TikTok Launches Footnotes: A New Community-Driven Feature to Combat Misinformation

TikTok, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, has introduced a new feature called “Footnotes,” similar to Facebook’s “Community Notes.” This move is part of an ongoing effort to involve users in maintaining a more informed and transparent environment on the platform. The feature is designed to allow users to add contextual information to content, particularly when posts contain missing or potentially misleading information. As part of the test phase, TikTok is currently rolling out the Footnotes feature in the U.S. for short-form videos. Here’s what you need to know about how it works, how you can apply to contribute, and what it means for the future of TikTok’s approach to community-driven content.

TikTok Footnotes is a feature that allows users to add helpful, informative context to videos that may lack essential details or present potentially misleading information. This initiative mirrors Facebook’s Community Notes, a feature that allows users to clarify posts with fact-checked, relevant data. However, unlike Community Notes, Footnotes won’t fully replace fact-checkers; rather, it empowers TikTok’s user base to contribute to improving the quality of content on the platform.

Currently, TikTok is testing this feature in the U.S., and it will be available on short-form videos initially. Footnotes can be added to videos that may require additional context, and these notes will be visible to users once they gather enough supportive ratings from the community. This ranking system is based on bridging divides, aiming to foster constructive dialogue among users with differing viewpoints. This method ensures that the most valuable and accurate footnotes rise to the top.

To become a Footnote contributor, users must meet certain criteria: they need to have been on the platform for at least six months, be 18 years or older, and maintain a clean record with no recent violations of TikTok’s Community Guidelines. TikTok has made it clear that, as the system continues to receive more footnotes, it will become more efficient and smarter at presenting helpful information.

Footnotes will be rolled out in stages over the coming months, and users can apply to become contributors right now. TikTok hopes this will further enhance its content moderation efforts, which already include content labels, search banners, and a dedicated fact-checking program.

What Undercode Says:

The introduction of Footnotes on TikTok is a step in the right direction for the platform, especially in light of increasing concerns over misinformation and content manipulation. TikTok, with its algorithm-driven content delivery, is no stranger to criticism regarding how its system can amplify both accurate and misleading information in equal measure. By launching Footnotes, TikTok is acknowledging that it’s not enough to rely solely on internal fact-checkers or automated systems to ensure content integrity. Allowing the community to participate in the fact-checking process could lead to a more balanced, transparent, and democratic approach to content moderation.

One of the most significant aspects of the Footnotes feature is its potential to bridge divides between users with different perspectives. The “bridging-based ranking system” is designed to prioritize footnotes that help people with conflicting opinions find common ground, a feature that can encourage productive discussions. This focus on collaboration, rather than division, may improve the overall tone and quality of conversations on TikTok. As the community-based content moderation system expands, TikTok could become a model for other platforms looking to decentralize their approach to content curation.

However, the success of Footnotes will depend on how effectively the platform can manage the moderation of these community-added notes. With TikTok’s history of dealing with content violations and its large, diverse user base, ensuring that footnotes remain accurate and helpful will be an ongoing challenge. TikTok will need to carefully monitor the quality of the footnotes, making sure that they contribute to the platform’s goal of providing trustworthy, valuable context to users.

It’s also worth noting that Footnotes will likely not be a panacea for all misinformation issues on the platform. While it will provide a way for users to add relevant information, the sheer scale of content being uploaded daily makes it difficult for the system to catch every piece of misleading or harmful content. Still, Footnotes represents a shift toward more user involvement in the content review process, which could ultimately improve the way misinformation is handled on the platform.

Fact Checker Results:

Accuracy of Footnotes: The feature is designed to add context, not completely replace fact-checkers, indicating that TikTok is not eliminating professional oversight.
Community Involvement: TikTok is opening the Footnotes feature to a wide range of eligible users, but its effectiveness will rely on the quality of contributions and moderation.
Impact on Misinformation: While Footnotes can help address misinformation, the scale of TikTok’s content could make it challenging to ensure every footnote is accurate.