Mozilla report found more than a dozen TikTok influencers who had undisclosed paid relationships to post political messages; TikTok banned political ads in 2019 (Cat Zakrzewski/Washington Post)
The new regulations are designed to prevent social media companies from using the platform to influence politics in any way. “We are taking a step towards promoting free expression while providing robust safeguards to ensure that political actors do not abuse our platform,” said the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Greg Coppola, in a statement. In recent months, TikTok has faced backlash after discovering that the platform had hired several young influencers with undisclosed paid relationships with political parties. In December 2019, the company announced that it would ban political advertisements on the app. However, a new report from Mozilla, which revealed that the company had paid more than a dozen influencers to post political messages, suggested that this move was too late.
What Mozilla report found about dozen TikTok influencers who had undisclosed paid relationships to post political messages?
More than a dozen influencers on TikTok, China’s version of Vine, had undisclosed relationships with brands while promoting posts promoting Chinese Communist Party ideology, according to a report released Thursday by Mozilla. While many TikTok influencers are celebrities and brands, the report said that the company had discovered at least 14 undisclosed paid relationships between influencers and brands while running advertisements promoting political messages. The influencer agreements, the report said, contained vague wording regarding financial relationships with the companies. TikTok said in a statement that it takes the issue of transparency very seriously. “We regularly review all content on our platform, whether posted by influencers, creators, or the public. We regularly check and assess the content and context of posts and videos, and we
What will happen to the influencers who had undisclosed paid relationships to post political messages?
If this happens, we can expect a new wave of influencer marketing. While influencer marketing is still in its infancy, brands should be aware that they may soon have to start disclosing the extent of their influencer relationships. And while the FTC is trying to determine whether influencers can be considered an extension of a brand and therefore require disclosure, it could be tricky to figure out. The issue is that some influencers have been found to have been paid directly by brands to post sponsored content, and others have been found to have been indirectly paid through advertising agreements with publishers.
What is the reason for the ban of TikTok on political ads?
The Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday, which bans political advertising by outside groups during elections, is another sign that online media is changing politics in the United States, where many players are pouring money into digital ad campaigns. Before the court decision, there were few regulations on political advertising on social media, especially in the lead-up to elections. And that lack of regulation allowed big donors to pour money into election efforts without revealing their identities. The court’s decision said restricting independent groups was constitutional because an “important” government interest justified it. “The risk of corruption or the appearance of corruption introduced by large contributors elevates a normal challenge to a political party’s platform by a political action committee
Conclusion
In conclusion, According to a report published earlier this month by Mozilla, 14 influencers had undisclosed “paid relationships” with advertisers promoting products and services on the social media platform. The report detailed how those influencers had posted “political messaging on TikTok that was either sponsored or endorsed by the company.” In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said that the platform had previously reviewed the content of TikTok videos to ensure that all content violating its community guidelines is removed. The spokesperson added that the company banned political ads in 2019 and has taken additional steps to strengthen how it controls paid posts.
FAQS
1. Who is behind the TikTok controversy?
The controversy was started by the New York Times.
2. Why did TikTok allow political ads in the first place?
TikTok has been operating in the U.S. since 2017 when it was called Musical.ly. It was then acquired by ByteDance in 2018, and Tencent later acquired ByteDance
3. Why do people have to pay for political advertising on TikTok?
When you’re on TikTok, you can pay to advertise your posts.
4. How much does it cost to advertise?
It costs anywhere from $100 to $1,000.
