporting quotations

Promoting “pay-to-support” content that presents sensitive topics in an inflammatory or polarizing manner to try and incentivize viewers to send Gifts or engage

Qualifications & exceptions

• The behavior is tied to the aim of incentivizing viewers to send Gifts or engage.
• It concerns content presenting sensitive topics in an inflammatory or polarizing manner.

Not stated here

• The document does not say which topics count as sensitive.

Cross-references

• narrows (model-proposed): Monetization and ranking features have their own standards, and access may be temporarily restricted — This is one of the two behaviors listed after the monetization-feature sentence.

Charges & Financial Obligations · Restriction or exception

Exploiting an ongoing tragedy for personal gain can lead to a temporary restriction on monetization features

The other behavior that may lead to a temporary restriction on monetization features is exploiting a potentially traumatic ongoing tragedy for personal gain. The document says this includes making false claims.

Supporting quotations

Exploiting a potentially traumatic ongoing tragedy (including making false claims) for personal gain

Qualifications & exceptions

• The tragedy must be "potentially traumatic" and "ongoing".
• False claims are included ("including making false claims") but the behavior is exploitation for personal gain.

Not stated here

• The document does not define what counts as a potentially traumatic ongoing tragedy or as personal gain.

Cross-references

• narrows (model-proposed): Monetization and ranking features have their own standards, and access may be temporarily restricted — This is one of the two behaviors listed after the monetization-feature sentence.

Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception

Violations can lead to restricted access to relevant features, for longer when repeated across LIVE streams

If LIVE creators are found in violation of the Community Guidelines and the standards stated above, TikTok says it "may restrict access to relevant features." Repeated violations across multiple LIVE streams "may result in feature access being suspended for a longer period of time, such as several days."

Supporting quotations

If LIVE creators are found to be in violation of the Community Guidelines and standards stated above, we may restrict access to relevant features in accordance with our guidelines.

Repeated violations across multiple LIVE streams may result in feature access being suspended for a longer period of time, such as several days.

Qualifications & exceptions

• Restriction is something TikTok "may" do, and only to "relevant" features.
• The longer suspension applies to repeated violations across multiple LIVE streams.
• "Several days" is an example ("such as"), not a fixed period.

Not stated here

• The document does not say how many violations count as repeated, how violations are found, or the exact length of any restriction.

Cross-references

• refers to (model-proposed): LIVE creators must follow the Community Guidelines, or risk losing the ability to go LIVE — Restriction for violations is stated for violations of the Community Guidelines and the standards above.
• qualified by (model-proposed): TikTok may apply stricter action, including revoking the ability to go LIVE or account-level enforcement — The stricter action (revoking the ability to go LIVE, account-level enforcement) sits beside the feature restrictions in the same paragraph and is tied only to Community Guidelines non-compliance.

Account & Service Control · Restriction or exception

TikTok may apply stricter action, including revoking the ability to go LIVE or account-level enforcement

TikTok says that, beyond restricting features, it may apply stricter action when creators do not comply with its Community Guidelines, including revoking the ability to go LIVE or taking account-level enforcement.

Supporting quotations

As stated above, we may apply stricter action in the event that creators do not comply with our Community Guidelines, including revoking the ability to go LIVE or taking account-level enforcement.

Qualifications & exceptions

• This stricter action is tied to not complying with the Community Guidelines.
• It is something TikTok "may" do.

Not stated here

• The document does not say what level of non-compliance leads to stricter action or what account-level enforcement involves.

Cross-references

• qualifies (model-proposed): Violations can lead to restricted access to relevant features, for longer when repeated across LIVE streams — The stricter action (revoking the ability to go LIVE, account-level enforcement) sits beside the feature restrictions in the same paragraph and is tied only to Community Guidelines non-compliance.

Account & Service Control · Company commitment

Creators who lose LIVE feature access are notified in their inbox with the feature, reason and period

TikTok says creators who lose access to LIVE features will be notified in various ways, including but not limited to an in-app inbox notification. That notification describes what feature has been restricted, the reason for restriction, and the period of time. A record of this information will also be available in system notifications.

Supporting quotations

When LIVE creators lose access to LIVE features, they will be notified in various ways, including but not limited to:

Creators will receive a notification in their in-app inbox that describes what feature has been restricted, the reason for restriction, and the period of time.

A record of this information will also be available in system notifications.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The listed notification channels are examples ("including but not limited to").
• The inbox notice covers the feature, the reason and the period of time.

Not stated here

• The other ways creators are notified are not listed beyond the ones given.
• The document does not say how soon after the restriction the notice is sent.

Cross-references

• qualified by (model-proposed): A creator who is currently LIVE also gets a pop-up notification during the LIVE — The pop-up is an additional notification for creators who are currently LIVE, on top of the inbox notification and system-notification record.

Account & Service Control · Company commitment

A creator who is currently LIVE also gets a pop-up notification during the LIVE

If a creator is currently LIVE when access is restricted, TikTok says the creator will receive a pop-up notification during their LIVE, in addition to the inbox notification and system-notification record.

Supporting quotations

If they are currently LIVE, creators will receive a pop-up notification during their LIVE in addition to the notifications above.

Qualifications & exceptions

• It applies only to creators who are currently LIVE.
• It is in addition to the other notifications.

Cross-references

• qualifies (model-proposed): Creators who lose LIVE feature access are notified in their inbox with the feature, reason and period — The pop-up is an additional notification for creators who are currently LIVE, on top of the inbox notification and system-notification record.

Account & Service Control · Company practice

Creators are notified when feature access is restored, and restricted features may be greyed out

TikTok says creators will also be notified once their feature access has been restored. While access is restricted, the features may be greyed out or otherwise unavailable in the app.

Supporting quotations

Creators will also be notified once their feature access has been restored. While feature access is restricted, the features may be greyed-out or otherwise unavailable in the app.

Qualifications & exceptions

• The greyed-out or unavailable state applies while access is restricted and is described as something that may happen.

Not stated here

• The document does not say how the restoration notice is delivered.

Account & Service Control · User right or choice

Creators who think feature access was wrongly removed can appeal through system notifications

If creators believe feature access was incorrectly removed, TikTok says they can submit an appeal, which is accessible in their system notifications.

Supporting quotations

If creators believe that feature access was incorrectly removed, they can submit an appeal, which is accessible in their system notifications.

Qualifications & exceptions

• It covers feature access that creators believe was incorrectly removed.

Not stated here

• The document does not describe the appeal process, any deadline, who decides, or the possible outcomes.
• It does not say whether appeals are available for revoked LIVE ability or account-level enforcement.