TikTok Bans Russian State Media Accounts Ahead of U.S. Election to Combat Disinformation
TikTok has permanently banned accounts linked to Russian state media for "covert influence operations" ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The accounts involved media outlets Rossiya Segodnya, which owns RIA Novosti and Sputnik, and TV-Novosti, the parent company of RT.
These accounts were previously restricted in the UK and EU and labelled as state-controlled, but TikTok has now extended the ban globally.
Tiktok claims accounts violated community guidelines
In a statement, TikTok said the accounts violated its community guidelines, specifically its prohibition on deceptive behaviour. The platform is ramping up efforts to prevent disinformation as election season approaches.
TikTok’s move follows similar actions by Meta, which recently banned Russian state media accounts from Facebook and Instagram for "foreign interference activity."
Decision follows concern over election interference
The decision comes amid ongoing concerns about Russian interference in U.S. elections. The Russian government was accused of influencing the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and this year, U.S. prosecutors charged two RT employees with trying to fund a $10 million project to influence American political discourse.
RT’s editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, has denied these claims, calling RT a "normal journalist organisation." She responded defiantly, saying, "They close entry to us, and we will go through the window."
Tiktok continues to face backlash over ties with China
Despite the ban, TikTok continues to face scrutiny in the U.S. over its own ties to China. American lawmakers have raised concerns that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, could share user data with the Chinese government. This has prompted discussions of banning the app entirely in the U.S.
While TikTok has not responded to specific concerns about foreign influence in detail, it revealed that it had removed five covert influence networks in August. One of these networks had 3.8 million followers and was focused on promoting Russian narratives. Additionally, two other networks targeted political discourse in Mexico.
As tech companies crack down on foreign disinformation campaigns, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have taken a different approach. Unlike TikTok, Meta, and YouTube, X has allowed RT and Sputnik accounts to remain active, leading to mixed reactions on how to handle foreign influence on social media.
With the U.S. election fast approaching, TikTok’s crackdown is part of a broader push by social media companies to ensure election integrity. The ban on Russian state media accounts is another step toward preventing the spread of misinformation, though the debate on how to best manage these issues remains ongoing.
