– I have several times caught myself using TikTok rather than Google when searching for things, says Christine Sønvisen (22). – I also get an extremely large amount of news from TikTok that I don’t get from other channels, she says. Christine rarely thinks that TikTok is Chinese. Photo: Private Christine is one of many young people who now use TikTok as their primary search engine. TikTok now has over a billion users worldwide, and almost a million Norwegians are on TikTok. Many of them young. In 2021, TikTok dethroned Google as the most visited website in the world, according to Forbes. – I also search a lot for beauty videos. I wanted to learn how to use hair rollers, and I learned that from TikTok. And training videos. – I actually kind of forget that TikTok is Chinese, says Christine. Good manipulation works best in secret The widespread use of TikTok as a primary source of information is causing several experts to sound the alarm about the possibilities and power this gives to the Chinese authorities. – They can turn on the search, change the search. They can add filters. They can give you searches based on where you are, says Gaute Bjørklund Wangen, expert in information security and associate professor at NTNU. Gaute Bjørklund Wangen is concerned about TikTok’s ability to influence us. Photo: NTNU Wangen explains that good manipulation works best in secret. – If you are aware that the other party is engaging in manipulation, you become more alert. The trick with TikTok is that many people have a high level of trust in the app, and then it is easy to become less critical of what is served, he says. But it is the case that Chinese Bytedance, which owns TikTok, can influence what will be shown and what will get more limited exposure on TikTok, says the expert. They can also choose to withhold information that they don’t want you to see. – China is in practice a dictatorship and they engage in a number of violations of human rights and that type of thing. Basically, we in Norway should be negative about this, he says. But China can use TikTok to, for example, give small drops of positivity towards China, where public opinion is becoming more and more friendly to the Chinese authorities, he explains. China can come up with small trickles of positive videos to slowly change people’s view of China. Illustration: ALEXANDER SLOTTEN / news He points out that the way TikTok works, by serving content rather than you actively finding or choosing it yourself, is a very effective way of influencing. The opportunity to manipulate is present – They have laid the golden egg. They have found a combination where they capture and hold your attention. It’s a great trick to manipulate. But the question is how much they make use of this opportunity. – But it is present, he warns. Illustration: ALEXANDER SLOTTEN / news Wangen recommends all users of TikTok to be a little skeptical about why they get served the videos they get and who might be interested in you seeing this. The concern is also shared by the US authorities. Chris Wray explains that China has the ability to manipulate the masses in the West through TikTok. Photo: Chris Machian / AP FBI Director Chris Wray stated last week that the Chinese now have the ability to manipulate content on the platform and can, if they wish, use TikTok to influence or manipulate the masses in the West. – These opportunities are now in the hands of the authorities in China who do not share our Western values, he warned. TikTok responded that they are subject to US law when operating in the US and that they are a private company. – Although I know there is great skepticism about the app, I don’t think about the fact that they have access to a lot of information about me, Christine explains. Christine thinks TikTok is better at explaining to her how the world works than most alternatives. Photo: Private – The reason for that is that I have not experienced any consequences from this, she says. – At least not yet.
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Could China be using TikTok to manipulate us? – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
