Pretoria: Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Kenny Morolong, on Thursday met with executives from TikTok South Africa to explore potential areas of collaboration between the government and the popular short-form video platform. The meeting aimed to strengthen cooperation in promoting accurate information, online safety, and digital literacy among citizens.
According to South African Government News Agency, the engagement, held at GCIS in Hatfield, Pretoria, sought to leverage TikTok’s ongoing work with regulators and policymakers, particularly in enforcing its community guidelines. TikTok’s government relations team highlighted their collaboration with government institutions, including the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), to counter misinformation, especially during election periods.
TikTok employs artificial intelligence tools and human moderators based in Singapore and London to manage content moderation. The platform takes down harmful content and responds to government requests in line with its moderation workflows and community guidelines. Additionally, TikTok contributes to digital skills development through campaigns promoting responsible online behavior and educating users on reporting content and understanding how TikTok’s algorithms operate.
Deputy Minister Morolong welcomed the engagement, noting that the partnership could support the government’s broader communication objectives, including combating misinformation and disinformation online. He emphasized the role of GCIS in ensuring that the public is well-informed, stating that the collaboration would be crucial.
During the meeting, TikTok proposed exploring opportunities to train government communicators on the platform’s content policies and verification processes. The platform also suggested whitelisting official government accounts to prevent automated systems from misclassifying government adverts as political content. TikTok reaffirmed its global policy on political advertising, stating that while it does not allow creators to campaign for political parties or candidates, it supports public-interest and government-centric campaigns aimed at education and awareness.
The platform further highlighted opportunities for the government to partner with vetted TikTok creators to amplify messages on national campaigns. TikTok’s operations team offered to assist by identifying content creators aligned with government messaging, provided they receive clear briefs on objectives, audience, and key messages.
Additionally, TikTok shared insights into its monetization program for content creators, data analytics capabilities for campaign measurement, and its contribution to the Audio-Visual and Online Safety White Paper process in South Africa. GCIS Acting Deputy Director-General for Content Processing and Dissemination, Sandile Nene, echoed the Deputy Minister’s comments, stating that TikTok would assist government messaging to the public.