The Royal Bhutan Police is exploring collaboration with TikTok to combat online crimes, including trafficking, and prevent societal disharmony

Sherab Lhamo

Two senior officials from TikTok’s South Asia office visited Bhutan from January 7 to 9, initiating discussions with various agencies to explore a potential partnership.

The visit, facilitated by the Bhutan Information, Communication, and Media Authority (BICMA), focused on fostering collaboration, understanding TikTok’s operational framework, and providing guidance for the regulation of Bhutanese TikTok users.

During the visit, TikTok officials—Ferdous Al Mottakin, Head of Public Policy and Government Relations, and Gautam Vohra, Head of Legal Operations—engaged in discussions about the platform’s evolution.

Once seen solely as an entertainment app, TikTok now plays a pivotal role in content creation, product promotion, and driving digital economies, they explained.

The primary objective of the visit, according to BICMA, was to establish a partnership with TikTok and provide necessary guidance for facilitation and regulation of Bhutanese TikTok users.

“They came here because TikTok is widely used in Bhutan, from school children to adults,” said BICMA Director Jigme Wangdi. “We wanted to understand their operations, policies, and establish a direct communication channel to address concerns in the future.”

TikTok’s content moderation strategy was a key focus of the discussions. The platform employs a multi-layered system, beginning with Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to filter content, followed by human moderators who review flagged material.

“Most of the general moderation is taken care of by the TikTok’s system itself, if we can properly use it,” said the director.

However, the lack of Dzongkha language experts in TikTok’s moderation team poses a challenge. “There is scope for us to address this in the future,” said Jigmi Wangdi.

The BICMA director said that complaints about TikTok content are common, with civil issues being resolved internally and criminal cases forwarded to law enforcement.

BICMA intends to collaborate with TikTok to make the platform a healthy, creative tool supporting the digital transformation of the country.

Last year the Nepal government officially registered TikTok to ensure the platform adheres to local laws and cooperates with law enforcement. In Nepal, the Cyber Bureau can act on unlawful content in collaboration with TikTok.

However, the BICMA director said that no decision has been made regarding similar registration in Bhutan.

During their three-day visit, the TikTok officials met with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, the GovTech Agency, the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP), youth groups and a few influencers.

Discussions with the RBP focused on the importance of fostering a responsible online environment and preventing the misuse of social media by criminals, human traffickers, and others seeking to exploit the platform.

In a Facebook post, the RBP highlighted the shared commitment to safeguarding digital spaces and promoting positive social media engagement.

When Kuensel tried to reach out to the TikTok officials, BICMA officials said that the TikTok officials were not allowed to talk to the media as they require approval from their main office for media interactions.

Several countries have either banned or placed restrictions on TikTok. Neighbouring India banned TikTok in 2020.