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German TikTokers more approving of China, Russia – survey

A poll suggests that Germans who get their news from TikTok, rather than traditional media, are less critical of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It comes amid a debate over shutting down the Chinese platform in the US.

The poll, conducted by Allensbach Institute for Germany's business-focused Free Democrats (FDP), asked some 2,000 people at the end of 2024 about their views on matters ranging from whether they see China as a dictatorship to how they see Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The poll comes in the midst of an ongoing debate over TikTok temporarily going dark in the US ahead of a federal ban recently upheld by the US Supreme Court, citing national security concerns. There have been growing concerns in Western countries over Beijing potentially using TikTok to extract critical information on its users, as well as fears that Russia is using the platform to seed disinformation with the intention of advancing its agenda.

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