TikTok to add labels to "some" state-controlled media

TikTok has announced that it will begin placing labels on videos from "some" state-controlled media outlets as it begins to implement its new state media policy. As per a company news release, it is "accelerating" its plans to pilot the policy due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company says it started working on the policy last year. Users can expect the tags to start appearing in the next few days, according to the post.

A TikTok spokesperson told The Verge by email that the labels would apply to at least some Russian state media accounts, but he did not specify which ones or how many. The Verge confirmed that at least one Russian state-controlled outlet, RT, has a verified account on TikTok. The spokesperson also said that the tags would be visible "globally" after they are implemented.

Many social media platforms have had similar tags for a while: YouTube added them in 2018, and Twitter and Facebook started enforcing them in 2020.

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many platforms have moved against the content of Russian state-controlled media like RT and Sputnik: Reddit banned links to the media, Facebook and YouTube blocked their content in Europe (as did TikTok, according to the Wall Street Journal), and a host of other companies have made their stories harder to come by in various ways.

In turn, the Russian government has announced that it will block Facebook at its borders, citing "discrimination against Russian media and information resources." The country's media agency also demanded answers from TikTok on why certain stories from a state news agency were removed.