TikTok has removed accounts associated with Rossiya Segodnya and TV-Novosti for engaging in ‘covert influence operations.’
Social media accounts belonging to Russian state media outlets have been removed from TikTok for allegedly “engaging in covert influence operations” ahead of the United States election in November.
Accounts associated with Rossiya Segodnya, the owner of Sputnik, and TV-Novosti, the owner of RT, have been affected.
“Our team is … working tirelessly to protect TikTok and stay ahead of evolving threats,” the social media platform said. “We do this by enforcing robust policies aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation, elevating reliable election information, and collaborating with internal and external experts who help us evaluate and improve our approach on an ongoing basis.”
The company defines covert influence operations as “coordinated, inauthentic behavior where networks of accounts strategically work together to mislead people or our systems and influence public discussion.”
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“The individuals behind this network created inauthentic accounts in order to promote the Russian administration. The network was found to display anomalous user behavior which we assess to be an attempt to inauthentically amplify its content,” TikTok said in the update.
“We are not taking action against these entities and individuals for the content of their reporting, or even the disinformation they create and spread publicly,” the State Department said. “We are taking action against them for their covert influence activities. Covert influence activities are not journalism.”
