KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training Blog

A Whopping 33% of Young Americans Are Exposed to Political Lies on TikTok

Written by Stu Sjouwerman | Aug 9, 2024 8:22:03 PM

Excellent reporting by the Wall Street Journal! They wrote about a disturbing trend. "Amid a deluge of election news and memes on TikTok, WSJ found thousands of videos with political lies and hyperbole.

Further analysis led the Journal to identify 91 accounts that pushed these videos from China, Nigeria, Iran and Vietnam—and were tied together in complex ways. The intent  of these networks, and who’s behind them, isn’t clear. TikTok says some are looking for profits. 

Cybersecurity experts say such groups often aim to cause chaos. Whatever the intent, the divisive  narratives corrode America’s already acrimonious political discourse at a time when about a third  of young Americans turn to TikTok for news." [emphasis mine] 

Wow, that was a bit of a shocker to me, a third goes to TikTok? Holy Moly. They better get some training on separating real news from dis- and misinformation so that you can strengthen your security culture.

Here is the article. Excellent Budget Ammo.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/tiktok-political-misinformation-trump-election-2024-bd0019d8?