TikTok Launches Guide On US Elections To Protect Users From Misinformation - Statement

The Chinese video sharing application TikTok said in a statement on Tuesday that it was launching a guide to the 2020 US elections to provide its users with authoritative information and protect them against misinformation

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2020) The Chinese video sharing application TikTok said in a statement on Tuesday that it was launching a guide to the 2020 US elections to provide its users with authoritative information and protect them against misinformation.

"Today, we're launching an in-app guide to the 2020 US elections to provide access to authoritative information as we continue our work to protect against misinformation," TikTok's Vice President Michael Beckerman said in the statement.

TikTok's guide will connect its 100 million users in the United States with trusted information about the elections from the National Association of Secretaries of State, BallotReady, SignVote and more, the statement said.

The guide will offer information about candidates at the federal, state and local level, powered by BallotReady; how to vote in every US state, powered by the National Association of Secretaries of State; and educational videos about misinformation, media literacy, the elections process and more, the statement added.

TikTok has made headlines since August after US President Donald Trump threatened to ban the application in the United States, citing wider concerns about alleged Chinese government spying on data of Americans who use the platform.

Trump's ban of TikTok was originally to take effect on September 20, but was deferred to November 12 after the Trump administration offered the company a way out by selling itself to a US entity. TikTok held talks with Oracle and microsoft, but also pursued a legal challenge to Trump's ban, winning a reprieve against his order from a Federal judge on Sunday.