TikTok reports disruption of influence campaigns to limit state propaganda

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The embattled Chinese social media app TikTok may have assuaged the concerns of some of its detractors with a new report today detailing how it’s limiting the reach of state-affiliated media accounts and how it’s dealing with influence campaigns.

As we reach the halfway point of 2024, a year that will see global elections on an unprecedented scale, TikTok said not only does it already label state-affiliated accounts, but it will now stop adding posts from such accounts on its “For You” page, thereby severely reducing their reach.

This will include accounts from China. The app, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., has long been accused in the U.S. of being under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, which may or may not have the power to control TikTok’s algorithm and so shape people’s views of the world and, importantly, the U.S. Though concrete evidence is lacking, lawmakers in the U.S. have passed a bill to ensure TikTok divests or it will be banned.

The announcement today might go some way to appeasing politicians in the U.S. who most vehemently want the ban – despite the unpopularity of the ban among much of the U.S. public. TikTok’s new policies against state-affiliated media will now also mean accounts from RT, Russia’s English-language television network, and the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, People’s Daily, will not be allowed to advertise outside their home counties.

TikTok reported that it has taken down “15 influence operations and removed 3,001 associated accounts” that have been trying to influence political discourse, including election information, so far in 2024. This includes accounts using propaganda to influence the presidential election in Indonesia and accounts that have attempted to influence the minds of the British public regarding the U.K.’s domestic political discourse.

Such covert influence campaigns have been around since social media became a factor in people’s lives. Meta Platforms Inc. is perhaps the best-known social media site for struggling with bad actors who have tried to spread disinformation or sow the seeds of polarization. Google LLC’s YouTube and X Corp. are also no strangers to bad actors trying to get into the minds of the user base.

“Today’s updates build on our long-standing efforts to foster authenticity on our platform,” said TikTok in a press release. “From enforcing robust policies against harmful misinformation to investing in media literacy for our community through in-app features and educational campaigns, we’ll continue to aggressively protect our platform’s integrity while empowering our community to create and enjoy authentic content and interactions on TikTok.”