Since Russia’s war against Ukraine started, TikTok has been like a zombie for Russian users. Both dead and alive at the same time. Because while the whole world used TikTok to get news about what was happening in Ukraine, the company chose to stop Russian users from uploading new videos. In addition, videos from accounts in the rest of the world were blocked in Russia. Now a new report shows that this is about to change, in a way that has not been seen before. – There is either a major error in the algorithms, or this is an intentional act by TikTok, says Marc Faddoul. Marc Faddoul has previously worked with algorithms at Facebook and at Berkeley University in California. Photo: Vita Hewitt He leads the activist group Tracking Exposed. It is financed, among other things, by the European Commission, and looks at how algorithms affect society. In their latest report, it appears that TikTok has quietly started to show new videos from both Russian and international users – completely contrary to what has been the company’s attitude externally. This means that it is possible for Russian TikTok users to see international images from the war in Ukraine. In the past, this has not been the case, as news showed in this case: To understand how, we must first look at another term: shadow ban. Making content invisible “Shadow banning” (shadow banning) is a well-known term in social media. It is to make content that has been uploaded invisible – meaning that the algorithms do not show it to other users. This is often used against users who have broken the platform’s rules. – What is now happening in Russia is the opposite. TikTok’s algorithms suggest content to Russian users that TikTok has said is prohibited. We therefore call it “shadow promotion”, says Faddoul. An example is the account of the BBC. Screenshot of BBC news’ user on TikTok. The example is highlighted by Tracking Exposed. Graphics: Screenshot A Russian user accessing the site of the British public broadcaster will not see any videos. But if he follows the page, videos published after the TikTok ban may appear in the For You page. According to Faddoul, one possibility could be that TikTok is afraid of losing users when they are only served old videos. – In order to keep the users, TikTok is therefore trying to give them something new, but without coming into conflict with the Russian authorities, he says. Research leader Salvatore Romano in Tracking Exposed says that this is a completely new way of using the algorithms. – I have never seen a platform in such a hidden way display content they have publicly banned, he says. – Have not changed their position news has asked several questions to TikTok about the findings in the report, and how they handle the situation in Russia. Spokesperson Parisa Khosravi writes in a response that “our stance on the service in Russia has not changed, and we will continue to enforce it with the safety of our employees and the user community in mind.” The Ukraine war has become a headache for the Chinese company. Earlier, the American website Vice revealed that Russian TikTok influencers had been paid to spread Russian propaganda. Tracking Exposed has also shown in a previous report how several positive war videos got through even though TikTok stopped new uploads when the war started.
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TikTok shows videos in Russia that TikTok itself has banned – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
