TikTok begins testing controversial feature from Elon Musk's X
TikTok is testing a feature that's currently used by Elon Musk's X platform.
Used by over 170 million Americans, the future of the video-sharing platform is still up in the air.
After a 2024 law passed with strong bipartisan support, TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance was told it had to sell the app by January 2025 or risk getting booted from the US.
The US government raised concerns about possible data misuse from the Chinese government and national security, though both TikTok and China deny any wrongdoing.
Advert
President Trump is reluctant to get rid of the app so quickly, as he's extended the deadline again this month and says a deal is still 'on the table.'
Meanwhile, the list of potential buyers keeps growing, with Amazon reportedly making a last-minute bid, while Elon Musk has also been linked to the deal.
Other high-status figures like billionaire Frank McCourt, OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely and YouTuber MrBeast have been openly discussing working with investors to make a bid.
Now, a new controversial feature is being rolled out on the app. On Wednesday, the app began rolling out a new tool in the US called 'Footnotes'.
Similar to 'Community Notes' used by X (formerly Twitter), the feature allows users to add 'more context' and 'relevant information' about content on the platform.
"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," said Adam Presser, TikTok's head of operations and trust and safety.
Meta began testing the feature in March Community Notes in the US using technology developed by X. Now, TikTok has become the latest company to add a crowd-sourced model to its platform with this update.
According to the social platform, anyone in the US can apply to be a Footnotes contributor, but there are a few requirements. Contributors will need to be 18 or older, have a TikTok account for at least six months and have no recent history of a community guidelines violation.
TikTok hopes the feature will help users vote on whether other people’s context is actually helpful, especially when there are differing opinions. Presser added: "Whether the content discusses a complex STEM-related concept, shares statistics that could misrepresent a topic, or updates about an ongoing event, there may be additional context that could help others better understand it. That's why we're building Footnotes."