TikTok has been accused of inconsistent labeling of Russian state propaganda accounts by researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy.

The study found that TikTok labeled around 50 accounts as Russian state-controlled media, but this process was not comprehensive and ineffective at reducing engagements with Russian state media.

Kremlin-Funded Outlets

The researchers' 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 their own dataset are active, but it appears that each account could start posting again if they chose to do so.

TikTok's labeling process appears to be flawed, as the study found 31 additional accounts that appear to be tied to state-backed outlets but are unlabeled. Many of the 78 accounts that were identified have not posted in 2023.

More than half of the accounts labeled by TikTok stopped sharing content or spun up new, unlabeled accounts. Additionally, the researchers found nine inactive and unlabeled accounts that are likely controlled by Russian state media.

The study found that TikTok's state-controlled label does not appear to reduce an account's visibility. The 22 labeled and active accounts that were found have more than 6 million followers and have generated more than 114 million likes.

These labeled Russian media accounts are among the most popular news outlets on the platform. The study found that RT en Español has more likes than Telemundo, Univision, BBC Mundo, and El País.

RT's account has more followers and likes than the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The labeled Russian state media accounts are reaching larger audiences on TikTok than on other platforms. 

The study also found 22 active accounts that are likely tied to Russian state media but are unlabeled. These accounts have more than 1.7 million followers and 25 million likes.

RT's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan operates the most followed unlabeled account. Although Simonyan's account might not fall under TikTok's labeling policy, she is one of Russia's leading propagandists, and her TikTok videos regularly reach millions of users.

The researchers also found 13 country-specific Sputnik accounts that are unlabeled. 

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TikTok's Response

TikTok claims to have more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, and people are increasingly turning to the app for news, including to learn about developments in Ukraine. Based on the researchers' analysis, some users are engaging more with Russian state media than with other independent news outlets on the platform.

TikTok is under heavy regulatory pressure in the United States and across the broader West. If the app wants to prove that it is not a tool for autocrats, it needs to take steps to reduce the visibility of Russian propaganda, according to the researchers.  

However, more than 120 accounts have already been labeled by TikTok, a platform representative told AP.

Since the platform's policy only applies to outlets and organizations and not to specific users, the editor-in-chief of RT is exempt from labeling.

TikTok promised to label many of the other accounts found by researchers, as per AP's report. 

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