Platform
Inside TikTok’s Plan To Protect Germany’s 2025 Federal Election
TikTok has announced the launch of a dedicated in-app Election Center ahead of Germany’s February 2025 federal election. The move follows the platform’s previous initiatives that reached 7.5 million European users during recent elections elsewhere in the EU.
The plan is part of TikTok’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the platform during crucial events such as elections, when disinformation is rampant and providing trustworthy information is critical.
As part of this worldwide effort, the platform has removed 9.8 million videos globally in the first three quarters of 2024 for violations of integrity guidelines. During the four weeks surrounding the European Parliamentary elections alone, TikTok removed over 45,000 pieces of content violating electoral integrity guidelines.
Platform Security Measures
The company’s election integrity strategy includes partnerships with over 20 IFCN-accredited fact-checking organizations operating in over 50 languages, including dpa, Germany’s news agency.
In addition, TikTok has implemented mandatory labeling for realistic AI-generated content and removed 2.5 million videos globally for violations of AI-generated media guidelines in Q1-Q3 2024. The platform removed 16.2 million videos globally for violating hate speech guidelines during the same period.
Under TikTok’s plan, state-affiliated media accounts face restricted advertising capabilities and are blocked from reaching audiences outside their registered countries. When attempting to influence foreign audiences on current affairs, these accounts become ineligible for recommendation in the For You feed.
The platform reports removing more than 150 accounts associated with Rossiya Segodnya and TV-Novosti for conducting covert influence operations and has geo-blocked Russian state-affiliated media accounts and content for EU audiences.
Content that falsely depicts public figures making endorsements or falsified authoritative sources faces removal.
Covert Network Detection
Also in 2024, security teams identified and dismantled three significant influence networks in Germany:
- A 42-account network coordinating through messaging platforms to amplify pro-AFD content targeting the 2024 German state elections
- 29 accounts creating inauthentic profiles to promote Russian foreign policy narratives
- 46 accounts operating through opaque entities to artificially boost AFD-favorable content in the German language
Advertising and Content Controls
The platform maintains its ban on political advertising, including paid content from governments, politicians, and political parties and creator payments for branded political content.
In the first three quarters of 2024, TikTok removed 20.4 million ads that violated guidelines. Political accounts cannot access monetization features, including gifting, tipping, e-commerce, or advertising functions.
Content moderation policies apply equally to news organizations, government entities, politicians, and political parties.
Accounts repeatedly violating policies may face temporary restrictions from recommendations or posting privileges, particularly during high-risk periods when content promotes violence, hate, or misinformation that could undermine civic processes. The platform considers behavior outside of TikTok in these decisions and informs accounts of actions taken.
Media Literacy Initiatives
TikTok reports that its European election information hubs received more than 1.3 million visits from users in Germany and Austria. A November campaign focused on AI-generated content awareness reached approximately 8 million users in-app, providing tools for identifying and reporting synthetic media.
The platform continues to label unverified content, which may become ineligible for For You feeds or trigger sharing reconsideration prompts.
The new German Election Center will provide voting information, misinformation identification resources, and direct links to the Federal Returning Officer’s official information. Election-related videos, livestreams, and searches will receive informational banners linking these resources. Notable accounts can apply for Verified badges to indicate authentic ownership, with TikTok maintaining a policy that verification badges cannot be purchased.
The initiative follows similar election integrity programs implemented during Germany’s 2021 Bundestag elections, the 2024 European Parliamentary elections, and recent state elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. The company reports that its global election protection measures have supported more than 150 elections to date.
Like TikTok, Snap also introduced a series of measures to combat misinformation and encourage civic engagement during the 2024 European Parliament elections, which were received by over 370 million European voters across 27 countries.
A recent study by the non-profit organization AI Forensics and European think tank Interface revealed that TikTok’s search algorithm may have inadvertently promoted Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to young voters during the EP elections.
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