Despite explicitly banning political advertisements on their platform since 2019, the Chinese-owned media giant TikTok still shows alleged paid political ads, including several linked to Democrat activist groups.
Recent findings indicate that this prohibition has not entirely prevented the circulation of paid political messages.
At least 52 videos labeled with “Paid Partnership,” #ad, or #sponsored, some receiving significant views, have appeared to contravene TikTok’s policy.
Some videos appear to be sponsored by the Democratic activist groups ActBlue, TogetherSF Action, and NextGen America.
These videos promote issues like climate change and voter registration.
TikTok has reiterated its stance against political ads, stating that it disallows political content through all monetization channels, including paid advertisements, branded political content, and other promotional avenues.
TikTok claims it adheres to a stringent no-political-ads policy, unlike other tech giants such as Facebook, Instagram, X, and Google.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
TikTok faces additional