Germany’s federal election is coming up on February 23rd, and TikTok’s outlined a range of measures that it’s putting in place in order to provide accurate information to voters, and combat misinformation in the app.
First off, TikTok’s launched a new in-app election center which is designed to connect TikTok users with reliable and accurate election information from trusted sources.
Of course, “trusted” has become a more complex debate among political watchers of late, but the idea is that this will provide official information on how to vote, and key dates for the event, in order to better inform TikTok users.
As per TikTok:
“As part of our standard process, we will label election-related videos, livestreams, and searches with banners that link to the election center. The 2025 Bundestag election center will offer a wealth of information, including details on how German citizens can vote, how to spot misinformation, and the rules for governing candidates. Additionally, it will provide direct links to resources such as the Federal Returning Officer’s official information page and their relevant TikTok account.”
Much like the U.S. election center that TikTok put in place before last year’s poll, the German version will provide similar access to official resources, helping to guide TikTok users on how and where to participate in their regional polls.
TikTok’s also launching “a dedicated Mission Control Center”, where its teams focused on safety and security will come together to monitor key elements.
“We are committed to maintaining the integrity of our platform through comprehensive measures. These include removing harmful content, partnering with experts such as the German Press Agency (DPA), and vigilantly combating covert influence operations. Our global efforts have helped us protect more than 150 elections, including the recent European elections and various state elections in Germany.”
Ensuring accurate voting information has become a key concern for social platforms, as they’ve increasingly become key news sources for billions of people. And with Germany’s election shaping up to be a divisive affair, given the rise of the Elon Musk-backed AfD party, considered by most to be a far-right leaning activist group, the need for accurate and timely voting information will be key.
For context, TikTok has over 21 million German users, many of whom will be voting for the first time. As such, this is an important pathway for voters, which could mean that TikTok could have a significant influence on the outcome.
You can learn more about TikTok’s German election measures here.
