TikTok launches crowd-sourced debunking tool in US
Footnotes, a feature that the popular video-sharing app began testing in April, allows vetted users to suggest written context for content that might be wrong or misleading - similar to Community Notes on Meta and X.
'Footnotes draws on the collective knowledge of the TikTok community by allowing people to add relevant information to content,' Adam Presser, the platform's head of operations and trust and safety, said in a blog post.
'Starting today, US users in the Footnotes pilot programme can start to write and rate footnotes on short videos, and our US community will begin to see the ones rated as helpful -- and rate them, too,' he added.
TikTok said nearly 80,000 US-based users, who have maintained an account for at least six months, have qualified as Footnotes contributors. The video-sharing app has some 170 million US users.
TikTok said the feature will augment the platform's existing integrity measures such as labeling content that cannot be verified and partnering with fact-checking organisations, such as AFP, to assess the accuracy of posts on the platform.
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The crowd-sourced verification system was popularised by Elon Musk's platform X, but researchers have repeatedly questioned its effectiveness in combating falsehoods.
Earlier this month, a study found more than 90 per cent of X's Community Notes are never published, highlighting major limits in efficacy.
The Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA) study analysed the entire public dataset of 1.76 million notes published by X between January 2021 and March 2025.
TikTok cautioned it may take some time for a footnote to become public, as contributors get started and become more familiar with the feature.
'The more footnotes get written and rated on different topics, the smarter and more effective the system becomes,' Presser said.
Tech platforms increasingly view the community-driven model as an alternative to professional fact-checking.
Earlier this year, Meta ended its third-party fact-checking programme in the United States, with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg saying it had led to 'too much censorship.'
The decision was widely seen as an attempt to appease President Donald Trump, whose conservative base has long complained that fact-checking on tech platforms serves to curtail free speech and censor right-wing content.
Professional fact-checkers vehemently reject the claim.
As an alternative, Zuckerberg said Meta's platforms, Facebook and Instagram, would use 'Community Notes.'
Studies have shown Community Notes can work to dispel some falsehoods, like vaccine misinformation, but researchers have long cautioned that it works best for topics where there is broad consensus.
Some researchers have also cautioned that Community Notes users can be motivated to target political opponents by partisan beliefs. AFP
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Singapore hotel room rates dip in Q2 as demand softens, supply grows
[SINGAPORE] Year-on-year falls in Singapore hotel rates and occupancy for the second quarter of 2025 were the result of dampened travel sentiment combined with new hotel rooms, industry watchers said on Thursday (Jul 31). In the second quarter, Singapore hotels posted an average room rate (ARR) of S$263.83, down 1.1 per cent from the year-ago period's S$266.89, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) data showed on Thursday. The highest ARR within the quarter – at S$267.98 – was recorded in May, when Lady Gaga performed four shows at the National Stadium, in what was her only concert stop in Asia on her Mayhem Ball tour. But that was still a year-on-year fall, by 1.1 per cent from May 2024's S$270.90. The May 2025 ARR was also only a touch higher than April's S$265.77 and June's S$257.27, both of which were down 1.2 per cent year on year. Other hotel industry indicators also dipped on a yearly basis. