TikTok preps for midterm misinformation chaos - The Verge
TikTok has grown into one of the fastest-growing social networks in the world — and with the 2022 midterm election cycle heating up, the app is now preparing to take on the maddening problem of election misinformation.
In a few short years, TikTok has grown into one of the fastest-growing social networks in the world — and with the 2022 midterm election cycle heating up, the app is now preparing to take on the maddening problem of election misinformation.
In a Wednesday blog post, TikTok’s head of US safety, Eric Han, outlined how the company plans to combat the threat of harmful misinformation. First, TikTok will begin rolling out its Election Center this week in order to provide authoritative voting information in the coming weeks and results from the Associated Press once they are reported. TikTok says it will link out to the Election Center through labels placed on midterm-related content, including videos posted by governments, candidates, and political parties.
While TikTok banned paid political advertising in 2019, Han said the platform is emphasizing the existing policy regarding prohibit paid influencer content. Throughout the 2020 election cycle, campaign and political groups, including the Biden-Harris campaign, collaborated with influencers across platforms to reach voters who were spending more time online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“TikTok does not allow paid political ads, and that includes content influencers are paid to create,” Han said in the Wednesday blog post.
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