TikTok has removed accounts on the platform linked to Russian media groups for engaging in what it calls “covert influence operations” ahead of the 2024 U.S. election.
The video-streaming platform announced Monday it had removed accounts associated with parent companies Rossiya Segodnya and TV-Novosti for violating its community guidelines.
TikTok did not list which specific accounts were removed, but NBC News reported Russian state media outlets RT, formerly known as Russia Today, and Sputnik were now permanently banned.
TikTok said the accounts were already restricted in the European Union and United Kingdom but globally, their content was ineligible to appear in user’s “For You” pages because of their attempts to “influence foreign audiences on topics of global events and affairs.”
The social media company said it would report more about the removed accounts in its September Covert Influence Operations report. In its August report, TikTok said it removed five networks for being part of “covert influence operations.”
TikTok said it was taking measures this election cycle to keep its more than 170 million American users safe from “evolving threats.”
“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 said.
In an article Saturday, RT said TikTok had deleted its accounts, along with some of Sputnik’s, and acknowledged the “crackdown” came days after the U.S. implemented new sanctions against Russia.
Earlier this month, the State Department accused RT of being involved in covert influence operations globally and sanctioned its parent company for working on behalf of the Russian government.
