Detection and Measurement of Illicit Promotional Content on Chinese TikTok

Abstract

Illicit promotion on Chinese TikTok is a growing concern, characterized by promoting illicit products and services with evasion techniques. This paper presents the first comprehensive investigation into the illicit promotional content and evasion techniques employed on Chinese TikTok. By shedding light on the ecosystem underlying such illicit promotions, we develop a hybrid mechanism to effectively address and measure these emerging security challenges. The paper outlines new understandings about the use of short video platforms for illicit promotion and discusses how deep learning algorithms can be used to detect and prevent such activities. The study also highlights the potential implications of illicit promotion on TikTok for users and society as a whole.