Threat from Communist China

TikTok Algorithms Actively Suppress Criticism of Chinese Regime, Study Finds

Heavy TikTok users were more likely to have a favorable view of China, indicating ‘successful indoctrination,’ researchers from Rutgers University say.
TikTok Algorithms Actively Suppress Criticism of Chinese Regime, Study Finds
The logo of social media application TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone on an American flag background in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 3, 2020. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
journalist
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China-owned video-sharing app TikTok is using its algorithms to suppress content exposing China’s human rights violations to shape the views of its targeted users, according to a study.

Researchers from Rutgers University and the school’s Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) found that TikTok’s algorithms “actively suppress content critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while simultaneously boosting pro-China propaganda and promoting distracting, irrelevant content,” the study states.

Frank Fang
Frank Fang
journalist
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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