TikTok has taken action against accounts linked to Russian state media for engaging in covert influence operations ahead of the U.S. presidential election. The popular short-form video sharing platform announced on Monday that it has removed accounts associated with TV-Novosti, the parent organization of Russian state media RT, and Rossiya Segodnya, the entity behind Kremlin news agencies RIA Novosti and Sputnik.
The U.S. Department of Justice has identified Moscow as the primary threat to elections, with a recent hack by Iran also targeting the presidential campaigns of both political parties. In response, U.S. officials have employed various measures such as criminal charges, sanctions, and public advisories to expose foreign adversaries' attempts to influence the election. Notably, an indictment was issued targeting a covert Russian effort to disseminate pro-Russia content to U.S. audiences.
