TikTok has been pushing Chinese propaganda to millions of users in Europe: analysis::More than 1,000 ads from Chinese state media outlets have run on European users’ TikTok feeds since October 2022, according to the platform’s latest ad library update that was analyzed by Forbes.

  • fubo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    263
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    The NYPost (low-quality tabloid) is just echoing an actual article at Forbes, which can also be accessed in archive form here.

    In general, when a low-quality tabloid site merely reports on the existence of research done by actual reporters, it’s better to follow the links and post the researched article instead of the tabloid one.

  • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    64
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Downvote everything from that fuckin rag. Don’t post NYPost here. If there’s a story, find a news source that doesn’t itself have an outrageous history of propagandizing.

  • balance_sheet@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    53
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    This is one of the huge reasons why online privacy is so important, even when you “don’t have someting to hide.” Those big tech data hogging shit companies manipulate you without you knowing.

    But honestly, if you use TikTok unironically, this is totally on you.

    • sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Do…people use Tiktok ironically?

      Jokes aside, I’m going to go against the grain a bit. I liked having Tiktok during the pandemic, it probably saved my mental health. The algorithm showed me videos of people having the same experience as me with the lockdown, or just stuff about my hobbies (I never got the horny stuff people always complain about).

      But I uninstalled it after social distancing rules were relaxed in my country because I started getting more and more polarizing and political videos, even though I wouldn’t engage with them.

      It could honestly be a great social media platform if it was based in a more privacy respecting country and we didn’t live in a capitalist hellscape where everything has be for profit.

      • InfiniteVariables@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s not that special is the thing. Any tech company can replicate what tik-tok is doing it’s just that they don’t have inertia that tik-tok does.

    • malcyon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      What does it mean to use TikTok ironically? How is that different from using it normally?

      Tiktok has 1 billion users. Whatever message they decide to push is going to propagate through the masses. I don’t think most people have the ability to notice and deflect misinformation like you’re implying.

  • trainsaresexy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    53
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    See that other article on the NYPost next to this one? A guy turned himself into a border collie? He’s a dog now and it only cost $20,000.

    Great news source. No problems here. Not click bait garbage at all. Nope, not meant for maximum sharing. Thanks L4sBot for your contribution.

    • Match!!@pawb.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      $20,000 to become your fursona would be a fucking steal to most furries, they would sell everything for that.

    • 𝙣𝙪𝙠𝙚@yah.lol
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      In the first paragraph:

      TikTok has flooded millions of Europeans with ads from Chinese state propaganda outlets on topics like COVID-19 and tourism in the troubled Xinjiang region, according to an analysis of a recent ad library conducted by Forbes.

  • Max_Power@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Yeah well Orwell’s 1984 was way off then. The government does not even have to force people to install devices in their homes that blare government propaganda 24/7. They are doing it willingly, enthusiastiacally even, and they don’t even have to be citizens of that government lol

    Who would have thought?

  • fidodo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    54
    arrow-down
    15
    ·
    1 year ago

    Breaking news! Chinese company runs ads paid for by Chinese government! Did anyone think otherwise? All governments pay for ads. Who in their right mind would think a Chinese company would refuse their government as an ad customer?

    • Buelldozer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      21
      arrow-down
      22
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Ads are one thing but state propaganda is something different. In a US political context this would be like the State of Florida running “Ads” on Facebook discussing how slavery was actually beneficial to the slaves. Get it now?

      • nomadjoanne@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        13
        arrow-down
        5
        ·
        1 year ago

        Right. It certainly happens to the West. But the governments in Western democracy have to be a bit more subtle when it comes to their propaganda and not run this stuff directly.

          • nomadjoanne@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            4
            ·
            1 year ago

            I think they’re sadly quite effective on us. But I think the Chinese “Communist” regime’s propaganda is quite effective within China. It just doesn’t work well on us.

