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| (Image Source: ONE News) |
TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile videos, has partnered with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to enable Filipinos to gain easy access to reliable information leading up to the 2022 National Elections. Through this partnership, TikTok continues its ongoing initiative to ensure that users stay informed and maintain authenticity on the platform, especially during the elections season. Moreover, in recognizing the need to promote voter registration especially among first-time voters, TikTok and COMELEC are proactively encouraging users to take part in the upcoming elections.
To better educate voters, COMELEC's official TikTok account will not only serve as a resource for trustworthy election-related information but also as an advocate for voter participation leading up to the 2022 Philippine national and local elections through featured events, videos showing relevant election data from COMELEC and up-to-date voting results. According to TikTok Head of Public Policy Kristoffer Rada, “TikTok’s partnership with COMELEC opens up new and innovative ways to share and consume accurate information about the coming elections for the Filipino public. We are committed to providing credible, fact-based content to help Filipino voters make informed choices during the election period.” On the other hand, COMELEC Spokesperson James Jimenez said, “Venturing into emerging platforms and tapping into their vast network of users has been our long-standing advocacy, as it allows the Commission on Elections to broaden the reach of its voter education and information drive. Through this partnership with TikTok for the 2022 National and Local Elections, we forge a valuable cooperation that will buttress our goal of conducting clean, honest and credible elections.”
Apart from being a space for creative expression, TikTok also supports the community through educational content and authoritative information on important public topics such as the forthcoming elections. The high priority that it places on safety and authenticity, along with the Community Guidelines that are designed to help keep TikTok a welcoming place for everyone, makes the platform a safe space for COMELEC to encourage Filipinos to exercise their right to vote. These Community Guidelines fight misinformation by restricting users from posting inappropriate content on the platform and empowering community members to report misleading election-related content. This is similar to a previous effort by TikTok made to counter misinformation on COVID-19 which included fact-checking by experts and removal of false information within the platform.
