TikTok bots promoting anti-establishment parties and pro-Russian narratives discovered in Czech Republic ahead of elections
Kyiv • UNN
Coordinated networks of inauthentic TikTok accounts are promoting pro-Russian narratives and supporting anti-establishment parties in the Czech Republic ahead of the parliamentary elections. Around a thousand such profiles have been identified, generating millions of views weekly.
Coordinated networks of inauthentic TikTok accounts are promoting pro-Russian narratives and supporting anti-establishment parties in the Czech Republic, intelligence services and researchers warn ahead of the parliamentary elections on October 3-4, UNN reports with reference to Euractiv.
Details
According to the Czech newspaper Deník N, about a thousand such profiles were discovered, many of which were recently created and partially managed by bots.
According to estimates by the Center for Online Risk Research, these accounts generate between five and nine million views per week – more than the total audience of the leaders of major Czech parties on TikTok.
This system operates through tightly connected clusters. When one account posts a video, companion accounts generate likes, reposts, and comments within seconds, signaling success to the algorithm and increasing reach among real users.
The content reportedly promotes pro-Russian ideas – from a positive portrayal of Kremlin head Vladimir Putin and the legitimization of the war in Ukraine to support for candidates from anti-establishment parties such as Tomio Okamura's SPD, a native of Tokyo, and Stačilo.
Czech intelligence has already submitted a list of suspicious accounts to the Czech Telecommunication Office (ČTÚ), which deals with social platforms. "We are waiting to see how the TikTok platform evaluates the submitted materials," ČTÚ representative Tereza Merava told Deník N. As Euractiv previously reported, TikTok has created a special task force to monitor election content in the Czech Republic.
Secret briefings on the manipulations were provided to both Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and President Petr Pavel.
Sources quoted by Deník N said that the consequences are expected to be limited compared to Romania, where elections were annulled last year after massive online interference.
"There is an attempt, but its potential and significance are not important. It's a failed attempt," one intelligence source said.