TikTok Responds to Account Deletion Related to Dr. Shao's Death: Received 48 Reports of Copyright Infringement, Actively Cooperating with Investigation Work
August 8th, TikTok officially announced on its Weibo account that recently, Dr. Shao from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Zhoukou City Sixth People's Hospital had passed away after falling from a building, which has raised widespread concern among the public. Just like everyone else, we are deeply saddened by this news.
After the incident occurred, according to media reports, Dr. Shao had been involved in three medical disputes and had received harassment online from the parties involved. We have also paid attention to public concerns about platform actions. Now, we will explain the information we have checked and the corresponding handling situation:
1. After investigation, we found that 15 accounts suspected of being involved in three medical disputes had released a total of 89 videos related to these disputes from December 4th, 2024 to January 20th, 2025, March 30th, 2025, May 27th, 2025, and August 1st, 2025. The content included personal experiences, appeals for justice, accusations or attacks against hospitals and doctors. Of these, 76 videos were removed from circulation due to violating platform rules, while the remaining 13 videos were not recommended, hidden, or only visible to friends.
2. We checked Dr. Shao's complaint records. From December 2024 to January 2025, we received a total of 48 reports of copyright infringement from Dr. Shao and his authorized representatives. Of these, 32 cases were deemed successful by the platform, and 19 relevant contents were removed. Additionally, one account was given a ban on posting content.
3. We checked Dr. Shao's personal account activity over the past 8 months. From December 1st, 2024 to August 2nd, 2025, Dr. Shao's personal account received over 109,000 comments. The majority were normal interactions or praise and supportive comments about his medical skills. We found 60 attacks or unfriendly comments, of which 51 were removed from circulation on the same day or the next.
Excluding accounts suspected of being involved in three medical disputes, we did not find any other users engaging in sustained scale harassment or unfriendly language.
At present, the platform is actively cooperating with relevant departments' investigation work. We recognize the importance of governing the platform and combating online violence and irregular content. We also acknowledge that there are still shortcomings and need to continue improving and enhancing user protection measures. We will continue to strengthen our governance of violating, unfriendly, or attack-oriented content.
For users who may be victims of online bullying, please search for the keyword "online violence" on TikTok and use the "One-Click Anti-Bullying" function to activate protection. If you find content that infringes on your rights, please file a complaint in the reporting interface, and we will handle it promptly. The platform will also continue to optimize its service capabilities and work with all parties to provide stronger protection and support for victims of online bullying.
TikTok will always remember the community values of "openness, positivity, diversity, and friendliness" and strive to create a safe and trustworthy platform environment for all users, building a better online ecosystem.
Editor-in-Charge: Wang Xiang