TikTok Imposes Strict Rules on Politicians: Half a Million Videos Removed
Ahead of the Knesset elections, the social network is launching a strict policy, including a total ban on paying influencers and the establishment of a special task force to detect AI-generated forgeries and misleading content.
Ahead of the 26th Knesset elections scheduled for October 27, TikTok has published a set of strict guidelines for politicians and public figures in Israel. The measures, intended to maintain platform integrity and information reliability, include a total ban on paid promotion of political content, monitoring of misleading material, and a strict ban on manipulations using artificial intelligence (AI).
Under the new policy, party and politician accounts are barred from using advertising or monetization tools. It is strictly forbidden to pay content creators and influencers for political propaganda. Furthermore, the company requires the labeling of realistic AI-generated content, employs automatic detection mechanisms, and works to remove harmful content that could disrupt the election process or mislead voters in Israel.
To enforce these rules, TikTok has established a dedicated task force composed of experts in cybersecurity, disinformation, and law. The team works in close cooperation with the Central Elections Committee and external fact-checking bodies, including the Reuters news agency. In its enforcement report for the first quarter of 2026, the company revealed that 551,341 videos violating civic integrity and AI usage policies have already been removed in Israel.
Additionally, the company will launch an in-app "Election Center," providing users with access to official information from the Elections Committee regarding voting dates and procedures. The company notes that this move is based on experience gained from over 250 election campaigns worldwide, and users searching for political content will be automatically redirected to verified information within the data center.
