TikTok and Malaysia’s Election Commission collaborate to prevent election misinformation and provide verified voting information for the Sabah state election.
KUALA LUMPUR: TikTok has announced a partnership with the Election Commission to safeguard platform integrity ahead of the Sabah state election.
The collaboration aims to protect users from misinformation while providing reliable, verified information about the voting process.
During the state polls, TikTok will work closely with the EC and fact-checkers to make authoritative voting information easily accessible.
Advanced moderation technologies and safety professionals will help connect users with authoritative information while removing harmful content.
The platform will activate an in-app search guide that appears when users search for election-related content.
Clicking the guide directs users to a detailed page with TikTok’s community guidelines and a link to the EC’s official website.
TikTok engaged with Sabah election experts as part of ongoing collaboration with government agencies and civil society organisations.
The platform works with non-government bodies including BERSIH to ensure election policies evolve against complex threats.
TikTok Malaysia’s head of Public Policy Firdaus Fadzil said the partnership strengthens election process integrity.
“We remain focused on keeping our users safe and protecting the TikTok platform integrity during these civic processes,” he said.
Firdaus stated this involves enforcing robust policies to prevent misinformation spread and prohibiting political advertisements.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun stressed the commission ensures Malaysians receive accurate and transparent voting information.
“Collaborating with TikTok is a key step toward ensuring voters have access to authentic and timely information,” he said.
Ramlan said the partnership promotes voter education and empowers public participation in the electoral process.
Between Q1 2024 and Q2 2025, TikTok removed over 450,000 videos under its Integrity and Authenticity policies.
Over 99% of these removals, including misinformation and election integrity violations, were done proactively.
TikTok prohibits political advertisements and prevents political accounts from monetising content.
The platform bans promotion of election-related material through paid advertisements.
Official election entities may run ads strictly limited to essential voter information like voting procedures.
Users are encouraged to report misleading content through TikTok’s in-app reporting tool. – Bernama
