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TIKTOK GAVE APPROVAL to some election disinformation ads seeking to run in Ireland, according to Global Witness, an NGO that investigates various issues related to human rights.
The organisation submitted 28 ads – half in Irish, half in English – to TikTok that included “clear and obvious disinformation” about the general election to test whether they would be approved.
The examples of disinformation used in the test ads included that votes can be cast on Facebook, that voters can vote by post after the polls have closed on the day of the election, and that voters need to provide proof of two Covid-19 vaccines to be allowed to vote.
Global Witness said that it “should have been immediately clear to any human reviewer” that these statements were false.
In total, TikTok approved nearly half (11) of the ads with disinformation.
Eight of the ads that received approval were in Irish and three were in English.
The substantially higher rate of approval for the ads in Irish is a “clear blind spot” in the app’s moderation system, Global Witness said.
After the submitted ads were reviewed by TikTok, Global Witness deleted them before they were published so that none of the ads with disinformation ultimately went live to app users.
“Social media platforms have a responsibility to keep elections safe. As more and more people get their news from their social media feeds, the least platforms should do is ensure that this content is free from the most obvious forms of disinformation,” said Ava Lee, Global Witness’ campaign lead for digital threats.
“Yet this test shows once again that platforms are prioritising profit over safety and proper risk mitigation measures.”
A TikTok spokesperson confirmed to Global Witness that all of the ads it submitted violated their advertising polices.
The spokesperson said that TikTok has conducted an investigation into why some of the ads were not rejected and said that ads may go through additional stages of review if certain conditions are met, such as reaching a particular number of impressions on the app or being reported by users once the ad has gone live.
The spokesperson also said that TikTok is “focused on keeping people safe and working to ensure that TikTok is not used to spread harmful misinformation that reduces the integrity of civic processes or institutions” and said that they do this by “enforcing robust policies to prevent the spread of harmful misinformation”, along with other measures.
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No wonder Teesh Simon is a fan.
So to highlight disinformation they have spread disinformation…..bit ironic no
@Toca Stories: no….they deleted them before they went out??
@NotMyIreland: yes they did. It’s part of their MO
@Toca Stories: the ads were never aired. Try reading the article before commenting.
Simon for tae shocked
Tick-Tock Taoiseach spreads a fair bit himself..
And btw Journal.. look at the Trump/FG trolls in the comments for last few weeks before throwing any stones at others.
yet our elected numb nuts in the dail continue to use it……ironic
TikToxic just needs to disappear. It’s cancer of the internet.
@Daniel Skelton: a bit like the comments section here, notice how only a select few articles can be commented on now.
@Andrew Giles: The Journal (of Censorship)
Wow ! Disinformation ! Is this a new word for bullshiting ?
The advent of social media in general has ruined the minds of people. It’s a toxicity, a cesspit, a breeding ground for hatred and false realities. It’s addictive nature is, in particular, destroying younger minds. 20 years from now, our species will be the dumbest It’s been as a result.
@Andrew Kenny:
Sure we can just identify as another species, I’m gonna be a fish.
@Regular John: I might be a cat myself. Lol.
If the posts ” “should have been immediately clear to any human reviewer” that these statements were false.”, why would it not be immediately clear to any human reader that they are false?
@Oh Mammy: I guess some people would not have seen them as false, because they would have comforted them in a narrative they already espouse (these people can be called, according to your own sensibilities, “woke”, “far-right”, “conspiracy theorists”, etc. Everybody has a go at someone else these days)
@Jerry LeFrog: are you suggesting this condition does not apply to human reviewers?
@Oh Mammy: I said “some”. I’m sure though that the vast majority of humans would be able to realize those were fake ads. At least 90%. I just have doubts for a small minority who don’t seem to think for themselves, and these pose a greater danger to the rest of us
@Oh Mammy: most first line moderation is done electronically. It usually only goes to a human if it’s flagged. Use the right words to avoid the flags and most posts will go live unless they’re reported. Then you have Facebook and X that allow misinformation and worse whether it’s flagged or not.
@Oh Mammy: Completely clueless aren’t you ? Do you really think “humans” review hundred of thousands of video every day?
This is nonsense from this crowd.
Those advertismenets were not disinformation.
They were just silly.
Tik Tok just created a shocking election last Sunday in Romania, as a nobody WON the first round of presidential elections due to farms of bots and heavy influenced Tik Tok reels. Scary stuff. Read about Calin Georgescu, who had the 7th or 8th chance to win and he… won.
How about Irish election misinformation when the camera conscious woman says “I don’t care” and Harris is accused of ending the conversation.
have your say