TikTok is rolling out a new feature called Footnotes, designed to enhance content reliability and transparency by leveraging community input. This initiative mirrors similar moves by Meta and X (formerly Twitter) toward crowd-sourced content moderation, marking a significant shift in how social media platforms address misinformation. Footnotes allows select TikTok users to add contextual information to videos, aiming to provide viewers with a deeper understanding of complex or potentially misleading content. Currently being tested in the U.S. for short-form videos, this feature seeks to tap into the collective knowledge of the TikTok community. The concept behind Footnotes is reminiscent of X's Community Notes, which began as Birdwatch in early 2021. The core idea is to bring a level of community accountability to content without relying solely on top-down moderation or third-party fact-checkers. Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter and subsequent renaming to X saw the Community Notes project gain increased visibility and reach, proving to be a model for other platforms.To become a Footnotes contributor, users must meet specific criteria, including being over 18, having a clean record on the app, and maintaining an account for at least six months. Once approved, contributors can add notes to videos and rate submissions from others. Only notes deemed “helpful” by contributors with diverse viewpoints are then pushed to the broader public.TikTok's system employs a “bridge-based ranking system,” similar to Community Notes, which prioritizes consensus among people who typically hold different opinions. This approach aims to ensure that the added context is balanced and widely accepted before being displayed to the general user base. TikTok acknowledges its inspiration from the open-sourced system used by other platforms, implicitly recognizing the influence of X's Community Notes.However, it's important to recognize that community-driven moderation is not a perfect solution. X's Community Notes have demonstrated the potential for inconsistencies and delays in addressing misinformation. A 2024 report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate revealed that the system often missed misleading election posts or failed to surface notes quickly enough to prevent the spread of harmful content.Unlike Meta, which is replacing its third-party fact-checking program, TikTok is integrating Footnotes as an additional layer of content moderation. The platform continues to work with IFCN-accredited organizations across numerous languages and countries, ensuring that traditional fact-checking remains a core component of its strategy. Footnotes is intended to supplement these efforts by providing extra context and insights.The launch of Footnotes comes at a critical time for TikTok, as its parent company, ByteDance, faces ongoing pressure from U.S. regulators to either sell its U.S. operations or face a potential ban. By enhancing content transparency and reliability, TikTok may be aiming to address regulatory concerns and demonstrate its commitment to responsible platform governance. As TikTok continues to test and refine Footnotes, its impact on content quality and user trust will be closely monitored.
