The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine held talks with TikTok about opening a representative office. However, it seems that no agreement was reached, according to Forbes.
An anonymous participant in the negotiations said that communication with the Chinese video service has actually stopped more than a year ago. Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, said that Ukraine has submitted its arguments to the company and is now waiting for a response.
«In fact, negotiations on opening a representative office ended 40 days ago. There is no official refusal, but this issue has stopped being discussed», — the source explains.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has been communicating with TikTok. The ministry sent requests to block fake accounts of public importance, verify the channels of government agencies and other institutions, and delete accounts of fraudsters, including fake meetings. in the spring of 2024, the CPD joined the work and managed to block 24 accounts of Russian propaganda distributors. In April, the Center began negotiations to open a representative office of the social network in Ukraine.
What is the reason for the hiccup? This issue is being resolved through the company’s central office, not through the European office, says the MP. Yaroslav Yurchyshyn believes that the company is actually sabotaging the process: «They can do it quickly enough if they want to».
According to the CPJ, TikTok is in the first place for pro-Russian disinformation in Ukraine, with Telegram and Viber — in second place. In Ukraine, TikTok has 9.4 million users, mostly urban residents aged 18-55. Viber and Telegram are regularly used by 77% and 88% of Ukrainians, respectively. Fake news on TikTok is more difficult to moderate because it is video content.
«TikTok’s administration responds to most of our requests, Viber responds quickly enough, Telegram doesn’t respond at all», — says Yurchyshyn.
All requests from Ukraine are submitted to TikTok’s representative office in Warsaw, where about 200 employees work with them. According to the MP, they generally remove blatant propaganda quickly, but not always in the context of events in Ukraine, and some issues, such as the TCC, are left unaddressed. Local representation and manual moderation can remedy the situation. The MP says that this is the case now Viber works.
On June 10, the website of the Cabinet of Ministers created a petition demanding to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a bill to block TikTok in Ukraine. So far, it has collected more than 13,000 signatures, with 82 days left to reach the 25,000 required.
«The Verkhovna Rada cannot block social networks on the territory of Ukraine. This is usually done by the National Security and Defense Council on the basis of materials from the SBU and the GUR»,” Yurchyshyn says.
The Center for Countering Disinformation does not support blocking TikTok:
«In the case of TikTok, the issues of infosecurity and international relations are closely intertwined. If the social network engages in dialogue and adapts, we will be able to reduce the flow of Russian content,» says Andriy Kovalenko, head of the CPD.