TikTok Fights Election Lies with Thai Fact-Checkers

Millions of Thai voters now have a direct line to verified election information, thanks to a new collaboration between TikTok and the country's Election Commission.

The social media giant launched its 2026 Thailand Election Center ahead of the February 8 general election. The center connects users to polling locations, voting procedures, and official candidate lists sourced directly from election authorities.

But the real innovation lies in how TikTok is stopping lies before they spread. The platform partners with Cofact Thailand and Thai PBS to verify claims in real time, using both human fact-checkers and artificial intelligence to detect manipulated content.

The numbers show the approach is working. According to TikTok's 2025 Community Guidelines report, the platform caught and removed 99.5% of banned content in Thailand before anyone reported it.

Chanida Klyphun, TikTok's director of public policy for Southeast Asia, explained that users can access the Election Center through simple in-app searches. The platform also gives people tools to flag suspicious content themselves, creating a community defense against false information.

To keep elections fair, TikTok maintains strict rules. Political advertising is completely banned, and politicians or government accounts cannot make money from their TikTok presence.

The Ripple Effect

The collaboration extends beyond just one platform. TikTok works with 20 global fact-checking organizations to validate claims and spot coordinated campaigns spreading false information.

Sawaeng Boonmee, secretary-general of the Election Commission, said the partnership ensures voters get accurate information when they need it most. For a country where millions use TikTok daily, meeting people where they already are makes democracy more accessible.

Supinya Klangnarong, co-founder of Cofact, emphasized that the project helps Thai citizens navigate digital spaces safely during a critical democratic moment. The initiative proves that tech platforms and civic organizations can work together to protect public discourse.

TikTok refined this approach by learning from elections in Singapore and other countries, improving its transparency and response mechanisms with each iteration.

When voters head to the polls next month, they'll do so armed with verified facts instead of viral lies.