TikTok’s ascent as a search engine may mean that more people stumble upon misinformation and disinformation on the app, which could then be amplified and spread

TikTok’s ascent as a search engine may mean that more people stumble upon misinformation and disinformation on the app, which could then be amplified and spread further, said Francesca Tripodi, an information and library science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The platform has struggled with moderating misleading content about elections, the war in Ukraine and abortion. TikTok’s algorithm tends to keep people on the app, making it harder for them to turn to additional sources to fact-check searches, Ms. Tripodi added. “You aren’t really clicking to anything that would lead you out of the app,” she said. “That makes it even more challenging to double-check the information you’re getting is correct.”