TheQuartering [8/17/2022]
TikTok has announced it will label content on “election-related” pages and add new policies related to political content ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
The updated guidelines expand the social media app’s 2020 political guidelines in an effort to stop “election misinformation” in U.S. elections.
“TikTok isn’t a go-to hub for breaking news, and we don’t accept paid political ads, but we are committed to combatting the spread of misinformation on the platform, including through supporting our community with education and authoritative information on important public topics like elections,” its updated election integrity policy noted.
“Our goal is to help TikTok remain a place where authentic content thrives,” it added.
The election integrity effort includes consulting with several organizations in its updated efforts. In 2020, TikTok worked with the National Association of Secretaries of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Election Integrity Partnership, and its own Content Advisory Council.
Additional collaboration noted in its guidelines includes news organizations such as Agence France-Presse (AFP), Newtral, Facta, and PolitiFact.
TikTok has included four specific features within its app as part of its effort. The list includes Hashtag PSA, which adds notices on “many” election-related pages “to remind people to follow our Community Guidelines, verify facts, and report content they believe may violate our policies.”
Other features include a reporting option, the addition of educational videos, and an in-app guide featuring information on elections.
Further efforts related to the new policies include details about the potential to remove content violating community guidelines, redirecting search results, reducing “discoverability,” or potentially blocking live streams or accounts that “demonstrate a persistent misunderstanding of the platform’s code of conduct.”