TikTok is tightening its electoral rules to make it more difficult for politicians and political parties to monetize their content through different actions, such as tips, gifts, e-commerce, as well as direct use of the platform to request campaign donations.
In a statement, TikTok’s president of global business solutions, Blake Chandlee, mentioned that the company will disable advertising and monetization features for politicians, in addition to requiring accounts for governments, political parties and officials to request verification.
“Our goal is to strike a balance between allowing people to discuss issues that are relevant to their lives while protecting the creative and entertaining platform that our community wants,” Chandlee said.
TikTok also stressed that the changes are intended to create a positive environment and reduce polarization, as well as maintain the line of being an entertainment-focused platform.
Another action they expect from TikTok on the issue is a total ban on fundraising for campaigns, as well as not allowing the platform to be used to direct viewers to campaign websites where donations can be made.
To enforce the new content moderation rules, those responsible for the platform stressed that they will use a combination of technology and human intervention, as well as closer relationships with politicians and parties to confirm the authenticity of the accounts.
It is worth mentioning that there will also be “limited” situations, where political accounts will be allowed to announce campaigns, such as those related to public health; however, in order to launch them, political organizations will need to work with a company representative who reviews all applications.
“We recognize that there will be times when governments may need access to our ad services to support public health and safety, such as advertising Covid-19 booster campaigns. We will continue to allow government organizations to advertise in limited circumstances.”
This decision is aimed at the United States market, specifically, but it becomes more relevant because it is taking place six weeks before the mid-term elections in November.
Although the company has sought to ban propaganda since 2019, politically charged content remains a problem in the West, as politicians in different countries are using it as a platform to position themselves with younger voters.
In August of this year, the company published its position to address the threat of election-time disinformation, emphasizing its policy to ban influencers from being paid to post political content, as well as establishing educational guidelines to inform about these new rules. to creators and talent management companies.
