The U.S. presidential election is drawing near, and social media companies are continuing to manage how their platforms are dealing with election-related content and toeing the divide between allowing misinformation and the right to free speech.
Fast Company put together a brief guide on how certain social media giants are tackling the issue heading up to what many say could be the most important election of a lifetime.
TikTok
TikTok is working to improve information about the U.S. presidential race within its app as the November election looms.
The company, which has more than 170 million U.S. users, said this week it will expand resources in its U.S. Election Center, which provides reliable information about how elections work. It will also run in-feed videos teaching media literacy. The short-form video platform will start requiring verified government and politicians’ accounts to protect access with two-step verification.
TikTok is in a unique position compared to other popular platforms, since it’s owned by a Chinese company and is set to be banned in the U.S. as soon as January due to national security concerns. But at the same time, it’s clear users are getting their news and information from the platform. The company said that its U.S. Election Center has been viewed more than 7 million times since its January launch. The center includes FAQs, with information like how elections work and if systems are secure, and will have updated election results from The Associated Press in real time come November.
TikTok said it is working to remove or reduce the reach of election-related misinformation, which includes false or misleading content on how to vote, how to register to vote, the eligibility qualifications for candidates, and the procedures that govern implementation of elections.
X
Elon Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, now called X, just days ahead of the 2022 midterm election. November will mark the billionaire’s first time running a social media platform during a U.S. presidential election.
