A recent study claimed that TikTok approved over a dozen political disinformation ads before the European parliamentary elections, raising concerns about its ability to detect false election-related content.
Global Witness Tests TikTok to Detect Deceptive Ads
Global Witness, an international advocacy group, crafted 16 deceptive ads about the European Union (EU) elections for Irish audiences, and submitted them to TikTok, YouTube, and X, formerly known as Twitter.
The advertisements contained false information, such as suggesting people could vote online or via text, which are methods not permitted in the upcoming elections.
They also misrepresented the voting age and incited violence against immigrant voters. The study's findings raised questions about whether the video-sharing app is breaching new EU rules that require platforms to stop election disinformation.
TikTok asserted that it reviews all advertisements before publication, with most reviews completed within 24 hours. Global Witness said its investigation showed that after 48 hours to review the ads, which it deemed sufficient to assess and remove them, TikTok approved all the submitted ads.
TikTok responded to the investigation by acknowledging that all 16 ads violated its advertising policies and were accurately flagged by its systems. However, Global Witness claimed they were approved after additional review because of human error by a moderator, who has since underwent retraining.
Additionally, the company said it has introduced new procedures for moderating political ads.
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YouTube and X Demonstrates Better Performance
Global Witness previously found YouTube and X to be failing at detecting disinformation and hate speech. However, in this test, the two platforms performed better than TikTok.
The advocacy group submitted 16 advertisements tailored for Ireland on each platform, featuring content the EU rules caution against and prohibited by the platforms' own policies.
X declined all the ads, while YouTube rejected all except two. Following the reviews, Global Witness withdrew the advertisements to prevent their publication.
The advertisements contained various instances of false information, including claims such as advising against in-person voting for the EU election due to alleged ballot alteration by election workers, suggesting voting via text instead.
Another false claim asserted that the Electoral Commission would close all polling stations due to a surge in contagious diseases, prompting voters to opt for online voting.
There was also misinformation about a supposed change in ID requirements for the 2024 elections, stating that only those with a valid driving license could vote on election day. These claims were designed to misinform users.
Global Witness intentionally created them to test if these platforms could detect false information. The study's findings emerge just before the European elections, which will span the EU's 27 member states and involve approximately 370 million eligible voters. Global Witness calls on social media platforms to be vigilant against the dissemination of disinformation and division during this year's elections.
"No platform must allow the derailing of democratic participation. This is particularly salient for TikTok given its popularity with young people," Henry Peck, Senior Campaigner, Digital Threats at Global Witness, said in a statement. "We call on the EU to act swiftly to ensure TikTok and other social media platforms are meeting its standards."
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