Video social media (SNS) platform TikTok has blocked accounts of Russian state-owned media ahead of the U.S. presidential election, ABC News reported on the 25th (local time).
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, announced on the 23rd that accounts suspected of participating in "covert influence operations" would be removed from TikTok. This move comes just a week after Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced it would block Russian state media on its apps.
TikTok explained that accounts related to TV-Novosti, the parent company of Russian state broadcaster RT, and media group Rossiya Segodnya, which owns Russian state-run news agencies RIA Novosti and Sputnik, are affected by the new regulations.
The company added that accounts related to TV-Novosti and Rossiya Segodnya have already been restricted in the UK and the European Union (EU), and that content from these media outlets does not appear in the video recommendation menu, "For You."
Following TikTok's announcement, Rossiya Segodnya issued a statement saying, "There are many people in various countries who value alternative perspectives on events happening around the world," and "We will find ways to inform the world about this."
The U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Russian state media on the 13th, stating that they are engaged in activities beyond the scope of journalism, including participating in Russia's covert intelligence operations and supporting the procurement of weapons necessary for the war in Ukraine.
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