TikTok: Actions taken vs ‘harmful’ misinformation

MANILA, Philippines — Social media platform TikTok has taken steps to address the spread of false information online, especially ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.

“We do not allow harmful misinformation on TikTok and we have taken down content that violates our community guidelines. We remove 98 percent of this type of content proactively,” a company spokesperson said in a statement sent to The STAR.

TikTok did not release the total number of videos taken down for violating its policy on misinformation.

But based on its latest enforcement report, a total of 4.85 million from the Philippines were removed from October to December 2024 for violating its community guidelines. This is on top of the 4.5 million videos removed in the preceding quarter.

A number of false information related to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte have spread on TikTok and other social media platforms, reports compiled by collaborative fact-checking initiative Tsek.ph showed.

Based on TikTok’s policy, “misinformation that may cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent,” are not allowed on the platform, including those related to “certain health content, conspiracy theories, repurposed media or misrepresented authoritative sources.”

TikTok said it relies on the guidance of independent fact-checking partners, such as Agence France-Press in the Philippines, to help assess the accuracy of content.

In February, TikTok launched its #ThinkTwice digital literacy campaign to encourage users in the Philippines to think critically before posting and sharing content on the platform.

It also partnered with the Commission on Elections, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections to launch an in-app Philippine Elections Center, which provides Filipinos with verified election-related information.

On Tuesday, representatives from Meta – the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – appeared before the House tri-committee investigating the spread of false information in the Philippines.

Rafael Frankel, Meta’s director of public policy in Southeast Asia, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to engage with Philippine policymakers regarding possible regulations on social media platforms.

‘Pinoy traitors’

Filipino vloggers parroting and spreading China’s false narrative on the West Philippine Sea are traitors and do not deserve to be called Filipinos, House assistant majority leader and Lanao Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Thursday.

“This is not only fake news. This is an outright treason to our country. It’s so disturbing that there are Filipino vloggers who support the false narrative of China to claim ownership of portion of our seas. To me, it’s not only betrayal, or being a traitor to our country. This is dismantling of our sovereignty one post at a time,” Adiong said.

“For me, just to be candid about it, it is treason and they do not deserve to be called Filipino. So it’s really disturbing that some of our Filipino countrymen are even pursuing the narrative of China,” the lawmaker added.

Adiong called on authorities to make pro-China Filipino vloggers account for their actions.

“We have laws that are in place like the Anti-Sedition Act. There are a lot of ways in order to make our fellow Filipinos be accountable for supporting a foreign claim which is diametrically opposed to our national interest. I’m sure that is the legal way on how to make them accountable,” Adiong said.

During the House tri-comm hearing on Tuesday, officers of Meta, formerly Facebook, informed the panel that they had taken action on a post by blogger Mark Lopez that they found to be false.

The post claimed that the Philippines had used water cannons on China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea.

A verification made by Meta fact-checker VERA Files found the claim to be false and Meta posted the appropriate correction.

Lopez is one of four vloggers cited in contempt and ordered detained by tri-comm for 10 days at the House of Representatives. — Jose Rodel Clapano