Beijing: A Chinese government body responsible for public relations attempted to open a stealth account on TIC Toc Targeting Western audiences with propaganda, according to internal messages seen by Bloomberg.
The effort, which was met with push-back from TikTok executives, highlights internal tensions within the fast-growing social media app, the Beijing-based-owned company. ByteDance Inc.Which has constantly tried to distance itself from the influence of the Chinese state.
In a message addressed to Elizabeth Cantor, TikTok’s head of government relations for the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Israel in April 2020, an aide flagged a “Chinese government entity that is interested in joining TikTok, but Don’t want to openly appear as a government account. As the main objective is to promote content that shows the best side of China (any kind of propaganda).”
The messages indicated that some of ByteDance’s most senior government relations team, including Kantor and US-based Erich Anderson, global head of corporate affairs and general counsel, discussed the matter internally, but pushed back on the request. which he described as “sensitive”. TikTok used this incident to spark internal discussion about the status of other sensitive requests, messages.
“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 spokesperson, who attributed the incident to an employee. Reduced as an informal request from a friend.
The spokesperson added that TikTok has rules against “coordinated unverified behaviour,” where accounts hide their true identities to influence or influence the public, and against political advertising.
TikTok allows certain Chinese government entities, including the Chinese Embassy in the US, to have verified accounts. The spokesperson said the company plans to expand its state-controlled media policy, which labels state-run accounts, to include other government entities in the coming months.
Cantor and Anderson declined to comment. The Chinese government did not respond to a request for comment.
Britain’s foreign secretary’s message has surfaced in the same week liz truss He pledged to crack down on Chinese-owned companies including TikTok during a one-on-one debate with Rishi Sunak as part of his campaign to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday criticized Truss’s remarks.
“I want to clarify to some British politicians that making irresponsible remarks about China, including the so-called China threat, is not a solution to their problems,” Zhao said during a regular news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. can do.”
The extent to which the Chinese government exerts influence over ByteDance has been a source of tension for TikTok as it has expanded internationally. In September 2020, the Trump administration accused TikTok of being “a mouthpiece” for the Communist Party, as part of a push to eventually shut down the app in the US if it would not sell to a US owner.
In the same month, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said in a report that TikTok often bury or hide words denoting political movements, including criticism. Vladimir Putin, as well as hashtags related to gender and sexual orientation or religion in most countries where it operates. At the time, TikTok vehemently denied that it would cooperate with any demands of the Chinese regime.
A sea of government machinery, state-sanctioned influencers and hawkish news outlets use social entertainment platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Bilibili Inc. and Weibo Corp. to prop up China’s youth.
The Youth League, the Communist Party’s arm for youth members, is one of Douyin’s top creators, with nearly 8 million followers, twice that of Taylor Swift.
Douyin, available in the local app store, is run as a separate entity. Both TikTok and Douyin focus on creating and sharing short-form videos, but Douyin has content controls to comply with Chinese law.
According to messages seen by Bloomberg, the Chinese government wanted advice on how to run an account lucrative for Western audiences and “they also mentioned payment”.
The effort, which was met with push-back from TikTok executives, highlights internal tensions within the fast-growing social media app, the Beijing-based-owned company. ByteDance Inc.Which has constantly tried to distance itself from the influence of the Chinese state.
In a message addressed to Elizabeth Cantor, TikTok’s head of government relations for the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Israel in April 2020, an aide flagged a “Chinese government entity that is interested in joining TikTok, but Don’t want to openly appear as a government account. As the main objective is to promote content that shows the best side of China (any kind of propaganda).”
The messages indicated that some of ByteDance’s most senior government relations team, including Kantor and US-based Erich Anderson, global head of corporate affairs and general counsel, discussed the matter internally, but pushed back on the request. which he described as “sensitive”. TikTok used this incident to spark internal discussion about the status of other sensitive requests, messages.
“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 spokesperson, who attributed the incident to an employee. Reduced as an informal request from a friend.
The spokesperson added that TikTok has rules against “coordinated unverified behaviour,” where accounts hide their true identities to influence or influence the public, and against political advertising.
TikTok allows certain Chinese government entities, including the Chinese Embassy in the US, to have verified accounts. The spokesperson said the company plans to expand its state-controlled media policy, which labels state-run accounts, to include other government entities in the coming months.
Cantor and Anderson declined to comment. The Chinese government did not respond to a request for comment.
Britain’s foreign secretary’s message has surfaced in the same week liz truss He pledged to crack down on Chinese-owned companies including TikTok during a one-on-one debate with Rishi Sunak as part of his campaign to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday criticized Truss’s remarks.
“I want to clarify to some British politicians that making irresponsible remarks about China, including the so-called China threat, is not a solution to their problems,” Zhao said during a regular news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. can do.”
The extent to which the Chinese government exerts influence over ByteDance has been a source of tension for TikTok as it has expanded internationally. In September 2020, the Trump administration accused TikTok of being “a mouthpiece” for the Communist Party, as part of a push to eventually shut down the app in the US if it would not sell to a US owner.
In the same month, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said in a report that TikTok often bury or hide words denoting political movements, including criticism. Vladimir Putin, as well as hashtags related to gender and sexual orientation or religion in most countries where it operates. At the time, TikTok vehemently denied that it would cooperate with any demands of the Chinese regime.
A sea of government machinery, state-sanctioned influencers and hawkish news outlets use social entertainment platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Bilibili Inc. and Weibo Corp. to prop up China’s youth.
The Youth League, the Communist Party’s arm for youth members, is one of Douyin’s top creators, with nearly 8 million followers, twice that of Taylor Swift.
Douyin, available in the local app store, is run as a separate entity. Both TikTok and Douyin focus on creating and sharing short-form videos, but Douyin has content controls to comply with Chinese law.
According to messages seen by Bloomberg, the Chinese government wanted advice on how to run an account lucrative for Western audiences and “they also mentioned payment”.