What Does the Phrase “Fake Body” Mean on TikTok?

What does “fake body” mean?

On TikTok, “fake body” is used to describe partial nudity. TikTok has some pretty strict rules when it comes to nudity. The social media app’s censoring system is programmed to flag and report any video that captures nudity or partial nudity, including videos of people wearing bathing suits. Many users will caption videos showing partial nudity with “fake body,” “⚠️ FAKE BODY ⚠️,” or “#fakebody” to try and throw off the algorithm’s censoring system. “Fake body” doesn’t necessarily mean the body in the video is fake—it can be very real, but an AI program or bot might not know that. Think of it like a cheat code. Typing “fake body” in the video’s captions, description, or comments can trick censorship so a video with partial nudity isn’t taken down or flagged. Keep in mind that this cheat isn’t foolproof. TikTok has censorship for a reason, and full nudity is never tolerated. TikTok detects violations in their guidelines by using automated and human evaluations. This means that an AI program or human being could flag a video.

TikTok’s Censoring Guidelines

TikTok does not allow any form of nudity. Believe it or not, when it comes to censorship, TikTok is one of the strictest social media sites out there. The popular app’s community guidelines state, “We do not allow nudity…sheer and partially see-through clothing is not considered covered.” According to TikTok, nudity is defined as “showing intimate body parts that prevailing cultural norms indicate should be fully covered.” There are some exceptions when it comes to nudity; however, this is limited to “medical treatment, educational purposes, and culturally accepted practices.”