KIICHIRO SATO/AP
Is TikTok, one of the last foreign social networks still active in Russia, really honoring its commitments in that country? Not really, according to a report released Wednesday, Aug. 10, by Tracking Exposed, an NGO that has been scrutinizing TikTok’s politics since war broke out in Ukraine five and a half months ago. In particular, their researchers accuse the platform of making content accessible that should no longer be accessible in Russia.
To understand what TikTok is being accused of, we need to go back to its previous statements. On March 6, the Chinese social network announced that it was suspending the publication of content on Russian soil in what it called “the security of [ses] employees and [ses] User”. For the company, it was a necessary precaution in light of a new Kremlin law that sanctions up to 15 years in prison for anyone who spreads “false information about the army,” whether Russian or foreign. or about the invasion dubbed “Special Operation”. The platform even went beyond blocking content originating from Russia, as Tracking Exposed found from the early days of the conflict that it was also very quick to make foreign content unavailable from Russian territory. A measure whose implementation was not formalized until much later, on June 30, by TikTok.
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“shadow advertising”
In theory, since the beginning of March, TikTok users in Russia have only been able to access pre-war content published on Russian soil. Except that, after showing through two studies (one in March, the other in April) that this policy was used sporadically and benefiting pro-Kremlin propagandist accounts, Tracking Exposed researchers have now uncovered a new flaw: When a new video, Russian or foreign, is published on TikTok, it does not appear in its author’s profile, but on the other hand, pushed by the algorithm, it can appear on the “For you” page of Russian netizens if they have subscribed to the author in question. However, much more than profile pages, the For You page is the main way users consume content on TikTok.
Therefore, of the seven accounts examined by the NGO, whether entertainment (Charli d’Amelio or Dynamo Kyiv), foreign media (BBC) or Russian media (Sputnik), the result is the same: while they do not appear to have published anything months, according to their Judging by profiles, the TikTok algorithm, through the application’s “For You” page, offers its Russian netizens content created by the same accounts long after the official ban was imposed, as seen here with this video by Sputnik published on April 17 .
In these footage captured by Tracking Exposed on July 25, we can see that a video posted by Sputnik on May 17 appears in the “For you” thread of the user account created by the researchers, but not on Sputnik’s profile. SUSPENDED
This phenomenon is dubbed “shadow advertising” by researchers: while “shadow banning” for a platform is to limit the disclosure of content without giving reasons, “shadow advertising” is conversely tantamount to discreetly promoting content that is theoretically prohibited. Tracking Exposed also notes that certain verified accounts in Russia do not appear to have any posting restrictions. : You can broadcast new content from Russian territory and it will appear on your page in the same way for all users, whether they are Russian or not.
For several certified Russian accounts that were able to post new content despite the suspension announced by TikTok, such as @kinopoisk or @yandex.music, the researchers found that there is no difference between what a Russian user sees on their profile and a foreign users gave. SUSPENDED
lack of transparency
Without being able to provide more specifics, TrackingExposed estimates that access to current and international content was restored in Russia between May and July 2022, again without official announcement from TikTok. “It’s possible that the fact that only legacy content is present on the platform has led to user dislike,” says Marc Faddoul, co-director of the organization and co-signatory of the report. So, according to the document, the platform could have tried to “superficially” maintain some semblance of conformity to its official position while allowing it to be circumvented to some extent so as not to scare its users off Russia. However, the study does not rule out a “technical error” as the algorithmic recommendations may not have been updated quickly enough by TikTok.
Contacted, the company has not yet responded to inquiries from Le Monde. But whether the implementation of his policy in Russia fluctuates accidentally or intentionally, the conclusion is the same, Marc Faddoul regrets:
“Even if the platform claims to ban content, we see that it can still appear algorithmic. Once again we see the need for transparency and auditing of recommendation systems, which today are completely opaque. »
The researcher recalls that TikTok is one of the signatories of the new European code of conduct, which obliges major platforms to be more transparent about their operations. In their report, the authors also say they hope that the Digital Services Law, passed by the European Parliament on July 5, will further push social networks to open their doors.
Also read: Online disinformation: EU adopts new code of conduct for platforms and social networks