TikTok outlined its preparation measures for the upcoming U.S. midterm elections on Monday as the platform braces for a key test of its new U.S.-based ownership and oversight group.
TikTok said it will be focused on four aspects during the U.S. election cycle:
- Protecting systems and U.S. user data
- Detecting and eliminating deceptive and harmful behavior
- Investing in reliable content and information
- Securing government and political accounts
TikTok said it will be working with security partner Oracle to safeguard U.S. user data, software and content.
As explained by TikTok: “No application, product feature or line of code is made available to our U.S. community without first undergoing comprehensive security review. These reviews are designed to identify and address potential risks before new code or features are deployed, helping ensure the TikTok experience is secure long before it reaches an American's device.”
TikTok said it will make this a priority during the election period, with a dedicated U.S. Election Mission Control Center, which will identify emerging risks, coordinate investigations and mitigate potential threats as they develop.
TikTok will also increase its monitoring of coordinated influence operations, misleading artificial intelligence-generated content and false information. The company will also implement additional safeguards for the accounts of elected officials.
In addition, TikTok launched a new U.S. Election Center to provide authoritative election information.
The U.S. midterms in November could pose an important test for TikTok, given that it’s the first major election cycle since the company was sold into U.S. ownership and put under the control of a group that was handpicked by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Among the various elements that the TikTok USDS group now manages is the platform’s algorithm, which dictates what users see in the app.
Given that Trump has previously joked that he would make TikTok “100% MAGA” if he could, that could be an important factor. Trump did clarify that he was joking, but it may still pose a test of sorts.
