TikTok has released a new transparency report focused on providing specific information regarding detected influence
operations that have been removed from its app. In addition to that, the
report explains the company’s updated state-affiliated media policy.
This report is different from previous transparency reports
that TikTok has put out from time to time in compliance with industry
requirements. The current report includes details of 15 influence operations
that TikTok claims to have disrupted. You can see case-by-case breakdowns of all
detected groups along with the magnitude of their “covert operations” between April
1 - April 30, 2024.
The details consist of the number of profiles in and total followers of each group, and a brief description of each group’s intent as identified by TikTok. Elaborating on the collective intent of the detected groups, TikTok says that “a majority of these networks were attempting to influence political discourse among their target audience, including in relation to elections.”
What is important to note here is that TikTok has even included
an explicit disclosure on influence operations originating from its own
homeland, China. This may be seen as evidence that the company could be operating
independently from the CCP, as opposed to what it is consistently accused for. But
then again, it may be deemed as a form of deception too.
As for TikTok’s updated state-affiliated media policy, the
company will be restricting the reach of the detected state-affiliated accounts
when they attempt to expand their reach beyond their home nations. TikTok will
label these accounts as “detected state-affiliated profiles” and make them
ineligible for recommendation, meaning that their content won’t appear in the
For You feed. “In addition, if these accounts advertise on our platform, they
will not be allowed to advertise outside of the country with which they are
primarily affiliated,” the social media company asserts.
