A pair of TikTok accounts linked to state-affiliated media organizations are continuing to post on TikTok — despite the social media company’s decision on Sunday to suspend service for all content coming from Russia.
The accounts come from Margarita Simonya, the editor in chief of RT, and RIA Novosti, a Russian government-run news agency, both of whom’ve been among the most active in disseminating disinformation about the Ukraine invasion, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a leading misinformation research organization. They both speak to large audiences: Simonya has 208,100 followers on TikTok, RIA Novosti 193,900.
Simonya’s account posted as recently as 8 am EST. RIA Novasti published a video around the same time on Monday, one of a dozen it has put up on TikTok since the company announced its ban.
TikTok’s move to cut off new Russian content from its app came after the imposition of new rules in the country barring media companies from sharing information that runs counter to the Kremlin’s version of events in Ukraine. A spokesman for TikTok on Sunday said the move was “rolling out across the app in Russia.”