Tik Tok Policies

From ADTAC Disinformation Inventory

Tik Tok is a Chinese owned company but does work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to protect against foreign interferences. To “help verify election-related misinformation” they formed partnerships with third-party factchecking organizations, including the Poynter Institute and its MediaWise program, Science Feedback, Lead Stories, and Vishvas News.[1]

History of Tik Tok Policies

October 4 2019: Tik Tok bans political ads.[2]

2020 Tik Tok was early compared to other social media platforms in responding to the pandemic. They stressed information prioritization and amplified this through in-app notices, stickers and brand takeovers.[3]

August 5 2020: Tik Tok "prohibits synthetic or manipulated content that misleads users by distorting the truth of events in a way that could cause harm. Our intent is to protect users from things like shallow or deep fakes"[4]. The platform utilized an in-app guide as well as public service announcements from August to October as part of their election response.[5]

October 2020 Tik Tok launches Project Halo in order to promote scientific communication and vaccine awareness.[6]

Tik Tok announced that videos flagged for containing disinformation will display a warning banner and there will be warning prompts for users before they share an identified video.[7]

They also updated their prohibition of coordinated inauthentic behavior with the following policy "Do not engage in coordinated inauthentic activities (such as the creation of accounts) to exert influence and sway public opinion while misleading individuals, our community or the larger public about the account's identity, location or purpose."[8]