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TikTok, like many social media platforms, encounters its fair share of misleading information and contentious content. The platform currently employs a fact-checking system to combat false news, especially concerning health and political topics. Now, it seeks to engage its user community to provide valuable context for potentially misleading or sensationalized content.
To facilitate this, TikTok has introduced Footnotes, a feature that allows approved community members to attach additional information to posts for viewers. This model has been successfully utilized by platforms like X, which has its own Community Notes feature, as well as by Meta's Instagram and Facebook since 2025.
The fundamental concept is similar across these platforms. "Footnotes will leverage the collective wisdom of the TikTok community by enabling users to provide relevant details to the content on our platform," the company stated in a press release.
TikTok plans to initiate tests of Footnotes in the United States, with the acceptance of contributions expected in the coming months. Anyone interested in contributing may apply, provided they meet certain criteria:
- Location: Users must reside in the United States.
- Age: Applicants should be at least 18 years old.
- Usage: Contributors need an active TikTok account that has been active for over six months.
- Contact: A valid email address or local phone number is required.
- Discipline: Potential contributors should have no account violations in the past six months.
All Footnotes will be authored, reviewed, and rated by approved contributors, with TikTok using a ranking-based approach to determine which notes are displayed. For instance, in the event of a contentious post, a voting mechanism will ensure only the most community-approved footnotes are attached. These footnotes will be accessible to all TikTok users. However, posts with attached footnotes will not face disciplinary measures and will still qualify for the Creator Rewards Program.
How will Footnotes work on TikTok?
TikTok has higher chances of success
In contrast to Meta, which has entirely discontinued its fact-checking program in the U.S., TikTok uses Footnotes as a supportive tool. This community-driven approach provides important context, which can differ from traditional fact-checking roles.
“We will maintain our collaborations with over 20 IFCN-accredited fact-checking organizations to evaluate content accuracy on TikTok in more than 60 languages across 130 markets,” TikTok stated.
Professional fact-checkers are often overwhelmed by the task of identifying harmful content and ensuring its removal from social media platforms. Yet, numerous posts on the internet may mislead users simply due to a lack of appropriate context, leading to skewed interpretations of events and figures.
Research indicates that community notes, while well-intentioned, often fail to significantly stem the flow of harmful content due to various obstacles. “It necessitates achieving a cross-ideological consensus on truth, which is increasingly challenging in a divided environment,” noted the Poynter Institute, which oversees the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
Fortunately, TikTok isn't solely leaning on community notes. As previously mentioned, the platform will continue to work alongside global fact-checkers to address problematic content, which can result in actions like reduced visibility or removal.
“Experts can promptly dispel the most harmful, viral misinformation, while Footnotes contributors can offer context for videos that may not meet that threshold,” the Poynter Institute suggests. The success of this experimental feature remains to be seen, especially as the potential for a nationwide ban hangs overhead.
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