The popular China-based social media app TikTok will revise its misinformation policy to include climate change denial ahead of Earth Day, according to its website.
The policy update, which was first announced in March, will remove videos from the platform that “undermines well-established scientific consensus” or denies the existence of or factors to climate change, TikTok confirmed. It will take effect on April 21 — one day before Earth Day. (RELATED: CCP-Linked TikTok To Crack Down On Election ‘Misinformation’, Partners With US Gov)
“Trust and authenticity fuel the creativity of TikTok—and we believe we have an important role to play in empowering informed climate discussions on our platform,” the app’s website reads. “This week, we are introducing several initiatives that will help reduce harmful climate change misinformation while elevating authoritative information year-round.”
The app will permit videos to circulate that debate various topics involving climate change including the “benefits” or “disadvantages” of politics or a user’s own opinion about “specific weather events,” according to TechCrunch. Users will breach the threshold into alleged denial if they “undermine scientific consensus.”
/1 Let’s celebrate #EarthMonth with our community who is passionate about making a difference and having a positive impact on our world. 🌎 Nature conservation, sustainable living and responsible consumption are the most popular environmental themes on TikTok in 2022.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) April 19, 2023
TikTok will use “independent fact-checking partners” to determine content accuracy and enforce the misinformation policy, according to its website. It maintains that it is “committed to fighting against harmful misinformation” and that its “fact-checking partners help review and assess the accuracy of content across more than 60 markets.”
TikTok currently removes videos from its platform that includes “content that is inaccurate or false,” according to its community guidelines. The app considers videos that are removed to have caused “significant harm” through a variety of reasons including “the undermining of public trust in civic institutions and processes such as governments, elections, and scientific bodies.”
TikTok did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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