TikTok

The short-form video application, TikTok, was reported as the third-most downloaded non-game app of the year in 2019.¹ Last year, it was estimated that TikTok, a China-based company, has around 625 million monthly active users globally,² and as a result, the platform has become a lucrative service for spreading misinformation related to the pandemic.

Like many other platforms, TikTok has created a page that outlines their COVID-19 response efforts. This page features a number of announcements outlining how the company is partnering with the WHO to ensure that users have access to accurate information related to the virus. This includes an in-app notice that provides easy links to the WHO’s website and reminds users to report content that violates the platform’s Community Guidelines when users use hashtags related to the coronavirus.³ The platform also clearly states on their COVID-19 resource page that misinformation that could cause harm to an individual’s health or wider public safety will be removed.⁴ Additionally, in March 2020, TikTok announced the creation of a TikTok Content Advisory Council, which brings together thought leaders who can help develop policies and plans for the future. However, the announcement does not appear to be in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.⁵

In late April, TikTok’s director of trust & safety announced other efforts the platform was instituting to address misinformation related to COVID-19.⁶ Specifically, the platform introduced an enhanced in-app reporting feature.⁷ If users come across content they believe contains intentionally deceptive or misleading information, they can report it by selecting the new “Misleading Information” category within the app. Further, if the content pertains to COVID-19, they can choose a sub-category within the feature. When users report any content as “COVID-19 Misinformation,” it is sent to a priority moderation queue that is run by an internal taskforce and escalated to third-party fact-checkers.⁸ The taskforce has been set up as a proactive measure to strengthen the platform’s capabilities in addressing misinformation around COVID-19 and is supported by an internal team working on content safety across TikTok.⁹

TikTok does not appear to have any specific policies relevant to misinformation around COVID-19 in the context of advertising on the platform.

Given that TikTok is newer to the social media scene, the company has only released one transparency report, in December 2019.¹⁰ However, given the amount of misleading content on the platform, especially related to COVID-19, the company must provide greater transparency and accountability around its efforts to combat misleading content during the pandemic. Specifically, TikTok should provide periodic updates on their content moderation efforts during the pandemic. Following the pandemic, the company should publish a COVID-19-specific transparency report. In addition, the company should expand its general transparency reporting to include granular data around the moderation of misleading content.