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Network Contagion Research Institute Intelligence Report • 3 Psychological Impact: Survey data shows significant shifts in user attitudes towards China, especially among heavy TikTok users, indicating successful indoctrination. These points collectively indicate a systematic manipulation of information, suggesting that propaganda produced by state actors and orchestrated through assets owned or influenced by them shapes user perceptions at a massive scale. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) 1. Amplification of Pro-China and Irrelevant Content: TikTok amplifies frontier influencers (travel and lifestyle content accounts) and irrelevant or clickbait material, to crowd out discussion of CCP-driven ethnic genocide and human rights abuses on its platform. 2. Suppression of Anti-China Content: TikTok's moderation algorithms significantly augment this suppression. The views-to-likes ratio for anti-China content on TikTok was 87% lower than pro-China content even though the content was liked nearly twice as much. 3. Cross-Platform Influence Operations: The CCP also uses frontier influencers and stateaffiliated media to disseminate pro-China narratives to crowd out discussion of human rights abuses on Instagram and YouTube with tourism and culture content. 4. Psychological Indoctrination: A psychological survey of Americans (n=1214) shows that, among the platforms studied, TikTok screentime positively and uniquely predicted favorability towards China's human rights record. Notably, heavy users of TikTok (i.e., those with >3 hours of daily screentime) demonstrated a roughly 50% increase in proChina attitudes compared to non-users. This suggests that TikTok's content may contribute to psychological manipulation of users, aligning with the CCP’s strategic objective of shaping favorable perceptions among young audiences. 5. Strategic Assessment: NCRI assesses that the CCP is deploying algorithmic manipulation in combination with prolific information operations to impact user beliefs and behaviors on a massive scale and that these efforts prove highly successful on TikTok in particular. These findings underscore the urgent need for transparent regulation of social media algorithms, or even the creation of a public trust funded by the platforms themselves to safeguard democratic values and free will. BACKGROUND This study continues the NCRI’s analysis of algorithmic bias. Therein, NCRI compared hashtag ratios between TikTok and Instagram for terms that are sensitive issues domestically and externally for the CCP. Though the study was preliminary, it concluded that there exists “a strong possibility that TikTok systematically promotes or demotes content on the basis of whether it is aligned with or opposed to the interests of the Chinese Government.” 2 In the wake 2 Network Contagion Research Institute. (2023, Dec 21). A Tik-Tok-ing Timebomb: How TikTok's Global Platform Anomalies Align with the Chinese Communist Party's Geostrategic Objectives. https://networkcontagion.us/reports/12-21-23-a-tik-tok-in-timebomb-how-tiktoks-global-platform-anomalies-alignwith-the-chinese-communist-partys-geostrategic-objectives/

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The CCP's Digital Charm Offensive: How TikTok's Search Algorithm and Pro-China Influence Networks Indoctrinate GenZ Users in the United States

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English

Topic

Information Operation

Author(s)

Network Contagion Research Institute

Date Published: Aug 8, 2024

Abstract: In December 2023, the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) published an initial report that found a strong possibility of content on TikTok being either amplified or suppressed based on its alignment with the interests of the Chinese Government. The report concluded with a warning: “should future research find that TikTok users exhibit attitudes and assessments of world events aligned with these information distortions, democracies will need to consider appropriate countermeasures to protect information integrity and mitigate potential real-world impacts.” These findings underscored the urgency of investigating the specific mechanisms and broader implications of potential algorithmic manipulations. While our initial study shed light on the potential for content manipulation on TikTok, it did not explore whether specific moderation algorithms or practices are used to suppress topics sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Moreover, it did not compare the nature and impact of pro- and anti-CCP content across other major social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. This current report addresses these gaps by providing a more comprehensive analysis of TikTok's moderation practices, examining the nature and prevalence of CCP-sensitive content, and evaluating how different platforms handle such content. Furthermore, this study explores the association between social media platform usage and pro-CCP attitudes among users. By combining user journey data, survey research, and cross-platform comparisons, we uncover the extent to which TikTok and other platforms may influence user perceptions and behaviors in favor of the CCP. The publication of this research precedes the delivery of oral arguments for TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. v. Merrick B. Garland, a federal court case that has subjected the TikTok algorithm to intensive new scrutiny. As detailed in the DOJ’s response to TikTok’s lawsuit, “covert content manipulation” is an area of legal interest for the DOJ, not to mention its relevance to the broader U.S. intelligence and national security community. That said, within the DOJ response it is noted that definitively proving covert content manipulation by the Chinese government remains a challenge. As FBI Director Wray testified to in multiple hearings, “[t]his sort of manipulation of the algorithm would be difficult to detect..."1 This research gap sets the stage for our findings, which, while not definitive proof of state orchestration, present compelling and strong circumstantial evidence of TikTok’s covert content manipulation. In response to the DOJ's acknowledgment of challenges in proving manipulation by the Chinese government, our findings present the following circumstantial evidence: • Algorithmic Bias: TikTok's algorithms consistently amplify pro-CCP content and suppress anti-CCP narratives. • Content Origination: Much of the pro-CCP content originates from state-linked entities, including media outlets and influencers. • Psychological Impact: Survey data shows significant shifts in user attitudes towards China, especially among heavy TikTok users, indicating successful indoctrination. These points collectively indicate a systematic manipulation of information, suggesting that propaganda produced by state actors and orchestrated through assets owned or influenced by them shapes user perceptions at a massive scale.

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The CCP's Digital Charm Offensive: How TikTok's Search Algorithm and Pro-China Influence Networks Indoctrinate GenZ Users in the United States

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