TikTok's Pro-China Content Strategy Exposed in NCRI Report

A recent study by the Network Contagion Research Institute suggests that TikTok's algorithms favor pro-China content while suppressing critical narratives. This manipulation appears to influence user attitudes, particularly in the U.S., aligning them more closely with the Chinese Communist Party's perspectives.

A recent report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) in New Jersey has revealed that TikTok promotes pro-China content to shape the perspectives of U.S. users. The 32-page report, titled The CCP's Digital Charm Offensive: How TikTok's Search Algorithm and Pro-China Influence Networks Indoctrinate GenZ Users in the United States, draws connections between social media usage and pro-CCP attitudes, demonstrating how platforms influence user beliefs and behaviors favoring the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The study indicates that TikTok's algorithms amplify pro-CCP content while suppressing anti-CCP narratives. These favorably skewed results often originate from state-linked entities like media outlets and influencers. The data reflected a notable shift in user attitudes towards China, especially among heavy TikTok users, suggesting successful indoctrination efforts. The report also found that TikTok had the lowest proportion of anti-China content compared to Instagram and YouTube, and that pro-China or unrelated content accounted for 61-93% of search results, effectively minimizing anti-China narratives.

For example, the NCRI report showed that 26.6% of TikTok search results for 'Tiananmen' were pro-China, compared to 16.3% on Instagram and 7.7% on YouTube. Conversely, anti-China content on YouTube (64.6%) and Instagram (56.3%) more than doubled that on TikTok (19.6%). Similar patterns were observed for the search terms 'Tibet' and 'Uyghur.' On YouTube, four of the top five accounts in search results were official or semi-official CCP media sources, generating nearly 40% of all pro-China content on the platform.

(With inputs from agencies.)