As social media companies face challenges in controlling the spread of inaccurate information regarding the U.S. elections, TikTok has implemented new measures to prevent users from searching for and viewing specific hashtags linked to misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the election outcomes.

The video-sharing application has redirected certain hashtags – including #RiggedElection, #SharpieGate, and others – which had become hubs for the dissemination of election-related misinformation. Furthermore, the platform has removed numerous videos containing assertions of “election fraud.”

However, recent assessments of the app, along with related election hashtags, demonstrate that TikTok still encounters significant difficulties in effectively managing content that violates its policies.

Due to the extensive reach and user base of TikTok, even relatively obscure videos from unknown creators can accumulate substantial viewership before being removed.

Media Matters, for instance, reported identifying 11 instances of election misinformation circulating on TikTok, collectively garnering over 200,000 views. These videos propagated unsubstantiated claims, ranging from narratives about “magic ballots” to the false allegation that Arizona poll workers provided markers to Trump voters with the intention of invalidating their ballots.

TikTok has stated that all videos reported by Media Matters have been removed, with the exception of one featuring a premature declaration of victory. This particular video was shadowbanned – meaning its visibility within the platform was reduced – and now includes a banner directing users to reliable information about the election results.

These individual removals represent a small fraction of the total number of videos still circulating that make claims of election fraud, and TikTok has, thus far, only removed a limited number of hashtags related to this topic.

TikTok has confirmed the removal of content and redirection of searches for the hashtag #RiggedElection as of yesterday. Attempting to locate videos tagged with this term now leads to a blank page displaying a notification indicating that the search term “may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines.” The page also provides a link to TikTok’s Community Guidelines.

“Prioritizing a safe and positive experience for our users is TikTok’s primary concern,” the message conveys.

This approach mirrors TikTok’s recent strategy for addressing the spread of QAnon-related content on its platform, by making misinformation more difficult to discover through search redirection and hashtag restrictions.

While TikTok declined to provide a comprehensive list of hashtags it has taken action against during the elections, several hashtags were found to either return no results – such as #RiggedElection and #SharpieGate – or display only a limited number of videos, or content that TikTok classifies as “counter speech.”

The TikTok community frequently creates videos offering counterarguments or providing factual information related to hashtags associated with misinformation. TikTok maintains that this type of counter speech does not violate its policies, which is why videos may appear under hashtags that would otherwise be linked to inaccurate claims, rather than the hashtag being completely suppressed.

Additionally, some less-frequently used hashtags, such as #RepealtheSteal and #VeritasArmy – which have been observed on Twitter – were initially not appearing on TikTok at all. (However, TikTok subsequently chose to redirect these hashtags as well.)

The hashtag #StoptheSteal was also unavailable, although its variation, #StoptheStealing, displayed seven videos.

Numerous other hashtags were in use at the time of writing, including #VoterFraud (and its misspelling #VoterFruad), #DemsCheat, #CorruptElection, #ElectionCorruption, #StoptheStealing, #ElectionFraud (and misspelling #ElectionFruad), #CrookedJoeBiden, #CrookedDems, #Fraud (and its misspelling #Fruad), #Rigged, #Rigged2020, #MailinBallots, #CoupdEtat, #ElectionMeddling, #DemocratsAreDestroyingAmerica and #BallotHarvesting, among others.

While some hashtags had limited content, many contained videos that went beyond simply expressing political opinions, and instead made specific claims of election fraud. Collectively, these hashtags have amassed tens of millions of views, or even more.

For example, a search for the hashtag #VoterFraud (20.9 million views) initially revealed videos posted in the months leading up to Election Day that responded to Republican claims of voter fraud related to mail-in ballots.

However, many videos under this hashtag were recently published by supporters of President Trump and directly challenge the election results.

Among the videos discovered were reposts of content that TikTok had previously removed, including videos depicting Trump supporters’ protests regarding ballot counting in various states, presented as evidence of election fraud.

Other videos featured users speculating that Trump’s lawsuits would prove fraud and secure his re-election, often using screenshots of website vote tallies as purported “proof.”

Videos utilizing text overlays on footage were also observed, with the text making claims of election fraud while the accompanying video featured more moderate discussions about disappointment with the election outcome. (It remains uncertain whether this serves as a method to circumvent rule enforcement.)

TikTok has stated that its list of blocked hashtags is continuously updated as new terms and phrases emerge and the platform assesses their usage.

It is important to note that TikTok’s approach to addressing this content is not significantly different from that of other social networks.

During the election season, Facebook and Twitter have implemented measures such as labeling misinformation originating from prominent accounts (like that of President Trump). Facebook also displayed in-app notifications informing users that vote counting was still in progress. However, both platforms continue to allow users to access a wide range of hashtags promoting the idea of election fraud or rigged results.

While TikTok’s efforts may not be substantially more effective overall in addressing the significant amount of content promoting election misinformation on its network, its ban of top election misinformation hashtags differs from hashtag bans on other social networks.

Once TikTok decides to ban a term like “SharpieGate,” for example, the content is not surfaced regardless of whether the hashtag symbol (#) is used. Facebook, on the other hand, may ban the hashtag specifically, but not the term itself, meaning content about SharpieGate can still be found on its platform – often in the form of posts and videos from news organizations.

#SharpieGate was also among the hashtags Facebook began blocking today related to election misinformation, along with #StoptheSteal and a related group.