TikTok’s Approach to Countering Election Misinformation in 2024: A Continuation of Past Efforts

TikTok, the popular social media platform known for its short-form videos, has announced its plans to combat misinformation ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The company’s strategy, as revealed in a blog post, closely resembles its efforts in 2022.

To begin with, TikTok is introducing an in-app election guide. This feature will provide users with essential information about voting, including registration and mail-in voting procedures. Although the election guide will look similar to previous years, TikTok is introducing it earlier than in past elections. The company’s election resources for 2020 and 2022 were introduced much closer to their respective contests, while the 2024 guide comes as the presidential primaries are getting underway.

TikTok’s approach to misinformation in 2024 remains unchanged from 2022. The company will continue to prohibit political ads, including those that come via creators’ branded content. It will also maintain its partnerships with fact-checking organizations, which help determine the eligibility of content for recommendations and the application of “unverified” labels. TikTok plans to expand media literacy resources to these labels later this year, which could make the notices more useful to users encountering them.

The rise of generative AI poses new challenges for social media platforms, including TikTok. In its blog post, the company acknowledged the potential for AI-generated content to fuel a new wave of viral election misinformation. However, TikTok did not offer any new policies to address this issue. Instead, the company will continue to enforce its existing rules, which prohibit misleading AI-generated content and require creators to disclose when videos use “realistic” AI-generated content.

TikTok’s plan for 2024 comes as experts warn about the potential for disinformation and coordinated efforts to manipulate the platform. In response, TikTok is making a notable change. The company plans to release detailed reports on covert influence campaigns ahead of the 2024 contest. While TikTok already discloses some information about influence campaigns in its quarterly transparency reports, the disclosures are typically short on details. This year, according to TikTok, detailed covert influence operations reports will be released.

In conclusion, TikTok’s strategy for countering election misinformation in 2024 is a continuation of its past efforts. The company will introduce an in-app election guide earlier than in previous years, maintain its partnerships with fact-checking organizations, and continue to enforce its existing rules regarding misleading AI-generated content and disclosure requirements for creators using AI in their videos. TikTok also plans to release detailed reports on covert influence campaigns, providing users with more comprehensive information about these efforts.

As the technology landscape evolves in 2024, TikTok will continue to improve its policies and detection while partnering with experts on media literacy content that helps its community navigate AI responsibly. The company’s commitment to transparency and user education is a crucial step in mitigating the potential for misinformation and manipulation on its platform.