As Sri Lanka gears up for its Presidential Election on 21st September, concerns around misinformation and disinformation are at an all-time high. In response, TikTok, a platform renowned for its creativity and entertainment, is taking proactive measures to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. By launching a series of initiatives, TikTok aims to foster a safe and trustworthy environment where users can access accurate information and contribute to an authentic digital space during this pivotal civic event.

In this interview, Ferdous Al Mottakin, Head of Government Relations and Public Policy—South Asia for TikTok, discusses the platform’s efforts to combat misinformation, its partnership fact-checkers, and the innovative tools designed to empower users. As TikTok strengthens its role in upholding election integrity, he highlighted the importance of transparency, collaboration, and community participation in creating a digital space that balances creativity with responsibility.

Q1: TikTok is known for being a platform for creativity and entertainment. Why has the platform prioritized election integrity, particularly before the Sri Lanka Presidential Election?

Answer: TikTok is committed to being a responsible platform for creativity and entertainment and ensuring the authenticity of the information shared during critical civic events like elections. The Sri Lanka Presidential Election is an essential democratic moment, and we understand the challenges around misinformation and disinformation in such contexts. By implementing robust election integrity measures, we aim to provide our community with reliable information while upholding the values of a safe and trustworthy online environment. This ensures that our platform remains a positive space, free from content that could mislead voters or disrupt the electoral process.

Q2: Misinformation and disinformation are critical challenges in today’s digital landscape. How will TikTok address these issues before the election in Sri Lanka?

Answer: TikTok has robust measures in place to combat misinformation, violence, and hate speech in line with its Community Principles. The platform is dedicated to removing misleading information about civic processes, including voter registration, candidate eligibility, ballot counting, and election results. TikTok's policies strictly prohibit content that intimidates voters, suppresses voting, or incites violence. Over 40,000 personnel globally, in conjunction with advanced technology, are deployed to ensure user safety on the platform, complemented by collaborations with intelligence firms, industry partners, and civil society organizations.

To help counter misinformation, TikTok works with regional fact-checkers to help the platform consistently and accurately remove election misinformation. TikTok has collaborated with IFCN-accredited fact-checking organization Newschecker to specifically address the Sri Lankan electoral context. These partnerships enable TikTok to identify potential misinformation, take action on it, and share accurate information with its community around important events. TikTok's fact-checking partners do not moderate content on the platform, but their assessments provide valuable input which helps TikTok take the appropriate action that upholds its Community Guidelines. Content under review or identified as unsubstantiated is restricted from the For You Feed recommendation, and both viewers and creators are alerted about the potential misleading nature of such content.

Q3: Could you explain more about the Sri Lanka Election Center and how it helps users find reliable information?

Answer: The Sri Lanka Election Center is a dedicated hub on TikTok that provides users with authoritative information about the upcoming election. It is available in English, Sinhala, and Tamil, ensuring accessibility to the TikTok community in Sri Lanka. The Election Center directs users to the official website of the Election Comission of Sri Lanka where they can easily access verified information about candidates, voter registration, and election results.

Q4: How can TikTok users contribute to maintaining election integrity on the platform?

Answer: We believe in empowering our community to play an active role in maintaining a healthy digital space. To that end, TikTok has rolled out streamlined reporting tools that make it easier for users to flag potentially misleading or harmful content. This user-centric approach fosters a sense of responsibility and vigilance, ensuring our platform remains free from election-related misinformation. By reporting suspicious content, users help us take swift action to uphold election integrity.

Q5: Beyond misinformation, what other steps are TikTok taking to safeguard the election process in Sri Lanka?

Answer: TikTok is taking several vital steps to ensure a safe and secure platform during the election period. For instance, we have strict policies in place that prohibit political advertising, paid political promotions, and political fundraising. This prevents political content from being used for financial or electoral gain. These measures help maintain the platform’s focus on creative content while preventing undue influence on the electoral process.

Q6: What role do partnerships with local organizations and fact-checkers play in TikTok’s efforts to combat election-related misinformation?

Answer: Partnerships are vital to our election integrity efforts. Our collaboration with Newschecker, for example, allows us to stay on top of local electoral contexts and respond quickly to combat misinformation. These fact-checking partners help assess content, which enables us to take timely action to prevent the spread of false information. In addition to these partnerships, we also work closely with civil society organizations, safety advisory councils, and experts to continuously refine our policies and improve the reliability of the information shared on the platform.

Q7: How does TikTok ensure transparency and accountability to uphold election integrity?

Answer: Transparency and accountability are central to our approach. We regularly update our community and external stakeholders on our steps to safeguard the platform, especially during elections. Our community can also easily access our guidelines and policies, and we make sure to provide clear explanations whenever we take action on content. Through open dialogue with experts and local partners, we ensure that our policies are transparent and reflect the evolving needs of our users, especially when it comes to election-related content.

Q8: What does TikTok hope to achieve with its election integrity initiatives in Sri Lanka?

Answer: Our goal is to create a safe, authentic, and reliable digital space for our community and continue the same during the election period. We want our users in Sri Lanka to feel confident that they are engaging with credible and verified information provided by the Election Commission. By strengthening our efforts to combat misinformation and uphold election integrity, we aim to foster informed participation in the electoral process. Ultimately, we hope that TikTok can continue to be a platform where creativity thrives, and users can share, learn, and engage with trustworthy information during significant civic moments.