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With its immense popularity among the global youth, TikTok has evolved from a hub for dance routines and lip-syncing videos to a significant source of information.
Interestingly, even media outlets have embraced the platform to engage younger audiences through creative content. However, TikTok’s accessibility and reach have also made it a target for misinformation, with malicious actors luring unsuspecting users through manipulated videos and sensational headlines.
Research reports published in 2022 and 2024 revealed that the platform’s algorithm had sometimes recommended misleading content to users. Below are a few instances from 2024 where TikTok became entangled in the web of misinformation.
- Joe Biden’s comment on Dangote refinery manipulated
A TikTok user shared a video claiming that United States President Joe Biden had made a statement about the Dangote Refinery. According to the video, Mr Biden allegedly urged Aliko Dangote to set petrol pump prices in Nigeria at N150 to alleviate the economic burden on citizens.
However, a fact-check by DUBAWA revealed that the video had been manipulated. Furthermore, such a significant remark from a prominent figure like Mr Biden would have been reported by credible news outlets, yet no such report existed, further confirming the claim’s falsehood. Read more.
- Misinformation spread on Tiktok about Russia interference in Nigeria
In August, the #EndBadGovernance protests swept across several cities in Nigeria. Four days into the demonstrations, videos surfaced on social media, showing Nigerians in the northern part of the country carrying Russian flags.
An investigation by DUBAWA uncovered that a TikTok influencer with over 100,000 followers was behind the spread of this false information. The influencer used misleading hashtags such as #Zangazanga (a Hausa word for protest), #Putin, and #Rusiya (a Hausa word for Russia) to call for Russia’s intervention, further fueling the misinformation. Read the investigative piece here.
- Video of collapsed buildings used in misleading context
In April 2024, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that scientists from Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) had predicted a potential eruption after detecting about 200 small earthquakes per hour beneath the Pacific Ocean floor, far off Vancouver Island.
Following this, a video on TikTok showed collapsed towers and trembling buildings, allegedly linked to the earthquake in Canada.
However, a fact-check by DUBAWA revealed that the clips used in the video were unrelated and had been taken from various past events, either in Canada or other countries, debunking the claim’s authenticity. See more information here.
- False claims surround Nigerian YouTuber’s deportation
In 2023, Emdee Tiamiyu, a Nigerian YouTuber, gave an interview to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), during which he made controversial claims that reportedly impacted Nigerian immigrants in the United Kingdom.
Earlier this year, a claim circulated on social media alleging that Mr Tiamiyu had been arrested and deported to Nigeria due to his involvement in criminal activities. While the specifics of the alleged crime were unclear, a Liberian YouTuber claimed that Mr Tiamiyu had been arrested by the UK government for defrauding £160,000 in asylum support to build a house in Ogun state.
However, DUBAWA’s investigation found the claim to be misleading. The picture of the house shared as evidence was sourced from an entirely different context, further discrediting the narrative. Read more here.
- TikTok user shares manipulated newspaper pages to push Biafra agitation
In 2024, one instance of misinformation on TikTok involved a user, @Be_wise0, sharing what appeared to be screenshots of reports from the popular Nigerian news website, Punch, on the Biafra agitation.
The headlines in the screenshots read: “Reps ask Nnamdi Kanu to drop Biafra agitation, but join politics for Igbo president” and “Presidency speaks on Biafra: We can’t give out South-South; if the 5 South-Eastern states want to go, they are free.” These posts gained traction, drawing attention from users, some of whom supported the claims.
However, our findings revealed that the screenshots were manipulated versions of an original Punch report, altering the headlines to create false narratives about Biafra agitation. More details here.
