With the crucial May elections looming, video hosting service TikTok has entered into partnerships with the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and civil society organisations, to prevent misinformation and provide users with reliable information to ensure a well-informed electorate.

TikTok announced an in-app Election Centre, no paid political ads and investment in media literacy as its broader strategy to maintain a creative, secure and respectful environment during the electoral period.

TikTok public policy and government relations director Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda said that the in-app Election Centre represented a pivotal step towards safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.

The in-app centre will be available in local languages such as isiZulu, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana and English, and users will gain access to a wealth of authoritative information from reliable sources about the South African elections.

“In order to maximise the visibility and accessibility of our in-app centre, we have implemented labels on content associated with the 2024 general elections. These labels also serve as direct links to the centre, enabling viewers to access comprehensive information about the elections with a simple click,” he said.

He added that TikTok would facilitate access to popular election hashtags, ensuring that users searching for related content could effortlessly find and engage with relevant information.

"Protecting the integrity of our platform, particularly around elections, is a responsibility we take seriously. We're proud to be a place that brings people together, and we work hard to keep harmful misinformation off our platform,” he highlighted.

IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo has welcomed the steps TikTok has taken to create a page for useful authenticated educational information about the upcoming elections.

Mamabolo noted that factual information and positive information were key to defending citizens from disinformation, misinformation and malformation.

He applauded TikTok for its efforts in educating users and combating the potential spread of harmful misinformation.

"The burgeoning use of digital media in recent years has seen a corresponding surge in digital disinformation, particularly on social media platforms. Electoral processes have not been spared. Left unchecked, this phenomenon stands to undermine the conduct of credible elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, TikTok also has a long-standing policy of not allowing paid political advertising, and accounts belonging to politicians or political parties are not able to advertise or make money on TikTok.

To further strengthen its mission, TikTok has joined forces with fact-checking organisation Africa Check on a media literacy campaign in the lead-up to and during the South African elections.

Notably, this collaboration introduces a groundbreaking first for the platform - the inclusion of sign language.