TikTok's Community Notes era starts today

TikTok is rolling out a new feature called Footnotes, its version of Community Notes, in the United States. Footnotes allows users to add crowd-sourced fact checks to videos with false claims, AI-generated content, or those requiring more context. Contributors must cite sources, and their notes must be rated helpful by other contributors before appearing broadly. TikTok will use a bridging algorithm to determine which notes have reached "a broad level of consensus." The feature is subject to TikTok's content moderation standards, and the presence of a note will not impact a video's eligibility for the "For You" feed. While TikTok is adopting a crowd-sourced approach to fact-checking, it will continue to work with professional fact-checking organizations in the US. The company is currently evaluating the US pilot before considering expansion to other markets. TikTok's future in the US remains uncertain, with ongoing reports of a potential US-only version of the app.