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In an effort to provide more context and combat potentially misleading information, TikTok is rolling out Footnotes.
It's a community-driven programme that lets users add helpful notes directly to videos, and will start appearing for users in the US.
It appears as a side note under a video's caption. These notes can be added by approved contributors to videos that might contain false claims, look like AI-generated content, or simply need more context to be fully understood.
However, footnotes can't be added on a whim. If a contributor adds a note, they must provide a source for their information to help others verify the facts.
Before a Footnote appears widely for everyone to see, other contributors need to rate it as helpful. Like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok uses a special "bridging algorithm" to figure out which notes have reached a "broad level of consensus". If enough people agree the note is useful and accurate, it'll be approved as Footnote.
Users will also have the ability to report Footnotes themselves if they believe a note violates TikTok's community guidelines.
When a Footnote shows up, it will be clearly visible underneath the video's main caption. You'll be able to tap on it to read the full note and, crucially, view a link to its source material.
Why Is TikTok Doing This?
TikTok says these notes will help people better understand the content they're seeing on the platform by adding crucial information and context. The company acknowledges that sometimes a video creator might be intentionally trying to mislead viewers, but other times, they might have simply missed important details or updates that would be helpful for viewers to know.
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