Posted only in threads without state media labels
China also uses it for domestic propaganda
Meta "Considering ways to address misinformation"
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has launched a new social networking service (SNS) called Threads, which is being exploited as a distribution channel for fake news by Chinese and Russian state media. One outlet posted a video showing U.S. President Joe Biden picking up a book about dementia at a bookstore, but the video was manipulated. The issue is attributed to the fact that Threads has not yet implemented a verification feature to indicate accounts as 'state-run or propaganda media.'
'China and Russia, in tense relations with the U.S., use domestic propaganda to tarnish Biden'
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 26th (local time), since the launch of Threads on the 5th, Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik have created accounts. Earlier, China’s CGTN and Xinhua News, as well as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-operated Fars News, also opened accounts. These accounts have since amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.
Last week, Sputnik posted a manipulated video showing U.S. President Joe Biden buying a book next to a sign that read "Brain exercises for dementia."
The outlet explained that the video was a composite of actual footage from 2020 of President Biden looking at books in a store combined with a nearby sign.
A video posted last week on the Sputnik Thread account, a Russian state media outlet. Sputnik explained that U.S. President Joe Biden was buying a book in a segment called "Brain Exercise for Dementia." However, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) clarified that it was a composite of actual footage from 2020 showing President Biden looking at a book in a store and a nearby sign. [Video source=Captured from Sputnik Thread account]
Unlike other SNS platforms, Threads does not display any indication that a particular account is a state-run propaganda media outlet.
Sputnik did not post this video on Instagram, where it is labeled as a 'state-run media.' Instead, it uploaded the video only on Threads, which lacks such labeling, spreading the video as if it were factual.
The platform is also being actively used for domestic propaganda.
China’s CGTN posted about a project supplying power to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, describing it as a "successful project." Xinhua News uploaded footage of a fashion show held in the region, promoting it as fostering "openness, inclusiveness, and the timeless beauty of Chinese culture." Threads has thus been used for Chinese propaganda.
The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is an area that countries like the U.S. have consistently criticized for China’s "human rights abuses against ethnic minorities."
"The stigma of a fake news platform could cause Threads to collapse"…Meta "plans countermeasures"
Neil Shah, a partner at market research firm Counterpoint Research, pointed out, "For Threads to compete with Twitter, strict content moderation including labeling state-run media is necessary," adding, "If it gains a reputation for fake news, the platform could collapse."
Meta responded by saying, "We will soon label state-run media accounts," and "We are also considering additional measures to address misinformation in future updates."
The outlet reported that some critics argue Meta rushed the launch of Threads and has yet to equip the platform with mechanisms to filter out such fake news.
Meanwhile, Twitter has labeled state-run media since 2020, but after Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, acquired Twitter, this labeling was removed starting in April.
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