TikTok has introduced a new feature called “Footnotes,” marking a unique approach in the fight against misinformation—by involving its own user community. This feature, currently available to users in the U.S., allows the addition of notes below videos to clarify content, correct false claims, or provide additional context.
Inspired by similar solutions like Community Notes on platform X (formerly Twitter), this feature enables selected users to write comments that appear directly below the video. For a footnote to become publicly visible to all users, it must be rated as helpful by several people with diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
Currently, about 80,000 selected U.S. users have access to this system. TikTok states that it does not intend to replace professional fact-checkers, but rather to complement them. This means that third-party fact-checking teams will remain involved in content verification, now in combination with audience-powered oversight.
Unlike the approach taken by platforms like Meta and X, TikTok aims to establish a multi-layered verification model—where users and professionals together form a shield against manipulative content.
In an era where social media platforms face increasing criticism for spreading misinformation, this initiative could set new standards for accountability and transparency in digital communication.
In Brief: Tech World Highlights
- Google plans to invest around $6 billion in building a 1-gigawatt data center and supporting energy infrastructure in Visakhapatnam, India.
- Tesla has reached a $4.3 billion deal with South Korea’s LG Energy Solution for the supply of lithium iron phosphate batteries for its large-scale energy storage systems.
- Google confirmed yesterday that it will sign the EU Code of Practice on Artificial Intelligence, despite Meta refusing to do the same.
- Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated that the company is considering the introduction of ads into conversations with its AI assistant, Alexa+.
- OpenAI has announced the launch of Stargate Norway—the largest AI data center in Europe, which will be powered by 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026.
AI Trending Tools:
- Co-STORM – AI-assisted article creation from scratch, similar to Wikipedia entries, powered by smart search.
- Hunyuan-A13B – Tencent’s new open-source model for hybrid reasoning.
- Qwen VLo – Alibaba’s GPT-4o-like model for image generation and editing.