  • QubaXR@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    45
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    TikTok is garbage, but perhaps we should look at all the ridiculous right wing propaganda pushed by YouTube, Facebook and Twicough X

    • Tesco@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      1 year ago

      YouTube is absolutely dreadful for it. I have literally zero interest in American politics, I’m interested in world events but frankly couldn’t care less about another country’s domestic politics yet it’s pushed almost every time I load the site.

      I mostly watch things like travel vlogs and trip reports, yet get endless spam about right wing American politics. There’s nothing in my search history that would suggest I’d care about it.

      • slumberlust@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        The advertisers cater adverts to target demographics and search/web history. While you may not be interested in them, they are certainly interested in you for some reason. They could be bad at their jobs, but it’s more likely there is some overlap there.

        • Tesco@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 year ago

          It’s the YouTube algorithm that’s pushing this garbage and it’s blatantly obvious, the actual adverts largely line up with my interests. If I don’t watch a YouTuber for a couple of weeks they disappear from my reccommed. I never watch anything about American politics, barely watch any American YouTubers yet there it is every single time without fail.

    • minkshaman@lemmy.perthchat.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      Exactly. It’s all propaganda, and to say “oh well Facebook is ok, so why pick on TikTok” is the hottest of takes.

      They’re all garbage and we should ban all of them.

    • kayos@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Only use Twitter reddit. I’m getting pissed off eith both. More shit. I understand they are all “free”, but I still want a basic standard.

  • rm_dash_r_star@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    35
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    Propaganda is alive and well in the USA too, especially if you consider it in the most liberal sense.

    There’s an incredible amount of advertising in the media telling me what I need to think about any issue you can imagine. Most people just ignore it, but it annoys the crap out of me. I’ll make up own damn mind, thank you.

    This is a modern development, you never saw that crap forty years ago. I’m old enough to remember the before time. Most of it I can avoid simply by not watching commercial TV and blocking ads on the internet. Though sometimes it squeaks through on the TV and it makes me want to throw a chair at it.

    When I do have the misfortune of seeing that garbage it’s usually on TV and has an Ad Council logo on it. Who are these people and how are they able to egregiously spend the large amounts of money it takes to repeat ads on TV like that. That’s a lot of money consumed in a futile attempt to brainwash me through repetition.

    They could take that same ad money and actually use it to provide relief for some important social issues, like starving children. Instead they’d rather use it to try and influence my opinion in a futile way. Man that is really fucked up when you think about it.

      • lemmy_see@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        1 year ago

        Mobile gaming is also up there, with in app purchases, Gatcha addiction mechanisms which are basically modern day gambling, and yes also ad spamming. Where would you rank it?

    • hopelessbyanxiety@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Most people just ignore it

      In a way yeah sure, but the unconscius doesn’t forget 24/7 ads. We can’t possibly escape them since they’re literally everywhere. Whatever you buy, is done under the influence of at least some kind of advertisement (buy cheap/ fancy/ green/ fuckall)

    • Psythik@monyet.cc
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      That and right-wing propaganda. So much propaganda.

      Just click on any video from a “liberal media” outlet, (like CNN), and look at the comments. (Or the dislike count if you have Return YouTube Dislike installed.)And then look at a video from Fox News. Nothing but praise for them, while the “liberal” videos are filled with so much hate from right-wing trolls.

      If you didn’t know any better, you could be lead to believe than 98% of Americans are Republican.

      • jcit878@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        its not just an american problem either, same stuff you will see on similarly leaning news articles and videos here in australia. all rambling about the same inconsequential shit that the cookers and loonies overseas ramble about as well.

        Its pretty funny that for the type of people that like to brag about ‘do your own research’, they sure are a bunch of stupid sheep that believe any idiotic thing they read online

        • RedAggroBest@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Hmmm wonder what the common thread between media in the US and Australia could be…? 😯

          If God is real, I’m about to read an article about the deaths of the entire Murdoch family.

      • drathvedro@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Nothing but praise for them, while the “liberal” videos are filled with so much hate from right-wing trolls.

        Not sure if it’s related. I’ve know a few channels that have non-political, but questionable/debatable content, and they have absolutely nothing but praises in comments. My bet is that they are using mod tools to delete/hide everything else, probably automatically.

