In recent developments, the short video posting platform, TikTok announced that it will start putting labels on state-run media outlets under its latest state media policy.
In a blog post, TikTok stated that it is expediting its plans for piloting the policy given the current war situation between Russia and Ukraine. The company has already been working on the policies since last year and will soon begin rolling out labels within the next few days.
The post reads:
Last year we began working to develop a consistent and comprehensive state media policy, as we recognize that an additional layer of context can be helpful to viewers, especially in times of war and in conflict zones. In response to the war in Ukraine, we’re expediting the rollout of our state media policy to bring viewers context to evaluate the content they consume on our platform. We’ll begin piloting our policy by applying labels to content from some state-controlled media accounts over the coming days.
The labels will apply to a handful of Russian state media accounts and will be visible globally. TikTok, however, did not specify which accounts.
With the latest update, TikTok also hopes to combat misinformation stating:
We continue to increase our safety and security measures and are working aggressively to help ensure people can express themselves and share their experiences, while we also seek to mitigate the potential for harm.
Amidst the rising conflict between Russia and Ukraine, many social media platforms have already taken steps against Russian-controlled media including RT and Sputnik, with both Facebook and Twitter blocking their content in Europe, and Reddit banning links to the sites.
In retaliation, Russia announced that it will be blocking Facebook claiming that the site is responsible for “discrimination against Russian media and information resources.” Russian agencies have also been in contact with TikTok, questioning why some of their stories had been removed.
