As South Africa prepares for its seventh democratic election on 29 May, TikTok has embarked on several initiatives with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and civil society organisations to combat misinformation and ensure that users have access to information from reliable sources.
Firstly, TikTok’s in-app Election Centre represents a pivotal step towards safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process. Through this dedicated in-app centre – available in local languages such as isiZulu, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, and English – users will gain access to a wealth of information from reliable sources.
“Our in-app election centre has authoritative information about the South African elections from the IEC,” says Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, TikTok’s Public Policy and Government Relations director. “In order to maximise the visibility and accessibility of our in-app centre we have implemented labels on content associated with the 2024 general elections.
“These labels also serve as direct links to the centre enabling viewers to access comprehensive information about the elections with a simple click.
“Additionally, we will facilitate access to popular election hashtags ensuring that users searching for related content can effortlessly find and engage with relevant information.
“Protecting the integrity of our platform, particularly around elections, is a responsibility we take seriously,” Mqwili-Sibanda says. “We’re proud to be a place that brings people together and we work hard to keep harmful misinformation off our platform.”
Sy Mamabolo, Chief Electoral Officer at the IEC, adds: “The burgeoning use of digital media in recent years has seen a corresponding surge in digital disinformation, particularly on social media platforms. Electoral processes have not been spared. Left unchecked, this phenomenon stands to undermine the conduct of credible elections. We applaud TikTok for its efforts in educating the TikTok community and combating the potential spread of harmful misinformation.”
Mamabolo also welcomes the steps TikTok has taken to create a page for useful authenticated educational information about these elections. Factual Information and positive information is key to defending citizens from disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.
TikTok also has a long-standing policy of not allowing paid political advertising – and accounts belonging to politicians or political parties are not able to advertise or make money on TikTok.
To further strengthen its mission, TikTok has joined forces with Africa Check for a media literacy campaign in the lead up to and during the South African elections. Notably, this collaboration introduces a ground-breaking first for the platform – the inclusion of sign language.
This initiative aims to combat harmful misinformation and promote critical thinking among users. Local creators have contributed educational videos in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, and sign language – accompanied by English subtitles – ensuring accessibility and engagement across diverse communities.
These videos will provide community members with the tools they need to become more savvy digital citizens, empowering them to engage meaningfully in the democratic process while simultaneously promoting creativity, safety, and civility.
“Media literacy provides individuals with the critical thinking skills needed to distinguish credible information from misinformation and disinformation, enabling informed voting decisions,” says Sarah Lubala, info finder and media literacy editor at Africa Check. “We are proud to partner with TikTok on this important initiative as, together, we aim to equip South Africans with the skills necessary to navigate today’s complex media landscape effectively.
“Through collaborative efforts like these we aim to create a more informed and engaged electorate, ensuring the thriving of democracy in our country.”
Additionally, through a multifaceted approach, the app has collaborated with 18 global fact-checking partners to evaluate the accuracy of content across over 50 languages. In South Africa, the partner is Code for Africa.
These partners assess whether a claim is true, false, or unsubstantiated so that moderators can take the right action based on TikTok’s Community Guidelines. They also share intelligence that helps detect harmful misinformation and anticipate potential misinformation spreading on TikTok and on other platforms.