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) fell 1.7 per cent to S$205.15, from S$208.77 in Q2 2024. Year-on-year declines were recorded across April, May and June. Maybank analyst Brian Lee said: 'The fall in ARR and RevPAR in Q2 could reflect increased cost-consciousness among travellers, given global economic uncertainty, which could have led travellers to opt for more budget-friendly accommodation.' BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Singapore hotels' average occupancy rate stood at 77.76 per cent in Q2 2025, down from 78.22 per cent in the year-ago quarter. The drag came mainly from June, because April and May recorded marginal improvements. The June decline was in line with the dip in visitor arrivals, led by the month's drop in Chinese tourists, Lee noted. DBS analyst Geraldine Wong said: 'New room supply meant a more competitive operating landscape for existing hoteliers.' This increased supply was noticeable within Orchard Road and the Central Business District precinct, she said, highlighting the re-opening of Grand Hyatt Singapore and the launch of The Standard, Singapore, which came after Q2 2024. This growth in supply is evidenced by the rise in available room nights, pointed out Wong Xian Yang, head of research for Singapore and South-east Asia at Cushman & Wakefield. There were 5.9 million available room nights in Q2 2025, up 2.4 per cent from the year-ago quarter. As for demand, the US-tariff-related uncertainty may have led to delayed or cancelled travel plans and less willingness to spend, both for business and leisure travel, observers said. 'The strong Singapore dollar did not help as well,' DBS' Wong added. Overall room revenue, which reflects room supply, gained 0.6 per cent on the year to S$1.22 billion in Q2 2025, from S$1.21 billion. Year-on-year room revenue was slightly higher in April and May, but June's takings were lower. Across all measures, May was the best-performing month in the quarter. More visitors The slower hotel data came as international visitor arrivals (IVA) rose 4 per cent to 4.02 million in Q2 2025, from 3.87 million visitors in Q2 2024. This was led by a 7.6 per cent jump in IVA in May to 1.37 million tourists, followed by April's 4.5 per cent increase to 1.4 million. In contrast, June 2025 had a 0.3 per cent slip in tourist arrivals to 1.25 million. China remained the top IVA source in the quarter, with 646,699 tourists, though this was down 2.1 per cent year on year. Lee believes that the decline could reflect competition from more affordable destinations such as Vietnam and Japan. The other top source countries in Q2 2025 were Indonesia (640,279), India (385,788), Malaysia (321,909) and Australia (297,878). The number of visitors from these four locations increased year on year; Malaysia and Australia recorded double-digit growth. An STB spokesperson noted that Malaysia recorded the highest IVA growth in June, at nearly 21 per cent. 'This strong performance was boosted by Malaysia's school holiday period, which fell later this year,' the spokesperson said. The school break was from May 29 to Jun 9, compared with May 25 to Jun 2 last year. June 2025 also had long weekends due to public holidays, including the Malaysian king's birthday on Jun 2 and Hari Raya Haji on Jun 7, 'while overall outbound travel was supported by robust economic indicators and a stable ringgit', the spokesperson said. 'The growth also reflects our regional office's efforts to promote Singapore, such as a collaboration with global fintech company Wise in May 2025 to encourage Malaysians to do more and spend more in Singapore,' the spokesperson added. Stepping down quarter on quarter Sequentially, hotel and arrivals data worsened for the quarter as a whole. At S$263.83, ARR in Q2 2025 was lower than the S$272.92 in Q1. Room revenue, at S$1.22 billion, was down slightly from the preceding quarter's S$1.28 billion. RevPAR fell quarter on quarter to S$205.15, from S$219.84. Occupancy, at 77.76 per cent, fell short of Q1 2025's 80.55 per cent. The 4.02 million IVA in Q2 was also lower than the 4.31 million posted in Q1. Looking ahead, the STB spokesperson pointed to 'more exciting offerings', including the opening of Resorts World Sentosa's Singapore Oceanarium , as well as familiar events such as the Formula 1 night race. These are on top of other upcoming concerts as well as meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) events. DBS' Wong expects earnings improvement in H2 to be more gradual. It will be driven by a stronger Mice calendar, 'especially with concert spikes now out of the picture', she said. Besides major events such as the World Aquatics Championships and the night race, inbound tourism from China is seasonally stronger in July and August, she added. Cushman & Wakefield's Wong believes that while IVA will continue to grow moderately, 'hotel room rates are stabilising at current levels'. He expects the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties to weigh on travel demand, adding that the strong currency 'may deter budget-sensitive travellers' despite Singapore's continued popularity regionally. For the full year, STB expects to receive 17 million to 18.5 million international visitors, contributing S$29 billion to S$30.5 billion in tourism spending. The Republic welcomed 8.33 million visitors from January to June.
