Hundreds of videos for over a billion views. With TikTok, the Wagner paramilitary group has found a preferred sounding board. Specialized in disinformation and its propagation, the company NewsGuard published a report on December 1, seen by The worldshowing the proliferation of Russian mercenary propaganda on the Chinese social network.
Among the most prominent features was the execution of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a former Russian mercenary who switched sides, according to the report. This video posted by relatives of the Wagner group shows the man with his head taped to a brick wall. Next to him, a soldier holds a mace which he brandishes before the image is cut off.
More than 500 music videos
NewsGuard detected and analyzed 160 such videos on TikTok. By showing or alluding to acts of violence by members of Wagner, these contents promote the group of Russian mercenaries, heavily involved during the invasion of Ukraine. In total, these videos have been viewed more than a billion times on the Chinese platform.
In their research, the two NewsGuard analysts, Eva Maitland and Madeline Roache, identified more than 500 music videos derived from this propaganda. They incite violence against Ukrainians, even calling them “Nazis”. Of the accounts that share these videos, five redirect to sites where Wagner Group posts job ads.
If moderation works, NewsGuard still flags a flaw. To produce its report, the American company conducted research using keywords and phrases in English and Russian. It found that ten hashtags were directly related to the Wagner paramilitary group.
During its investigation, TikTok removed several videos. Of the 14 videos showing the full or partial execution of Yevgeny Nuzhin, 10 have disappeared. The platform told NewsGuard that it does not allow TikTok to be used “to threaten or initiate violence, or to share attacks or insults based on nationality or other protected characteristics.”
Insufficient efforts for Arcom
The world Remember that TikTok’s moderation policy has been pointed out on several occasions. As Russia embarked on an armed conflict against Ukraine, many fake videos were circulating on the Chinese platform. In 2021, the contents about the vaccination against Covid-19 had also tried to deceive users of the social network, especially the youngest.
As part of its fight against misinformation, Arcom on November 28 called on the platforms to make more efforts and be transparent about the means implemented. The audiovisual and digital regulator in France considered TikTok’s actions against manipulative content very insufficient.
The entry into force of the “Digital Services Law”, the new European legislation on platforms, should impose more firmly on applications the fulfillment of European imperatives in terms, in particular, of moderation. If they do not comply, companies could see their activity in Europe prohibited and be penalized with fines of up to 6% of their turnover.
Source: BFM TV
