TikTok is introducing a new feature called Footnotes, designed to make videos more credible and informative on the platform. TikTok describes Footnotes as a “community-based approach” to improve the quality and accuracy of content, drawing inspiration from X’s Community Notes. Currently, this feature is being tested in the United States.
What Are TikTok Footnotes?
Footnotes allow eligible users to add contextual information directly underneath videos. These additions are meant to clarify, correct, or add valuable insight to content, helping users better understand what they’re watching. The goal is to tackle misinformation and increase transparency without traditional moderation or fact-checking.
It operates much like Wikipedia or user-powered reviews, relying on a collaborative model where the community actively contributes to the content.
Who Can Add TikTok Footnotes?
Not everyone can add Footnotes. TikTok has outlined specific eligibility criteria for becoming a contributor:
- You must have been a TikTok user for more than six months
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have no recent Community Guidelines violations
Initially, access will be limited to a select group of approved contributors, with gradual expansion expected in the coming months. Once approved, users can both submit footnotes and evaluate others’ contributions.
How the Footnotes System Works
TikTok’s Footnotes includes a ranking and rating system that helps show the most useful information. After a contributor adds a footnote to a video, others can vote on whether the note is helpful. Only footnotes rated positively by users will be displayed publicly.
This consensus-driven model is meant to reduce bias and ensure that only the highly-ranked context appears on videos. As the system gathers more user input and data over time, Footnotes is expected to become more accurate and effective at displaying high quality, relevant notes.
Learning from Other Social Platforms
Footnotes is notably similar to the Community Notes feature on X. Both systems follow a similar design, allowing users to add context to public content, using a rating mechanism that ensures highly rated and agreed-upon notes are shown.
TikTok explicitly mentions that Footnotes is “inspired by the open-sourced system” used on other platforms—clearly referencing the model pioneered by X. TikTok’s launch of Footnotes reflects a broader industry trend toward decentralised content moderation. Following in the footsteps of X, Meta also announced in March that it would phase out its third-party fact-checking partnerships in favor of a Community Notes-style system.
This shift signals a growing belief among platforms that crowdsourced moderation can be more transparent and trusted by users than traditional top-down approaches.
What’s Next for Footnotes?
Currently, Footnotes is still in its testing phase. TikTok will collect feedback from contributors, viewers, and creators to fine-tune the system. It remains to be seen how the feature will scale and how effective it will be in practice.
For marketers, creators, and brands, this is a development worth watching. While no immediate strategy shifts are needed, understanding how Footnotes evolves could inform future content strategies.
