TikTok Expands Its State-Controlled Media Policy to More Countries

Tiktok is expanding its state-controlled media policy to more countries, effective immediately. The label will help the platform in its mission to help viewers better understand the sources behind the content. 

"We're expanding beyond our pilot and will begin applying our state-controlled media label in a phased approach, starting with over 40 markets across multiple regions," the company said in a statement. "We'll continue to roll this label out to an even wider array of markets over time."

The social media platform began piloting state-affiliated media labels amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Reports say Russian state-run media outlets have been using the platform to spread misinformation about the war, without credible sources.

This is why the policy were only applied initially to TikTok accounts made from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. 

Justin Erlich, Global Head of Issue Policy & Partnerships at TikTok, claimed that they have met with more than 60 media experts, political scientists, academics and representatives from international organizations and civil society across North and South America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia.

"Our goal in labelling state-affiliated media is to ensure people have accurate, transparent, and actionable context when they engage with content from media accounts that may present the viewpoint of a government," Erlich added.

The company did not specify which countries will be affected by the media policy. 

Meanwhile, TikTok is open to providing ways for entities to appeal should their content be "incorrectly labeled" as state-controlled media.

"We'll evaluate the provided evidence, seek input from independent, authoritative experts, and will remove the label if we find the entity does not meet our state-affiliated media criteria," Erlich noted.

Similar platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram have all implemented similar policies that label state-controlled media content across their platform, while Reddit is banning all links to Russian state media.