TikTok takes 'verification' measures for the March 31 Local Administration General Elections

Emir Gelen, TikTok's Public Policy Manager for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey Region, announced that they will collaborate with "Teyit.org" to reduce the visibility of content claiming early victory on the platform before the results of the "Local Administration General Elections" to be held on March 31 are officially announced by the relevant institutions and organizations.

In his statement, Gelen touched upon the details of their preparations for the "March 31 Local Administration General Elections." Stating that they are focused on preventing misleading content, misinformation (harmful false information), disinformation, and manipulated content, Gelen said, "For the Local Administration Elections to be held on March 31, we are removing content that aims to intimidate voters or prevent them from voting, and we do not tolerate content or accounts that encourage violence."

Gelen stated that they have made it easier for users to report misleading content directly through the application and noted that there is a dedicated team that reviews these reports.

VISIBILITY OF CONTENT CLAIMING EARLY VICTORY WILL BE REDUCED

Gelen continued his speech as follows:

"During this sensitive period, we will continue our cooperation with our fact-checking partner to evaluate the accuracy of content. This will give us the flexibility to quickly remove false or manipulated videos. When content cannot be verified, it may not be eligible for recommendation in your feed, and a warning may be added to alert users. On election day, we will collaborate with Teyit.org to reduce the visibility of content claiming early victory before the results are confirmed by the relevant institutions and organizations."

Gelen said that as part of TikTok's strategy to combat election-related disinformation and misinformation, the platform is focused on providing users with access to verified information. In this context, he stated that the Turkey Election Center is an important resource for directing users to factual information regarding the elections.

Expressing that they direct users to factual information about the elections, including details on how and where to vote, Gelen continued:

"We have also provided support to our moderation teams in languages other than Turkish spoken in Turkey. This support will further assist in the auditing of content in different languages. To ensure the Election Center is visible and accessible, we have added labels to content identified as related to the Presidential and Parliamentary General Elections, as well as to content from accounts belonging to politicians and political parties in Turkey. These labels directed users to the Election Center page, allowing them to obtain information about the elections."

Emphasizing that TikTok does not allow paid political advertisements, Gelen stated that they have strong mechanisms to detect fake accounts and that such accounts are removed when identified. He noted that TikTok's primary focus is to create an entertaining and authentic experience for the community and that political advertisements do not align with the platform's standards.

News Source: AA