        • jcit878@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 year ago

          Theres one channel I wont name (because i cant remember what it is actually) but its some chick with tourettes who goes into shops and has her boyfriend filming while she just knocks shit over and makes a mess, then carries on when confronted and makes out like the workers there are discriminating against her. I dont doubt she has a problem, but if anyone came into my shop making a mess while someones filming them WTF would anyone do? anyway, the comments were nothing but praise about how ‘brave’ she is and how hard it must be to live like that. I am absolutely sure any comment that points out how rediculous it is and does nothing to forward her cause are removed quickly

        • Psythik@monyet.cc
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          Well I’m only talking about political news videos, here. Sorry for not clarifying.

    • ABC123itsEASY@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      31
      arrow-down
      17
      ·
      1 year ago

      You’re not necessarily wrong in all respects, but this comment is peak whataboutism. Western tiktok is targeted mostly at children and young adults who are obviously highly impressionable, so I would argue that regardless of whats happening on any other social media platform, this is unwanted and harmful and therefore shouldn’t be accepted.

      • charles@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        23
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        The difference is there is American federal policy being put in place around TikTok specifically that is not being done against other social media apps.

        • ABC123itsEASY@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          15
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yea when people organize an attempted coup on Chinese tiktok, your point may hold more water. Not saying it’s a good thing, but it’s clear that Facebook et al’s primary motive is not promoting nationalistic goals; domestically or aboard.

      • ghariksforge@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        17
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Whataboutism is the correct and logical answer to hypocrites. There is nothing that Tiktok is guilty of that Twitter or Instagram aren’t.

        • TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          For sure. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are all functionally identical and equally concerning as TikTok in every way, and Xitter is trying to jump onto that too.

      • Doug [he/him]@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Are children and young adults really more impressionable than Fox news, and thereby Facebook’s, audience?

        I also don’t know that I agree with “targeted mostly at children and young adults”. There are very large parts of TikTok that would be wholly unappealing to your average kid. Not to mention that American social media started out very much targeted at children and young adults. Or have we already forgotten what the main demographics of Facebook and myspace used to be?

        The problem with whataboutism here is that these conversations pretty much always involve TikTok and rarely other platforms until it’s brought up in comments where it can be dismissed as whataboutism.

        Either they’re all a problem (it’s this one) or none of them are. We need to stop drawing arbitrary lines between offenders. It’s just giving a bunch of shit bags freedom to continue being shit bags.

        • Buelldozer@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          8
          ·
          1 year ago

          > Are children and young adults really more impressionable than Fox news

          Fox News isn’t being paid by the Federal or State Governments to run “Ads” that attempt to put a positive spin on negative events.

          • RatMaster@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            Suuuure. Not paid directly by the gov, but unless you’ve been living under a rock, everyone knows that politicians and big corporations (or in this case: Fox News) work hand in hand to push propaganda… Or like you said “put a positive spin on negative events”.

            People just like to jump on TikTok and be like CHINA BAD!. As if America was an angel lmao.

            • Buelldozer@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              4
              ·
              edit-2
              1 year ago

              WTF is wrong with you? China is running ads trying to convince people that they’re not really genociding the Uyghur Muslims they’re just detaining them to send them all to school!

              As if America was an angel lmao.

              I never said it was, again WTF is wrong with you in your head? Criticizing one group doesn’t equate to support for an opposing group.

          • Doug [he/him]@midwest.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            Does it count when a major political party, that does that all the time, uses the money it pilfered from that government, or is that different somehow?

            What about that the only reason they’re not doing it directly from the government account is because of the safeguards against that kind of thing they haven’t pulled down yet

            • Buelldozer@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              5
              ·
              1 year ago

              A political party is not the Government nor do their ads attempt to whitewash Government misdeeds.

              • Doug [he/him]@midwest.social
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                1 year ago

                A political party makes up parts of the government and uses their ads to whitewash their own actions within the government.

