Amid ongoing concerns about the Chinese government’s influence on its operations, TikTok has released an updated transparency report. This new report provides more detailed information on detected influence operations that have been removed from the app. TikTok is also changing its rules to limit the reach of state-affiliated media accounts that try to influence users outside their home country.
New transparency report details
For years, TikTok has published transparency reports, but they have only given general overviews of its actions. The new report is different because it includes detailed breakdowns of each detected group and the scale of their activities.
The report shows the number of profiles in each group, their total followers, and a brief description of what each group was trying to do. This detailed information is meant to reassure users about TikTok’s efforts to stop influence operations.
TikTok shared:
“In the first four months of 2024, we disrupted 15 influence operations and removed 3,001 accounts. Most of these networks were trying to influence political discussions, including around elections. For example, we stopped a network targeting Indonesian voters before the presidential elections and another that was amplifying political discussions in the UK.”
Importantly, TikTok’s report includes information on influence operations from China. This could help show that TikTok is not controlled by the Chinese government. However, there is still some skepticism, especially since other major tech companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google have reported larger Chinese influence networks.
Restricting state-affiliated media
TikTok is also updating its policy on state-affiliated media. Previously, these groups were labeled in the app. Now, TikTok will also limit its reach when it tries to influence users outside their home countries.
“When we identify these accounts, they won’t be recommended, meaning their content won’t appear in the For You feed. Additionally, if they advertise on our platform, they won’t be allowed to advertise outside of their home country.”
This change applies to state-affiliated media profiles trying to influence global discussions on current events.
Aiming for reassurance
TikTok’s efforts to address concerns about influence and manipulation are part of a strategy to maintain its presence in markets like the U.S., where there are calls for it to be sold due to security worries. While these steps may reassure some users and regulators, questions about the Chinese government’s potential influence on TikTok are likely to continue.
In summary, TikTok’s new transparency report and updated policies are important steps toward greater accountability. Whether these actions will be enough to build trust remains to be seen, but TikTok is clearly working to address the concerns raised about its operations.
Featured image credit: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash
