TikTok shows fake news about the war in Ukraine, even after a few minutes of registering with the app. It is the result of an investigation by NewsGuard, an organization that monitors disinformation online, which has carried out tests. He found that by opening a new profile on the social network, the algorithm directs to false or misleading content within 40 minutes of signing up. “By the end of the 45-minute experiment, analyst feeds were populated with content related to the war in Ukraine, with no distinction between misinformation and reliable sources,” the research team wrote. According to Newsguard, among the false claims being shown to the researchers the news that the United States has biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine and the accusation that Putin was digitally added on the video of a press conference he gave in early March.
A spokesperson for TikTok explained that the experiment offers limited conclusions about how the app actually works, as it fails to mimic standard viewing behavior. “We continue to respond to the war in Ukraine with more security and protection assets as we work to remove harmful disinformation and help protect a safe experience on TikTok,” he said. “We also work with independent fact checking organizations to help TikTok stay a safe and authentic place “.
The video sharing app, popular with the very young and known for more than entertaining content, has seen a noticeable increase in war-related content in recent weeks, videos with the hashtag #Ukraine received over 30 billion views by the end. last week.
Source: Ansa
I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years now and I have worked for some of the biggest news websites in the world. My focus has always been on entertainment news, but I also cover a range of other topics. I am currently an author at Global happenings and I love writing about all things pop-culture related.
