Overview

• Over 100 Berlin-based TikTok content moderators staged Germany’s first social-media platform strike on July 23, using a boat protest on the Spree followed by a land rally.
• The walkout challenged ByteDance’s plan to disband the German-speaking Trust-and-Safety and Live moderation teams in favor of AI-driven systems and third-party outsourcing.
• Union Verdi is demanding severance payments equal to three years’ salary and a 12-month extension of notice periods for the roughly 165 positions targeted.
• TikTok has refused direct talks with Verdi, limiting discussions to works council consultations on operational consolidation while moderators schedule additional strike days.
• Advocates warn that replacing trained human oversight could weaken compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act and jeopardize the residence status of international staff.