TikTok is on everyone’s lips in the US Congress because of its supposed links to the Chinese state, but in the shadow of this controversy lies another problem: the multiple conspiracy theories circulating on the platform.
• Read also: United States: the House of Representatives adopts the text that threatens TikTok with a ban
• Read also: Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he wants to buy TikTok
• Read also: TikTok under the microscope of Canadian intelligence
The popular application is threatened with ban in the United States, where the Senate must soon vote on a text voted by the House of Representatives which would force ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the platform, to sell TikTok to continue its activities on the American soil.
The elected officials behind the proposal are concerned about the possible access of Chinese authorities to the data of American users of TikTok as well as its propaganda capacity on the platform.
But the issue of misinformation is largely absent from political discourse, experts point out.
“Misinformation should be part of the debate on TikTok” while the popularity of the application gives it a wide resonance, believes Aynne Kokas, media researcher at the University of Virginia.
However, a worrying new trend has appeared on TikTok, where users are monetizing videos supporting conspiracy theories, notes the organization Media Matters.
Against the backdrop of disturbing music, the videos, most of which have millions of views, feature extravagant theories, delivered by deep voices generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
“Asteroid”
“We will probably all die in the next few years. Have you heard of this?” asks a voice imitating that of the very popular American podcast creator Joe Rogan in a video that has gone viral.
“There is an asteroid that is going to collide with Earth,” the voice says, citing a supposed leak of “secret” US government documents. Others claim that the same government secretly captured vampires or King Kong.
These videos, usually posted by anonymous accounts, often use images generated by artificial intelligence, says Abbie Richards of Media Matters.
Their production can be profitable thanks to the “TikTok Creation Program”, which according to the platform aims to remunerate creators “publishing high-quality original content”.
This new program has given birth, according to Abbie Richards, to a “cottage industry” of conspiracy theories, powered by generative AI tools – making it possible to produce texts, images or even sounds on a simple request in everyday language – easily available in online, and for some free.
Many tutorials on the internet explain how to create “viral conspiracy theory videos” and generate income using the TikTok program.
One of the tutorials viewed by AFP recommends that Internet users start by mentioning “something scandalous” such as saying that “scientists have just been caught hiding a sabre-toothed tiger”.
“Not an answer”
“Providing financial incentives to (create) content that is both highly viral and inexpensive to produce creates an environment conducive to the development of conspiracy theories,” insists Abbie Richards, cited in the Media Matters report.
“It’s good that TikTok pays creators for their work, but the platform should not financially reward fictional content disguised as ‘theories’,” continues this disinformation researcher.
A TikTok spokeswoman, however, told AFP that “conspiracy theories are not eligible to earn money nor recommended” in users’ news feeds.
“Harmful misinformation is prohibited, and our security teams proactively remove 95% of it before it is reported.”
In fact, at least one account broadcasting a disputed video was deactivated after AFP sought to contact the application.
Faced with the proliferation of “deepfakes” – content manipulated by AI – the European Commission recently requested explanations from eight major online services, including TikTok, Facebook, Google, YouTube and risks associated with the dissemination of this content.
In the United States, where the application has 170 million users, many experts say they are opposed to a ban on TikTok, through which many young users get their information.
“There is a lot of misinformation on TikTok, like on other social networks. Some are dangerous,” said Jameel Jaffer, professor at Columbia University.
But for this lawyer specializing in the defense of freedom of expression, “giving the government the power to suppress disinformation or banning Americans from accessing platforms that host disinformation is not a reasonable answer to the problem – nor a constitutional response.
