Russia is posting more on TikTok ahead of the US presidential election

RRussian state-affiliated accounts have boosted TikTok usage and are seeing more engagement on the short-video platform ahead of the US presidential election, according to a study published Thursday by the nonprofit Brookings Institution.

The report states that Russia is increasingly taking advantage of TikTok to disseminate Kremlin messages in English and Spanish, with state-linked accounts posting much more frequently on the platform than two years ago.

These accounts are also active on other social media platforms and have a greater presence on Telegram and X than on TikTok. However, the report says that user engagement – ​​such as likes, views and shares – on their posts has been much higher on TikTok than on Telegram or X.

“The use of TikTok highlights a growing but not yet fully realized path for Russia’s state-backed information apparatus to reach new and young audiences,” says the report, which pulled data from 70 different state-affiliated accounts and was authored by Valerie. Wirtschafter, a Brookings fellow in foreign policy and his artificial intelligence initiative.

The study notes that the majority of posts do not focus on US politics, but on other issues such as the war in Ukraine and NATO. However, those that do tend to feature more controversial topics, such as U.S. policy toward Israel and Russia, and questions about President Joe Biden’s age, the Brookings report says.

A TikTok spokesperson said the company has removed covert influence operations in the past and eliminated accounts, including 13 networks operating in Russia.

The spokesperson said TikTok also labels state-controlled media accounts and will expand that policy in the coming weeks “to further address accounts that attempt to reach communities outside their home country about current global events and issues.”

Brookings report comes after Biden last month signed legislation force TikTok’s parent company – China-based ByteDance – to sell the platform or face a ban in the US. The potential ban is expected face legal challenges.