"TikTok has been remarkably clear that partisan and political ads—and these are ads, in that people are being paid to promote something on behalf of a third party—are not OK..."

"... issuing a statement in October 2019, that read, in part, '[W]e will not allow paid ads that promote or oppose a candidate, current leader, political party or group, or issue at the federal, state, or local level—including election-related ads, advocacy ads, or issue ads.'... Even as progressive and Democratic-aligned organizations are increasingly interested in fighting 'disinformation,' progressive and Democratic-aligned organizations are employing strategies, like covert paid ad campaigns, that would presumably be found distasteful or immoral—or described as disinformation—if utilized by someone from across the aisle.... In a statement, a spokesperson for TikTok told us, '... Political discourse is allowed as long as it complies with our community guidelines and is organic content, meaning there is no sponsorship or paid promotion behind it.'"

From "A PR Firm Is Paying TikTok Influencers to Promote Liberal Causes and Hype Democrats’ Middling Accomplishments/Vocal Media “recruits, trains, and pays influencers” to promote liberal causes on TikTok. It’s easy to see how less-benign actors could use their model" (Vice). 

Where is the line between advertising and political speech? And how does that question relate to the concept "organic content"?

The TikTok statement defines "organic content" as content with "no sponsorship or paid promotion behind it." But is that precise? Here's a recent Forbes article, "The Differences Between Paid And Organic Content On Social Media": 

Organic social media content is any free content shared on social media profiles including posts, videos, stories and more....

That doesn't seem to say anything about whether the content-provider is receiving money. It seems to be about whether the platform is getting paid. Of course, TikTok can have its own policy on whether content-providers can receive money, and it can give a distinctive meaning to a term for the purpose of its own rules. (I mean, bees can be fish. That's not hard to understand!)

Some great examples of organic content include: • Testimonials/reviews. • Meet the team posts. • Real-life examples of how your product and/or service is used. • Relatable information. • How-to guides (bonus points if you turn it into a fun video).... 

[O]rganic content should include posts that make people want to interact and share... Remember that organic content should help you establish and grow your brand voice and connect with existing customers, and paid content should be designed to precisely target your ideal audience and reach the masses. Rather than posting just to post, if you can create a balanced strategy and maintain social media pages that truly represent your brand well, you’ll continue to reap the benefits of social media marketing and stand out from your competition.

TikTok is having content-providers who are promoting a brand other than their own. But why is that a problem?