TikTok has fast become of the leading platforms for Russian/Ukraine misinformation

When we think of social media platforms spreading fake information out into the cyber-stratosphere, we often think of Facebook and Twitter. But the Ukraine/Russia crisis has highlighted that relative newcomer (and recently-crowned King of the Internet) TikTok is just as bad, even worse.

There has been no shortage of photos and videos circulating social media claiming to show the conflict in Ukraine. Such content has been especially popular on social platform TikTok. However a significant portion of the content is one of two things – old footage unrelated to Ukraine or, unbelievably, video game footage.

While fake information has been popular on both Facebook and Twitter – two platforms that are often criticized for allowing such misinformation to proliferate – it has been TikTok that has been most prolifically exploited by spammers spreading false videos related to Ukraine.

In fact many of these false videos have been watched millions of times each, with TikTok actually recommending them to its colossal, primarily young, user base.

Take for example the video below (screenshot) which appears to show anti-aircraft firing into the night sky. “Russia Vs Ukraine” is adorned on the video in big letters.

Taken from the ARMA3

But the video isn’t from Ukraine. In fact it’s not even real, since it’s from a video game called ARMA3. But that hasn’t stopped the video amassing a staggering 30 million views and 1.8 million likes.

In fact the ARMA3 video game has made numerous appearances amid the surge of fake information concerning Russia and Ukraine. Multiple other videos purporting to show planes and anti-aircraft artillery have actually been taken from this game, including the below video (screenshot) titled “Russia plane gets show down”.

Taken from the ARMA3

Another video (screenshot below) viewed 6 million times showing someone recording from atop a tank as it fires into the distance.

Old training footage.

However this video have been spreading online for years before Russia invaded Ukraine, despite it being labelled “current footage coming out of Ukraine!”.

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Another video (screenshot below) claims to show Russian warplanes flying over Ukraine. Multiple instances of this video exists accumulating tens of thousands of views.

Taken from a Russian air show.

Again though this is old video footage of a Russian air show and nothing to do with the Russian invasion.

Perhaps most prolific of all are videos claiming to show the “Ghost of Kyiv” shooting down Russian planes. The “Ghost of Kyiv” is an unverified narrative about a Ukrainian fighter pilot who allegedly shot down six Russian planes during the opening days of the invasion. No confirmed videos exist showing the pilot, either in person or in his plane. However hundreds of videos exist claiming to show the mysterious pilot in action, but in reality show unrelated footage such as footage from unrelated combat, stock footage or [again] even scenes from video games.

Multiple videos on TikTok claim to show the “Ghost of Kyiv”.

Together these videos have amassed hundreds of millions of views on TikTok alone. Many of the videos purport to show the pilot taking down Russian planes. Other claim to show the moment the “Ghost of Kyiv” himself [or herself] being shot down.

Many of these videos have been uploaded by accounts looking to amass followers and views in TikTok’s own version of “like-farming”.

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However an even more sinister version of this fakery exists on TikTok in the guise of live-streaming. We’ve seen live-streaming videos alleging to show people in Ukraine – often at night – hiding amid sounds of air sirens with requests to send TikTok gifts.

These are schemes that exploit TikTok’s gifting program, where any TikTok user can purchase gifts (such as a Rose icon) and then send them to those live-streaming on TikTok. However many of these live-streams are fake, and are not taken by people in the Ukraine (many such videos overlay genetic air siren sound effects on their videos and just perpetually loop small videos) in a bid to deceive people into sending gifts that can be exchanged for real-world money.

TikTok is a far more recent edition to the social media landscape that many of its counterparts, most notably Facebook and Twitter. Consequently it often avoids the criticism levelled at other social platforms when it comes to the proliferation of misinformation.

But the Russian-Ukraine conflict has highlighted that TikTok is now one of the leading platforms responsible for the dissemination of misinformation across the Internet and the video sharing platform has yet done little, if anything, to ebb the tide of this type of fakery.