TikTok Launches Crowd-Sourced Fact-Checking Feature in the US
TikTok users in the United States will soon notice a new feature designed to combat misinformation on the platform. The app is rolling out Footnotes, its version of Xs Community Notes, to provide additional context or corrections on videos containing false claims or AI-generated content.
The company first announced plans for Footnotes in April and has since approved nearly 80,000 contributors to participate in the program. Similar to Xs system, users can submit notes with cited sources to clarify or correct misleading content. These notes must be rated as helpful by other contributors before being widely displayed. TikTok will use an algorithm to determine when a footnote has achieved broad consensus among users.
Footnotes will appear prominently below a videos caption, allowing users to read the full note and access linked sources. Unlike Meta, which has moved away from professional fact-checkers, TikTok says it will continue collaborating with third-party organizations while implementing this crowd-sourced approach. The company also clarified that Footnotes will adhere to its existing content moderation policies, and users can report notes that violate guidelines. However, the presence of a footnote will not affect whether a video appears in the For You feed.
For now, TikTok is testing Footnotes exclusively in the US, citing the markets large content ecosystem as ideal for evaluating the feature. The company has not committed to expanding it to other regions but will assess its performance before making further decisions.
The launch comes amid ongoing uncertainty about TikToks future in the US. Despite repeated delays to a potential ban, no concrete deal has emerged to establish a US-owned version of the app. Reports suggest TikTok owner ByteDance may be developing a separate US-only app, though the company has not confirmed these claims.
With Footnotes, TikTok joins other platforms experimenting with crowd-sourced moderation, aiming to balance user participation with professional oversight in the fight against misinformation.
