Multiple videos across TikTok are spreading misinformation about the deadly coronavirus that has been spreading across China and other parts of the world, according to Media Matters For America, a media watchdog group.
What’s going on: Multiple videos hosted on TikTok sharing misinformation have garnered thousands of views, according to the report. An autosearch suggestion on the app points to these videos, too.
- Specifically, some videos claimed the government created the virus to eliminate the population.
- A separate video — which has 8,000 likes on its own — includes someone speculating that the government creates a disease every 100 years as a way of population control, according to the report.
- Another video says the Chinese government created the virus for population control. Another called it a “biochemical attack.”
- There’s another video that uses a conspiracy theory about former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates helped plant the virus and cause it to spread.
Policy: TikTok does not tolerate misinformation, according to the company’s community guidelines. The company updated its policies earlier in January after facing criticism about its ties to Beijing — the app’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing — and questions about whether or not its spreads Chinese propaganda, per The Hill.
- The policy reads: “We do not permit misinformation that could cause harm to our community or the larger public. While we encourage our users to have respectful conversations about the subjects that matter to them, we remove misinformation that could cause harm to an individual’s health or wider public safety. We also remove content distributed by disinformation campaigns.”
- The company asks members to never post misinformation that could lead to fear and hate, causes harm to individuals, any hoaxes or information that could influence elections.