TikTok Tests ‘Footnotes’ Feature to Combat Misinformation

The TikTok platform began testing a new feature called “Footnotes” in the United States. Unlike X and Meta's “Community Notes,” TikTok’s version still relies on professional fact-checkers rather than replacing them.

TikTok Announces ‘Footnotes’ Feature To Fight Misinformation

On Wednesday, TikTok announced a new feature called “Footnotes,” its version of the community notes feature that first appeared on Twitter and later expanded to other social platforms.

The company began testing the feature in the United States, aiming to provide additional context to videos.

According to the company, Footnotes will complement TikTok’s existing tools designed to help users assess content reliability and access credible sources. These tools include content labels, search banners, and a fact-checking program.

TikTok said that they are building Footnotes to provide additional context that helps users better understand content, whether it covers a complex STEM concept, shares potentially misleading statistics, or offers updates on ongoing events.

Adam Presser, head of operations at TikTok's trust and safety department, explained in a blog post that “the more footnotes get written and rated on different topics, the smarter and more effective the system becomes.”

He added that only users over 18 who have been active on the platform for at least six months and have no recent violations of TikTok’s community guidelines will be eligible to contribute.

TikTok Is Not Getting Rid of Fact-Checkers

On major social media platforms, fact-checking plays a crucial role in limiting the spread of fake news and disinformation, which can pose serious risks to individuals and entire communities.

Contrary to X and Meta, TikTok continues to rely on professional fact-checkers rather than replacing them.

The blog post stated that TikTok will maintain its collaboration with 20 organizations accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network to assess the accuracy of content on the platform.

“We also continue to partner with more than 20 IFCN-accredited fact-checking organizations to assess the accuracy of content on TikTok in over 60 languages and in 130 markets around the world,” the blog post explained.

TikTok stated that the goal is to enrich conversations on the platform and enhance the experience for viewers, contributors, and creators. The company wants to collaborate with all user groups as it continues testing the feature, gathering feedback, and refining the program.

Meta and X Replace Professional Moderators with Community Notes

Meta and X replaced professional content moderators with user-driven flagging systems. Meta introduced the change in January 2025, beginning in the United States, and claimed the hands-off approach would be “less prone to bias.”

Meta copied its community notes system from X, which launched the feature after Elon Musk acquired the platform.

Online hate speech campaigners sharply criticized the shift, arguing that Meta made the move for political reasons to curry favor with Donald Trump.

Democrats voiced concern as well. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Mark Zuckerberg of using the pretense of free speech to silence critics.

“Mark Zuckerberg is trying to follow in Elon's footsteps, which means that actually, they're going to use this guise of free speech to actually suppress critics of Trump and critics of themselves,” she said.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the change, claiming third-party moderators were “too politically biased” and insisting it was “time to get back to our roots around free expression.”

Trump Extends TikTok Ban Deadline in the U.S.

TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is facing a deadline to sell its U.S. operations under a 2024 law passed with broad bipartisan support.

The law required ByteDance to divest the app by January 19, but U.S. President Donald Trump extended the deadline twice, most recently in April.

In a Truth Social post, Trump granted TikTok an additional 75 days to finalize a deal, stating, “We do not want TikTok to go dark. We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal.”

With nearly half of Americans using the app, TikTok launched a public push to reassure U.S. lawmakers and the public that its content and data practices do not pose a national security or societal threat.

The company’s future in the U.S. has remained uncertain since 2020, when the Trump administration first proposed the idea of banning the app over security concerns.

Although Congress passed the divestment bill last year and former President Joe Biden signed it into law, enforcement fell to Trump after the January deadline passed and Biden left office.

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