Update (10/1/20): TikTok removed the videos following Media Matters' reporting, but the relevant hashtags remain active.
A viral conspiracy theory claiming Democratic nominee Joe Biden wore a wire during the first presidential debate is spreading on TikTok despite the company’s policy that explicitly prohibits the spread of election misinformation.
According to TikTok’s community guidelines, “content that misleads community members about elections or other civic processes” is explicitly prohibited on the app. But a demonstrably false conspiracy theory that accuses Biden of cheating during the debate by wearing a wire continues to proliferate on the platform.
The two things conspiracy theorists are pointing to as evidence of a “wire” were actually a crease in Biden’s shirt and a rosary Biden wears around his wrist to honor his late son Beau Biden.
Videos promoting this viral conspiracy theory are rapidly spreading on TikTok -- four of the examples identified by Media Matters have a combined 557,600 views and counting.
