TikTok will work to prevent content creators from posting paid political messages on the short-form video app, as part of its preparation for the US midterm election in November, the company said on Wednesday.
Critics and lawmakers accuse TikTok and rival social media
companies including Meta Platforms and Twitter of doing too little to stop
political misinformation and divisive content from spreading on their apps.
While TikTok has banned paid political ads since 2019,
campaign strategists have skirted the ban by paying influencers to promote
political issues. The company seeks to close the loophole by hosting briefings
with creators and talent agencies to remind them that posting paid political
content is against TikTok's policies, said Eric Han, TikTok's head of US
safety, during a briefing with reporters.
He added that internal teams, including those that work on
trust and safety, will monitor for signs that creators are being paid to post
political content, and the company will also rely on media reports and outside
partners to find violating posts.
"We saw this as an issue in 2020," Han said.
"Once we find out about it ... we will remove it from our platform."
TikTok broadcast its plan following similar updates from
Meta and Twitter.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said Tuesday it
will restrict political advertisers from running new ads a week before the
election, an action it also took in 2020.
Last week, Twitter said it planned to revive previous strategies
for the midterm election, including placing labels in front of some misleading
tweets and inserting reliable information into timelines to debunk false claims
before they spread further online. Civil and voting rights experts said the
plan was not adequate to prepare for the election. © Reuters
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