FINAL - Letter To TikTok Re Ukraine War Russia Disinformation 6.17.2022

June 17, 2022
Mr. Shou Zi Chew

Chief Executive Officer
TikTok
5800 Bristol Parkway, Suite 100
Culver City, CA 90230
Dear Mr. Chew,
We write to request information about actions taken by TikTok to remove content or

prohibit viewing of content relating to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Not only has TikTok banned
users in Russia from livestreaming or posting new content, it has also blocked users in Russia
from seeing any content uploaded by non-Russian TikTok accounts, creating an information
blackout that deprives the Russian people access to objective reporting about the atrocities being
committed in Ukraine.1 Alarmingly, recent reports indicate TikTok s non-enforcement of its own
purported moderation policies has allowed Russian state media to flood the platform with
dangerous pro-war propaganda. No company should find itself in the position of amplifying the
Kremlin s lies, hich f el p blic s pport for R ssia s ar of choice in Ukraine.2
On March 6, 2022, TikTok suspended livestreaming and new content on its video service
in R ssia to protect itself from a fake ne s la , hich banned content critical of R ssia s
actions in Ukraine.3 We are deeply concerned that, through its failure to equally enforce this
policy, TikTok is enabling the spread of pro-war propaganda to the Russian public, which risks
adding to an already devastating human toll for both Ukrainians and Russians.
According to reporting by The Washington Post,4 TikTok s s spension of ne ideo

uploads and live streams from Russia has not been equally enforced. Research from Tracking
E posed sho s that before TikTok s March 6 s spension, ne ploads in R ssia related to the
conflict were roughly balanced between pro-war and anti-war content, but between March 6 and
March 25, more than 93 percent were pro-war.5 Alarmingly, a number of content producers
e ading TikTok s s spension are R ssian state-controlled media such as RIA Novosti,
effectively making TikTok a conduit of state propaganda.6 While The Washington Post reports
that it appears TikTok belatedly closed this loophole on March 25, the misleading, pro-regime
1
TikTok, Bringing More Context to Content on TikTok (online at https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/bringing-more-
context-to-content-on-tiktok) (accessed April 19, 2022).
2
TikTok Censorship in Russia is Giving Putin Exactly What He Wants, VICE (March 16, 2022) (online at
https://www.vice.com/en/article/epx8bw/russia-tiktok-censorship).
3
TikTok, Bringing More Context to Content on TikTok (online at https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/bringing-more-
context-to-content-on-tiktok) (accessed April 19, 2022).
4
TikTok Created an Alternative Universe Just for Russia, The Washington Post (April 13, 2022) (online at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/13/tiktok-russia-censorship-propaganda-tracking-exposed/).
5
Tracking Exposed, Special Report: Content Restrictions on TikTok in Russia Following the Ukrainian War (April
13, 2022) (online at https://tracking.exposed/pdf/tiktok-russia-12april2022.pdf).
6
TechCrunch, Russian State Media is Still Posting to TikTok a Month After the App Blocked New Content (online at
https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/12/tiktok-russian-state-media-propaganda/).
content that flooded the service has not been taken down, creating an easily-accessible archive of
pro-war propaganda.
Additionall , e remain concerned that TikTok s broader disinformation and

misinformation policies related to the Ukraine war are insufficient, fueling pro-war sentiment
among TikTok users residing be ond R ssia s borders.
We request that TikTok provide answers to the following questions and requests for
information:
1. Will TikTok remove Russian state-controlled media such as RIA Novosti from its
platform?
2. What has TikTok done to remove pro-war content posted on its platform in
Russia and Ukraine from March 6, 2022 to March 25, 2022?
3. What steps has TikTok taken to enforce the suspension of livestreaming and new
content on its video service in Russia since March 6, 2022?
4. Has TikTok received any communication or indication from the Russian
government related to their insistence in seeing anti-war content regarding the war
in Ukraine removed, banned, or otherwise de-prioritized?
5. Information relating to TikTok s pilot state-controlled media account policy,
including:
a. the jurisdictions in which TikTok is piloting its state-controlled media
account policy.
b. TikTok s definition of state-controlled media acco nt ;
c. TikTok s approach to designating state-controlled media accounts;
d. the acco nts c rrentl s bject to labeling nder TikTok s pilot state-
controlled media account policy; and
e. TikTok s processes in place to consistentl enforce its state-controlled
media account policy.
6. Information regarding TikTok s efforts to combat disinformation and
misinformation about the Ukraine war on its platform, including:
a. the si e and geographic location of TikTok s safet team foc sed on the
Ukraine ar ;
b. the identities of TikTok s fact-checking corporate partners helping to
assess videos related to the Ukraine war;
c. the process b hich TikTok designates coordinated efforts to infl ence
p blic opinion ;
d. TikTok s definition of harmf l beha ior and beha ior that incites
iolence ; and
e. TikTok s approach to moderating content it finds to be false, misleading,
or a coordinated effort to influence public opinion.
Sincerely,
_________________________ _________________________
Steve Daines John Cornyn
United States Senator United States Senator
_________________________ _______________________
Roger F. Wicker John Barrasso, M.D.
_________________________ _________________________
James Lankford Cynthia M. Lummis

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June 17, 2022

Mr. Shou Zi Chew

Dear Mr. Chew,

We write to request information about actions taken by TikTok to remove content or

According to reporting by The Washington Post,4 TikTok s s spension of ne ideo

Additionall , e remain concerned that TikTok s broader disinformation and

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