TikTok says doesn’t promote ‘illegal behaviour’ after backlash on forest fire prop

TikTok logo is displayed outside its office in Culver City, California on Aug. 27, 2020. (AFP/FILE)
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  • Video shows a model walking in a silver ball gown in front of a burning hillside
  • This month police arrested man for intentionally starting forest fire as video background

TikTok said on Tuesday it did not promote or allow “dangerous or illegal behavior” after a Pakistani social media star with millions of followers faced backlash for posing for a TikTok video next to a forest fire.

The video was released as a devastating heatwave causes widespread misery in the country.

"Any content that promotes dangerous or illegal behavior would be a violation of our Community Guidelines and is not allowed on our platform,” TikTok said in a statement. “We work to either remove, limit or label content that depicts dangerous or illegal acts. We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and encourage everyone to exercise caution and responsibility in their behavior whether online or off.”




The screengrab taken from a video on social media shows TikTok star Dolly Fashion posing for a TikTok video by a forest fire. (Courtesy: Social media)

TikTok did not explain what specific actions the platform had taken against the model, known as Dolly, who posted a clip of herself walking playfully in a silver ball gown in front of a burning hillside with the caption.

The clip has since been taken down.

Earlier this month, police arrested a man in the northwestern city of Abbottabad for intentionally starting a forest fire as a background for a video.

Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to extreme weather caused by climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index compiled by NGO Germanwatch.