TikTok Removes Accounts Linked to Russian Media Groups

A person holds a smartphone as a Tik Tok logo is displayed behind in this picture illustration taken on Nov. 7, 2019. Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Social media accounts belonging to Russian state media outlets have been removed from TikTok for allegedly “engaging in covert influence operations” ahead of the United States election in November.

Accounts associated with Rossiya Segodnya, the owner of Sputnik, and TV-Novosti, the owner of RT, have been affected.

TikTok announced the accounts had violated the platform’s community guidelines in a Sept. 23 update.

“Our team is ... working tirelessly to protect TikTok and stay ahead of evolving threats,” the social media platform said. “We do this by enforcing robust policies aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation, elevating reliable election information, and collaborating with internal and external experts who help us evaluate and improve our approach on an ongoing basis.”

The company defines covert influence operations as “coordinated, inauthentic behavior where networks of accounts strategically work together to mislead people or our systems and influence public discussion.”

In a Sept. 21 article, RT said TikTok had deleted its accounts, along with some of Sputnik’s. “On Saturday morning, the accounts of RT International, Sputnik Serbia, Sputnik Afrique, Sputnik Africa, Sputnik International, Sputnik Brasil, Sputnik Mundo and Sputnik Indonesia became inaccessible,” the article stated.

Sputnik confirmed in a Sept 21 statement on X that it had been banned from TikTok, saying the “app’s representatives have not yet commented on the case.”

In its August update of “Covert Influence Operations,” TikTok said it also removed five covert influence networks targeting discourse about Russia, Ukraine, and Mexico. One of the networks had nearly 3.8 million followers across eight accounts.

“The individuals behind this network created inauthentic accounts in order to promote the Russian administration. The network was found to display anomalous user behavior which we assess to be an attempt to inauthentically amplify its content,” TikTok said in the update.

Meta banned RT, Rossiya Segodnya, and other Russian state media networks last week, alleging the outlets used deceptive tactics to carry out influence operations.

On Sept. 13, the U.S. State Department designated three entities and two individuals for their connection to Russia’s alleged destabilizing actions abroad. The department said RT is “an entity with cyber capabilities” involved in covert influence operations globally.

“We are not taking action against these entities and individuals for the content of their reporting, or even the disinformation they create and spread publicly,” the State Department said. “We are taking action against them for their covert influence activities. Covert influence activities are not journalism.”