---
title: "TikTok Waited Three Hours to Tell Cops About Livestreamed Suicide"
description: "After a man livestreamed his suicide on TikTok, the company spent three hours crafting its PR response before contacting the police."
date: "2020-02-07"
modified: "2020-02-07"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tiktok-waited-three-hours-tell-cops-livestreamed-suicide"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "social media"
  - "suicide"
  - "the digest"
  - "tiktok"
---

# TikTok Waited Three Hours to Tell Cops About Livestreamed Suicide

![After a man livestreamed his suicide on TikTok, the company spent three hours crafting its PR response before contacting the police.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tiktok-waited-three-hours-tell-cops-livestreamed-suicide.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Wrong Priorities

In February 2019, a 19-year-old Brazilian man livestreamed his suicide on the popular [video-sharing app TikTok](<https://futurism.com/major-security-flaws-tiktok>). An hour and a half later, TikTok noticed and removed the video.

Three hours after *that*, TikTok finally contacted the police, a former employee of the Brazilian offices of TikTok parent company ByteDance has [told *The Intercept Brazil*](<https://theintercept.com/2020/02/06/tiktok-suicide-brazil/>) — and it spent those hours putting together a public relations strategy.

## Clock's Ticking

The employee, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, provided the *Intercept* with an [image](<https://theintercept.imgix.net/wp-uploads/sites/1/2020/02/2-1-1580418873-1024x664-1580915326.jpg>) of an internal document detailing TikTok's minute-by-minute response to the livestreamed suicide.

It suggests that TikTok found out about the stream via messages from influencers on [WhatsApp](<https://futurism.com/saudi-crown-prince-hacked-jeff-bezos-phone>) — and not from the team in China tasked with [monitoring content](<https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/statement-on-tiktoks-content-moderation-and-data-security-practices>).

"The main issue was just how unprepared the Chinese team was for a situation like this," the source told the *Intercept*, "where the app’s algorithm didn’t catch that it was a suicide, let alone bring down the livestream, even after so many complaints."

## Standard Statement

*The Intercept* wrote that TikTok didn't answer any of its specific questions about the incident, but did provide a statement.

"We remain deeply saddened by this tragic incident and sympathize with the family," the statement said. "We encourage anyone who needs support or is concerned about a friend or family member to contact a suicide hotline."

**READ MORE:** [TikTok Livestreamed a User’s Suicide — Then Got Its PR Strategy in Place Before Calling the Police](<https://theintercept.com/2020/02/06/tiktok-suicide-brazil/>) \[*The Intercept*\]

**More on TikTok:** *[Researchers Find Major Security Flaws in Popular App TikTok](<https://futurism.com/major-security-flaws-tiktok>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)