You know that if you engage with a TikTok video or watch enough of it, TikTok’s algorithm will show you more of that type of content—both from the content creator and by other creators—in the For You section.
But what do you do if you find your content has been duplicated by another account?
First, a little back story. I had been getting a lot of content related to outdoor life. To stop viewing content from certain creators, your only option is to block them, and I ended up blocking a few accounts.
However, one account kept resurfacing, even after repeatedly blocking them. I eventually realized that the account I kept blocking was actually duplicate accounts with similar usernames.
Here’s what could be happening:
- The original creator made multiple versions of their TikTok account and posted duplicate content to each of them with the assumed goal of using TikTok’s algorithm to show their videos over and over again to increase views, which in turn leads to more money; and/or
- Other creators, in seeing the success of this account, ripped off the content by downloading the videos and reposting them to their own similar-sounding accounts with the goal of making money from someone else’s content.
(For reference, TikTok has a Creator Fund that pays creators a certain amount per one thousand views.)
I have found several instances of TikTok account duplication, but here’s one I’m showcasing:
As you may be able to see, most of the accounts include the name “Outdoor Boys,” and some of them include “outdoorboys” in the handle. All of the accounts have the same videos.
For brands with popular content on TikTok, it’s important that you regularly look to see if there are knock-off accounts that are stealing your content. If you do find such an account, you need to submit a Copyright Infringement Report.
If TikTok finds a violation, it will remove the content from the platform and notify both you and the reported person of the action taken.