TikTok has updated its policies for political accounts to add prohibitions for campaign fundraising and other forms of monetization.
Accounts belonging to politicians, political organizations, or governments will not have access to features like gifting, tipping, and e-commerce, and will be ineligible for TikTok’s Creator Fund.
TikTok president of global business solutions Blake Chandlee stated in a blog post that “these changes, along with our existing ban on political advertising, mean that accounts belonging to governments, politicians, and political parties will largely not be able to give or receive money through TikTok’s monetization features, or spend money promoting their content.”
The short-form video platform will still allow government organizations to advertise “in limited circumstances”, such as to support public health and safety, but they will be required to work with a TikTok representative on any such campaigns.
TikTok already prohibits political advertising on the platform, and previously outlined other steps it would take to combat misinformation and promote getting out to vote during the 2022 midterm elections.
A recent report from online trustworthiness rating company NewsGuard, however, found that nearly 20% of the videos posted on TikTok relating to “prominent news topics” contain misinformation.
The company also announced it has begun trialling mandating verification for accounts belonging to governments, politicians, and political parties, which it will do through the midterm elections.
