Chinese Government Asked TikTok for Stealth Propaganda Account (bloomberg.com) 43
A Chinese government entity responsible for public relations attempted to open a stealth account on TikTok targeting Western audiences with propaganda, according to internal messages seen by Bloomberg. From a report: The attempt, which met with push-back from TikTok executives, highlights the internal tensions within the fast-growing social media app, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, which has constantly attempted to distance itself from Chinese state influence. In an April 2020 message addressed to Elizabeth Kanter, TikTok's head of government relations for the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Israel, a colleague flagged a "Chinese government entity that's interested in joining TikTok but would not want to be openly seen as a government account as the main purpose is for promoting content that showcase the best side of China (some sort of propaganda)."
The messages indicate that some of ByteDance's most senior government relations team, including Kanter and US-based Erich Andersen, Global Head of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, discussed the matter internally but pushed back on the request, which they described as "sensitive." TikTok used the incident to spark an internal discussion about other sensitive requests, the messages state. "We declined to offer support for this request, as we believed the creation of such an account would violate our Community Guidelines," said a TikTok spokeswoman, who downplayed the incident as an informal request from a friend of an employee. TikTok has rules against "coordinated inauthentic behavior," where accounts conceal their true identity to exert influence or sway public opinion, and against political advertising, the spokeswoman said.
The messages indicate that some of ByteDance's most senior government relations team, including Kanter and US-based Erich Andersen, Global Head of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, discussed the matter internally but pushed back on the request, which they described as "sensitive." TikTok used the incident to spark an internal discussion about other sensitive requests, the messages state. "We declined to offer support for this request, as we believed the creation of such an account would violate our Community Guidelines," said a TikTok spokeswoman, who downplayed the incident as an informal request from a friend of an employee. TikTok has rules against "coordinated inauthentic behavior," where accounts conceal their true identity to exert influence or sway public opinion, and against political advertising, the spokeswoman said.
Push-back? Suuuure... (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh yeah, I'm sure the local Chinese ByteDance team is pushing back *real hard* against the Chinese Communist Party... You know, the people who have zero respect for human rights and are more than willing to "disappear" one's entire family on a whim. Xi and the CCP get whatever they want, except for those darned ByteDance staffers.
Riiiight.
Re:Push-back? Suuuure... (Score:4, Interesting)
1) Tik Tok is an upstanding world citizen, while being based in Beijing, and daringly told the Chinese government to stuff it.
2) Tik Tok is based in Beijing and has been receiving flack for being viewed as easily catering to Chinese government dictates. Therefore, they created a fluff news piece about how they bravely stood up for their company independence to avoid continuing scrutiny outside China. Which is more likely?
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Shut up
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I'm sure Kanter and Andersen made a dog and poney show of pushing back really hard, they never want to see evidence of CCP interference on the American networks where it can be subpoenaed.
They just want to be well paid figureheads in blissful ignorance.
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Not an expert, but when you buttfuck someone you might want them to push back.
"Do you remember what happened to Alibaba?" (Score:2)
These "leaks" are propaganda (Score:4, Insightful)
What power, exactly, do we think non-CCP employees have to push back against the owners of the company?
To (Score:2)
You mean officially asked to do this.
There are tons of sock puppets for all nations and organizations.
Just yesterday I was downmodded by not just one, but two such, presumably pro high credit card rate people, given my subject.
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This.
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C'mon, this is /. You really think anyone here has a problem coming from Finland today, Abu Dhabi tomorrow and Tuvalu next Tuesday?
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hahahaha why the fuck would any government of any country give a flying fuck what is going on in the slashdot comment section? you guys are so fucking off your meds is hopeless
literally no one, NO ONE cares about you or your slashdot comments.
Where are the heavy hitters? (Score:2)
here's the truth: (Score:3, Informative)
they're all liars and bullshitters; the idea of people finding out the unvarnished truth is truly terrifiying to these people because it would show them to be quite different than the carefully curated images they purport to fulfill
so they go into full PR mode over an "... informal request from a friend of an employee..."
it would be easier to get a vampire to gargle a glass of garlic holy water than to get these types to speak with honest candor
What really happened.... (Score:2)
Better suggestion for the Chinese government (Score:3)
They can hire Hill & Knowlton and the US Congress [wikipedia.org] to fabricate lies instead of pitching advertisements.
In other news (Score:2)
The Pope still hasn't applied for membership of the Lutheran church, and ursine faecal material is still being found in forested areas...
The only interesting feature of this story is that it emerged at all. TikTok trying to pretend they can stand up to the Chinese regime?
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Chamber of Commerce? (Score:2)
If they really weren't up to anything nefarious (an open question, but for my current purpose I'm allowing it) and just wanted to promote China to the world... well, they are aware that they could have just opened an above-board, clear for all the world to see, chamber of commerce type account, right? I mean, there's nothing wrong with them talking themselves up to the world, they just have to be honest about who is doing it. Cities, states, and countries do that sort of thing all the time to drum up busine
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Only one? (Score:1)
Xi is xlipping.
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@winniethepooh
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@WinnieThePoop
makes sense (Score:3, Insightful)
Propaganda is extremely effective on Westerners. Raised from birth on psychological manipulation by advertisers have left the door wide open for state actors to hack our society.
Re: makes sense (Score:2)
I'd argue that if anything, that hardens you against propaganda. Eventually, the ads that really sucker you teach you to second guess whatever it is that you hear. When the government suckers you, the consequences are far less obvious.
China being duplicitous? (Score:1)