TikTok tightens misinformation rules before 2020 election

TikTok announced new rules for its users on Wednesday to curb misinformation and manipulation ahead of the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The Chinese-owned karaoke app aims to show that its platform won't be vulnerable to election-related mischief and malice, as it weighs a deal to sell itself to Microsoft to forestall a ban by the Trump Administration.

What's new: The company announced 3 major changes to its content policy, which hadn't been amended since January.

1. It's updating its policies on misleading content to more explicitly prohibit synthetic or manipulated content (i.e., deepfakes) "that misleads users by distorting the truth of events in a way that could cause harm." It's also making its policies on election meddling clearer by defining what it considers to be "coordinated inauthentic behavior."
2. It's expanding fact-checking partnerships with PolitiFact and Lead Stories to screen potential misinformation related to the 2020 U.S. election. These partners already help TikTok fact-check around issues like climate change and COVID-19 misinformation. TikTok is also adding an in-app option for users to report election misinformation for review.
3. It's working with with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Countering Foreign Influence Task Force (CFITF). TikTok didn't say much more about this partnership, but noted that it's also working with a number of "industry-leading threat assessment platforms" to help safeguard against inauthentic activity.

Be smart: TikTok has tried hard to stay away from politics, but as its platform grows, that's become more difficult.

• While TikTok has long discouraged political content and was quick to rule out political advertising, it has found that users still want to use the platform for political advocacy and influence.

The big picture: President Trump has given TikTok and Microsoft 45 days to hash out a deal after first threatening an immediate ban on TikTok.

• TikTok users organized an effort that reportedly inflated signups for President Trump's ill-attended Tulsa rally in June. Some speculate that could have angered Trump and motivated him to try to ban TikTok.
• There's also real bipartisan concern about TikTok's handling of U.S. user data in light of Chinese security laws, although the company says it stores none of that data in China or within its government's reach.