PH Protect Project
After video-streaming site TikTok banned state-run China Daily’s account @mediaunlocked from its platform, a new account with a similar name and logo has surfaced, already amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of likes despite having no content posted.
The new Tiktok account “@qǐdímediaunlocked” (qǐdí meaning enlightenment), has garnered around 328,300 followers and 8.4 million likes, 1.4 million more than that of the previous account’s. It also uses the same handle for Instagram and Threads.
A closer look at @qidimediaunlock’s followers list revealed that almost all of its followers hailed from Spanish-speaking regions who post content unrelated to the South China Sea dispute, suggesting that these followers were purchased from online growth services.
The account follows 41 other pages, all of which are from Spanish-speaking regions as well, apart from @barstoolsports which is an American-run sports blog.
Before it was initially taken down last month, the @mediaunlocked Tiktok page has been the subject of multiple alerts from PressOne.PH due to its coverage of the South China Sea dispute.
In late February, @mediaunlocked released a video accusing the Philippines of deploying maritime militia disguised as fishermen looking to catch fish at Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground, which it refers to as “Huangyan Island.”
It also erroneously claimed that Manila has no legal basis to assert rights over Scarborough Shoal and Ayungin Shoal, despite both features located within the Philippines’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as affirmed by a 2016 international arbitration ruling.
On March 11, @mediaunlocked shared a video criticizing PressOne.PH for reporting on its TikTok content, alleging the news outlet to be “unprofessional” and “USA-propaganda funded.”
The account then played the victim after it was flooded by negative comments from users apparently unconvinced by its narrative. Nikko Balbedina
This report was made possible by an Internews project to build the capacity of news organizations in understanding disinformation and influence operations in the Philippines.
ALERT: China Daily’s new Tiktok account amasses millions in engagement despite having no content
After TikTok banned the state-run China Daily’s account from its platform, a new account with a similar name and logo has surfaced, already amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of likes despite having no content posted.
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A real, non-aligned foreign policy
Manila should grab the chance to become a dialogue partner or even become a member like India, Pakistan, and Mongolia which also have vibrant relations with the US and the West.
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