(Reuters) – TikTok on Wednesday started testing “Footnotes” in the United States, a feature similar to “Community Notes” used by X and Meta, as the short-video platform awaits a deal that will secure its presence in the country.
The feature allows users to add “more context” and “relevant information” about content on the platform, the company said.
“It will add to our suite of measures that help people understand the reliability of content and access authoritative sources, including our content labels, search banners, our fact-checking program and more,” TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety Adam Presser said in a blog post.
TikTok became the latest company to add a crowd-sourced model to its platform with this update, after Meta in March began testing “Community Notes” in the U.S. using technology developed by Elon Musk-owned X.
The future of TikTok, used by nearly half of all Americans, has been up in the air since a 2024 law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, required China-based parent, ByteDance, to divest the app by January 19.
U.S. President Donald Trump extended that deadline for the second time in April and reassured a potential deal is still “on the table”.
TikTok said on Wednesday users in the U.S. can apply to be a “Footnotes” contributor and the company will also notify those who meet the criteria for eligibility.
Footnotes contributors must be 18 years or above with an account more than six months old and without a recent history of a community guidelines violation.
TikTok said it would allow contributors with differing opinions to vote on the helpfulness of a footnote.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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