                This division is not at clean as you’re trying to make it

          • Historical_General@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            8
            arrow-down
            13
            ·
            1 year ago

            Oftentimes they’re connected to party members mate. Trump literally spoke to a bunch of their broadcasters daily.

            • Buelldozer@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              4
              ·
              1 year ago

              Was the US Federal Government paying Fox News to run ads talking about how the mass murder of American Indians was a good thing?

              No? Then GTFO out of here with this whataboutism. It’s fucking gross.

              • Historical_General@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                4
                ·
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                The same people fund both the government (through elections) and the news media. I guarantee you Murdoch is friends with many of his fellow billionaires.

                L

    • outdated_belated@lemmy.sdf.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Moreover, how is anyone sitting in America (or a country with American bases) primarily concerned about the Chinese government? We have endless military and culture war/ propaganda barriers erected against them; we’re basically untouchable, unless we plan on physically going to China.

      (The answer is related to the propaganda barriers themselves – it’s acceptable / encouraged to criticize China).

      • steltek@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Can you describe what “propaganda barriers” means? From my perspective, it’s absurdly easy for foreign governments to bot-farm posts in an attempt to sway public opinion in the US.

        And of course it’s acceptable/encouraged to criticize China. But it’s also acceptable/encouraged to criticize Joe Biden, Donald Trump, AOC, DeSantis, Obama, and on and on. There’s not really a shortage of hateful and divisive content out there right now. The rage-bait about what The Other Team just did and how America is in terminal decay are the biggest propaganda wins of all time. And news orgs, desperate for revenue in an age of digital media and ad blockers, will chase whatever is stuck in people’s heads so they fuel it even more.

        • outdated_belated@lemmy.sdf.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Well, even still, the US government and corporations have by far the upper hand. They control or heavily influence the school curriculums, for starters, in addition to most news media. Essentially, the lion’s share of information that reaches most people throughout most of their lives.

          Any social media -based sway from a foreign actor will be comparatively marginal, and will be at very best at an even keel with domestic.

    • fidodo@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Facebook ran ads paid for by Russian propagandists which IMO is far worse than a Chinese company running Chinese ads.

            • Fisting for Freedom@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              6
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              As an American, I can say that my government sucks for invading Iraq and Afghanistan and face no repercussions. I did so before those wars and have done so repeatedly since.

              As a Chinese citizen, I can be arrested for singing a song about Hong Kong. Or saying that Tibet isn’t China, or that Taiwan should be left alone. God forbid I ask about what’s happening in Xinjiang. Or what happened in Beijing in 1989, or why the Great Leap Forward resulted in so many deaths of my countrymen. Or practicing Flaun Dafa, or whatever else.

              Nobody is saying the US is perfect: the US has its problems, we can and should be better. But China is never honest about their shit and punishes people who are. China’s markedly worse than the US.

              • ghariksforge@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                4
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                1 year ago

                They let you complain about Iraq and Afghanistan because your complaints are irrelevant. You have no power to change policy.

                • Fisting for Freedom@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  I have free speech rights under the constitution. That’s not the case in China.

                  Don’t shift the goal posts - there’s a huge difference between the countries, and China is strictly worse.

  • nxfsi@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    28
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    There is no currently no actual evidence that TikTok is a threat to national security, but consider this:

    1. TikTok is owned by Chinese company
    2. All large Chinese companies are required to have Party members in the board, making them defacto state-run
    3. PR China is currently committing genocide, large-scale espionage, subversion of foreign countries and all sorts of fun stuff associated with authoritarian fascist dictatorships
    • avater@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      have you seen what videos are posted there? Fucking social media like this, reddit, twitter, instagram and facebook is a huge issue for everyone 😅

      we definitely would be better off without them

    • Bloved Madman@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      Those 3 points sound like a reason to be a threat to national secuirry for any nation that’s not golfing buddies with China.

  • Move to lemm.ee@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    24
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Are you worried about your rising cost of living, decreasing living standards, wages and the total global catastrophe that is climate change?

    Don’t worry about that prole, worry about aliens and tiktok!