TikTok says it rejected China’s request for stealth propaganda account concentrating on Westerners

A Chinese language authorities entity chargeable for public relations tried to open a stealth account on TikTok concentrating on Western audiences with propaganda, in response to inside messages seen by Bloomberg.

The try, which met with push-back from TikTok executives, highlights the interior tensions inside the fast-growing social media app, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Inc., which has consistently attempted to distance itself from Chinese state influence.

In an April 2020 message addressed to Elizabeth Kanter, TikTok’s head of presidency relations for the UK, Eire, Netherlands and Israel, a colleague flagged a “Chinese language authorities entity that’s thinking about becoming a member of TikTok however wouldn’t need to be brazenly seen as a authorities account as the principle goal is for selling content material that showcase the perfect facet of China (some form of propaganda).”

The messages point out that a few of ByteDance’s most senior authorities relations staff, together with Kanter and US-based Erich Andersen, World Head of Company Affairs and Normal Counsel, mentioned the matter internally however pushed again on the request, which they described as “delicate.” TikTok used the incident to spark an inside dialogue about different delicate requests, the messages state.

“We declined to supply help for this request, as we believed the creation of such an account would violate our Neighborhood Tips,” mentioned a TikTok spokeswoman, who downplayed the incident as an off-the-cuff request from a pal of an worker.

TikTok has guidelines in opposition to “coordinated inauthentic habits,” the place accounts conceal their true id to exert affect or sway public opinion, and in opposition to political promoting, the spokeswoman mentioned. 

TikTok does permit some Chinese language authorities entities, together with the Chinese language embassy within the US, to have verified accounts. The corporate is planning to increase its state-controlled media coverage, which labels state-run accounts, within the “coming months” to incorporate different authorities entities, the spokeswoman added. 

Kanter and Andersen declined to remark. The Chinese language authorities didn’t reply to a request for remark. 

The messages have emerged in the identical week that UK overseas secretary Liz Truss pledged to crack down on Chinese language-owned firms together with TikTok throughout a head-to-head debate with Rishi Sunak as a part of their marketing campaign to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

Chinese language International Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticized the remarks made by Truss on Monday.

“I need to make it clear to sure British politicians that making irresponsible remarks about China, together with hyping up the so-called China menace, can’t resolve one’s personal issues,” Zhao mentioned throughout an everyday information briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

The extent to which the Chinese language authorities exerts affect over ByteDance has been a supply of stress for TikTok because it has expanded internationally. In September 2020, the Trump administration accused TikTok of being “a mouthpiece” for the Communist Get together as a part of an finally push to close down the app within the US if it wouldn’t promote to an American proprietor. 

The identical month, the Australian Strategic Coverage Institute mentioned in a report that TikTok usually buries or hides phrases reflecting political actions, together with criticism of Vladimir Putin, in addition to hashtags regarding gender and sexual orientation or faith in most international locations the place it operates. On the time, TikTok strenuously denied it could cooperate with any calls for from China’s regime.

A sea of presidency equipment, state-sanctioned influencers and hawkish information retailers use social leisure platforms like Douyin, the Chinese language model of TikTok, Bilibili Inc. and Weibo Corp. to push propaganda to China’s younger individuals.

The Youth League, the Communist Get together’s department for youthful members, is amongst Douyin’s high creators, with about 8 million followers, double these of Taylor Swift.

Douyin, accessible in native app shops, is run as a separate entity. Each TikTok and Douyin deal with short-form video making and sharing, however Douyin has content material controls to adjust to Chinese language legislation.

The Chinese language authorities needed recommendation on run an account that was participating for a Western viewers and that “additionally they talked about cost,” in response to the messages seen by Bloomberg.