Chinese short-form video app TikTok on Wednesday announced to ban political fundraising on its platform, just six weeks before the November midterm elections in the US.
TikTok said that it has long prohibited political advertising, including both paid ads on the platform and creators being paid directly to make branded content.
Restrictions
"We currently do that by prohibiting political content in an ad, and we're also now applying restrictions at an account level. This means accounts belonging to politicians and political parties will automatically have their access to advertising features turned off, which will help us more consistently enforce our existing policy," said Blake Chandlee, President, Global Business Solutions, TikTok.
Over the coming weeks, TikTok will be changing its policies to also "disallow solicitation for campaign fundraising".
"That includes content such as a video from a politician asking for donations, or a political party directing people to a donation page on their website," it added.
Monetization Features
Additionally, the company will be prohibiting these accounts from accessing other monetization features.
"Specifically, they will not have access to features like gifting, tipping, and e-commerce, and will be ineligible for our Creator Fund," the platform said.
Starting today in the US, TikTok will also be "trialing mandatory verification for accounts belonging to governments, politicians, and political parties through the midterm elections".
"We will continue to allow government organizations to advertise in limited circumstances, and they will be required to be working with a TikTok representative," said the company.
