TikTok, like every other social media platform, isn’t any stranger to dangerous info and controversial content material. The corporate already has a fact-checking system in place to sort out pretend information, medical, and election-related misinformation. Now, it’s hoping that its group will add useful context to content material that could be deceptive or sensationalizing details.
To that finish, TikTok has right this moment introduced Footnotes, a system that allows authorized group members to connect useful info to a put up for viewers. X already has one such system in place known as Neighborhood Notes, and Meta platforms comparable to Instagram and Fb additionally adopted it in 2025.
The overarching concept is an identical. “Footnotes will draw on the collective information of the TikTok group by permitting individuals so as to add related info to content material on our platform,” the corporate says in a press launch.
How will Footnotes work on TikTok?
TikTok will start testing Footnotes beginning with the US, and can begin accepting contributions within the “coming months.” Anybody can apply to change into a contributor, so long as they meet the next standards:
- Location: Customers should stay in america.
- Age: They need to be 18 years of age or older.
- Utilization: Contributors have an lively TikTok account older than six months.
- Contact: You must have a sound e mail tackle or a neighborhood cellphone quantity.
- Self-discipline: An applicant shouldn’t have any TikTok coverage violations for his or her account prior to now 6 months.
All of the footnotes can be written, reviewed, and rated by authorized contributors, and TikTok will observe a ranking-based system to point out the ultimate model. For instance, if a put up stirs a debate that might use useful context, a voting system is put in place, and solely the footnotes that with the best group approval are lastly hooked up to a put up.
These footnotes can be seen to all TikTok customers. Nonetheless, no disciplinary motion can be taken in opposition to posts which have a footnote hooked up to them, and such posts will stay eligible for Creator Rewards Program.
TikTok has larger probabilities of success
Not like Meta, which has altogether ended its fact-checking program within the US, TikTok is utilizing footnotes merely as a assist pillar. Neighborhood Notes are essential as a result of they add useful context, one thing that isn’t essentially the core position of fact-checkers.
“We additionally proceed to accomplice with greater than 20 IFCN-accredited fact-checking organizations to evaluate the accuracy of content material on TikTok in over 60 languages and in 130 markets around the globe,” says TikTok.
Licensed fact-checkers are already overwhelmed with figuring out and getting dangerous info faraway from social media. However there may be nonetheless quite a lot of content material on the net that might mislead individuals as a result of it lacks correct context, usually portray a incorrect or one-sided image of sure occasions or personalities.
Neighborhood notes, or footnotes, is just not a magic bullet to make social media a safer, extra correct place. Actually, analysis reveals that they largely fail to comprise the unfold of dangerous content material for quite a lot of causes.
“It requires a ‘cross-ideological settlement on reality,’ and in an more and more partisan setting, reaching that consensus is nearly not possible,” mentioned Poynter Institute, which runs the Worldwide Truth-Checking Community (IFCN).
TikTok, fortunately, is just not relying solely on group notes. As talked about above, the corporate will proceed its partnership with fact-checkers throughout the globe to deal with problematic posts which regularly face discplinary motion comparable to decreased visibility or takedown.
“The professionals can nonetheless rapidly debunk essentially the most dangerous and viral misinformation, whereas Footnotes contributors can add context to movies that don’t meet that threshold,” argues Poynter. It could be fascinating to see whether or not the experimental function can serve advantages to its US-based viewers because the specter of a nationwide ban nonetheless looms.