How TikTok may have failed in tackling ‘Russian challenge’

In early 2022, following Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, TikTok started labeling accounts operated by Russian state propaganda agencies as a way to tell users they were being exposed to Kremlin disinformation. However, it seems that TikTok was not doing the ‘right job’ here.

According to an analysis from researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, the policy has been applied inconsistently. It reportedly ignores dozens of accounts with millions of followers. Researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bipartisan, transatlantic nonprofit operated by the German Marshall Fund that studies authoritarian disinformation, published a report that identified nearly 80 TikTok accounts operated by Russian state outlets like RT or Sputnik or by individuals linked to them, including RT’s editor-in-chief. More than a third of the accounts were unlabeled, despite a labeling policy announced by TikTok a year ago. The labels, which appear in bold immediately below an account’s name, read “Russia state-controlled media.” Clicking on the label brings up more information, including a description that “the government has control over the account’s editorial content.”

What the analysis says
“Our analysis found 78 TikTok accounts, including 47 labeled by the platform, that are likely tied to Kremlin-funded outlets. As of March 22, those accounts had more than 14 million followers and had generated more than 319 million likes. Not all the accounts labeled by TikTok or in our own dataset are active, but it appears that each account could start posting again if they chose to do so.”

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“Huge win” for Russia
“This is a huge win for Russian propaganda that they’re able to reach such large audiences on TikTok,” Joe Bodnar, a research analyst with the group, told the news agency AP. “TikTok is not taking it as seriously as other platforms.”

“TikTok claims to have more than 1.5 billion users around the world, and people are increasingly turning to the app for news—including to learn about developments in Ukraine. Based on our analysis, some users are engaging more with Russian state media than other, more reputable independent news outlets on the platform,” says the report.

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