Lyra Martin Tech 08.17.2022 07:Aug AM EDT

TikTok Tackles Political Falsehoods Before the Midterm Elections

In addition to advertising its in-app Elections Center, TikTok is the newest social media platform to combat political disinformation ahead of the midterm elections.

TikTok to Counter Electoral Disinformation Before Elections

TikTok is the newest social media site to showcase its approach to countering electoral disinformation before the November midterm elections.

The business is again advertising its in-app Elections Center, which links users to voting options and data on their local elections. According to TikTok, all midterm-related material, including videos from candidates, political parties, and official government accounts, will have a link to the Elections Center.

It will also work with independent fact-checkers to reveal false claims and warn consumers about questionable videos. Videos with fact-checked claims will connect viewers to the Elections Center.

Eric Han, the corporation's head of US safety, said the company has learned from its 2020 election preparations. TikTok is reaching out to creators to ensure they know the ban on political ads applies to sponsored content.

The problem has proven difficult for TikTok. According to a Mozilla analysis from the previous year, numerous app producers with financial links to political politicians and groups could do so without difficulty. Han admitted that the corporation has a "problem" with concealing promotional material during a conference with reporters.

TikTok is preparing instructional films for artists and agencies to explain its policies on these agreements. Internal teams are "investigating possible signs we should investigate" and monitoring third-party complaints as the corporation seeks to find such material.

The platform isn't the only social media app preparing for midterms. Last Monday, Twitter reactivated its civic integrity policy and included fact-checking labels. Meta said it would use many of the same measures to tackle fake news before the 2020 election.

US Senator Marco Rubio Questioned Beijing's Influence on TikTok

Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security advisor, and Marco Rubio met last year to discuss China and industrial strategy. Rubio expressed concerns about Beijing's influence during their discussion of TikTok.

TikTok was controversial during the Trump administration, fearing it might damage national security by sharing user data with China. The unresolved matter was left to the Biden administration.

Since President Biden took office, lawmakers have discussed TikTok with administration officials. The program, owned by ByteDance, has been the subject of "active conversations," according to Virginia Democrat Mark Warner. After reviewing other Chinese enterprises, authorities and government officials decide what to do.

These exchanges indicate TikTok conflicts in Washington. While the app faded as a political flashpoint after Mr. Trump departed office last year, lawmakers and government officials have grown upset about the Biden administration's lack of progress in controlling TikTok and other Chinese apps that potentially leak data to Beijing.

BuzzFeed and other news outlets have revealed TikTok's data practices and ties to its Chinese owners, causing widespread displeasure. Rubio and Warner recently called for an FTC inquiry into the software, and an FCC commissioner said it should be removed from app shops.

The White House may move shortly on applications that leak data to foreign foes. This year, it distributed a draft of an executive order that would give the government a broader ability to intervene in data-exposure instances.

The Biden administration is also set to publish instructions for a committee that assesses foreign company deals, instructing it to be alert to instances that potentially expose Americans' data to other countries. It's also researching techniques to examine whole classes of hazardous agreements rather than individually.