TikTok will work to avoid content creators from posting paid political messages on the short-form video app, as part of its training for the U.S. midterm election in November, the company said on Wednesday.
Critics and lawmakers blame TikTok and rival social media companies containing Meta Platforms and Twitter of doing too little to stop political misinformation and divisive content from dispersion on their apps.
Although TikTok has banned paid political ads since 2019, campaign strategists have edged the ban by paying influencers to promote political issues.
The company seeks to close the loophole by hosting updates with creators and talent agencies to prompt them that posting paid political content is beside TikTok’s policies, said Eric Han, TikTok’s head of U.S. safety, throughout a briefing with reporters.
He added that internal teams, containing 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 subsequent parallel updates from Meta and Twitter.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said Tuesday it will restrict political advertisers from running new ads a week earlier the election, an action it also took in 2020.
Read Also: TikTok Creator Portal in Pakistan
Last week, Twitter said it planned to revive prior strategies for the midterm election, containing placing labels in front of some misleading tweets and implanting reliable information into timelines to debunk false assertions before they spread further online. Civil and voting rights experts said the plan was not adequate to prepare for the election.