"TikTok is taking responsibility and is committing to do everything in its power to keep damaging misinformation outside the app."
By SARAH BEN-NUNUpdated: DECEMBER 20, 2020 11:26General view of the US head office of TikTok in Culver City, California, US, September 15, 2020.(photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE)
TikTok has announced that it will begin policing its platform for vaccine misinformation."At a time when the world is advancing to the next stage of the pandemic — vaccination, there exists a true need for information management," the company stated in a press release on Tuesday. With about 800 million users worldwide, the TikTok application is just the platform for accuracy verification.Videos that contain information regarding the coronavirus will be marked as such, and users will be guided to reliable outside sources for more information.The company also said they would partner with scientists worldwide in the effort to provide accessible explanations of the medical reality, and would also work with third-party verification companies to ensure the accuracy of what is on the app.From December 21 onward, the app will update to include a "COVID-19 Vaccines" bar in its "Search" section, making the access to information easy and visible.Additionally, a hashtag will be created related to the vaccine, and videos tagged with it will include an option to learn more about the virus. This will lead users to verified and reliable scientific sources.Some fact-checking sites that the company will continue to work with are AFP, Politifact and Sciverify, among others.Kevin Morgan, the head of product and process in TikTok Europe, said, "TikTok is taking responsibility and is committing to do everything in its power to keep damaging misinformation outside the app."
