Poland examines TikTok’s algorithm

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the algorithm responsible for ranking content on TikTok may be subject to manipulation and used for propaganda purposes,” reads a report prepared by experts from NASK. TikTok has so far not commented on the findings.

In its publication “Algorithm Manipulation: China in the Eyes of Polish TikTok Users,” NASK writes that “the average Polish user of the platform [TikTok – ed.] searching for information on topics related to China – particularly on sensitive issues such as Xinjiang, Tibet, human rights and re-education camps – would receive content that is clearly pro-China in nature.”

The issue could affect as many as 15 million Polish users. According to NASK, depending on the methodology applied, TikTok has between 12 million and 15 million users in Poland.

The authors of the report note that TikTok is overseen by its parent company, ByteDance, which is a privately owned company based in China.

Which topics are considered a threat to the Chinese government?

The Polish disinformation experts drew inspiration from similar studies conducted in the United States and Europe.

NASK experts point out that China’s cyberspace is an environment tightly controlled by the state. The flow of information is restricted by numerous rules, prohibitions and directives. One example is the so-called “Five Poisons” – a term which, according to the report, “originates from five animals considered dangerous in ancient China and, in political discourse surrounding the Chinese Communist Party, refers to five issues perceived as threats to the party.”

These are: “supporters of Falun Gong,” “members of the Chinese democracy movement,” “supporters of Tibet,” “supporters of Taiwan’s independence,” and “supporters of Xinjiang/Uyghurs.”

These are the five issues that are not discussed in China.

How was the study conducted?

The researchers opted for a “user journey” methodology. They created new TikTok accounts that were assigned to users from Poland under the age of 25. The accounts connected from Poland. They did not engage in any interactions – they neither liked nor commented on any content. They simply observed what content the application presented to them.

The researchers regularly cleared the search history. In theory, this meant that the application should not have had access to any information about previous searches.

They searched for information on topics considered unfavorable to China:

• Xinjiang – the commonly used name for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, home to Uyghurs and Tajiks. In 2021, Amnesty International published a report documenting the systematic use by the state of mass detention, torture and persecution practices carried out by Chinese authorities.
• Tibet – annexed by China in 1951.
• The Tiananmen Square massacre – the violent suppression of student protests on June 4, 1989.
• Taiwan – the Chinese government considers Taiwan to be part of its territory.
• Human rights in China.
• Re-education camps – a term referring to labor camps in Xinjiang.

How were the monitored contents evaluated?

The study involved regular monitoring of the application and lasted three months, from July 16 to October 16, 2025. Experts analyzed only the first 20 pieces of content displayed by TikTok. The aim was to determine which materials the platform’s algorithm promoted. Both Polish- and English-language content was analyzed.

The collected materials were then assessed based on their messaging and tone. They were divided into five categories:

• pro-China
• neutral
• critical
• anti-China
• unrelated.

Travel content “overshadows” human rights abuses in Xinjiang

The report points to differences in the strategies used to display content that users encounter on TikTok after entering six search terms considered unfavorable to China’s image.

The fewest critical pieces of information on TikTok were found in relation to Xinjiang. According to the report, “only 1% of all content tagged with Xinjiang contained messages critical of Chinese policy regarding the Uyghur issue, and the algorithm assigned them a relatively low ranking.” 59% of the identified materials were classified as pro-China. Researchers did not record any anti-China content.

On TikTok, the hashtag “Xinjiang” was dominated by travel and tourism-related content, which accounted for 56.9% of all materials. Most of these posts, according to the report, were advertisements likely created by specialized Chinese entities whose goal was not only to promote tourism but also to build a positive image of the region in the media.

The researchers argue that a similar pattern appears in content related to Tibet. Here too, only 1% of all identified materials were classified as critical. 59% were categorized as pro-China, and no anti-China materials were identified.

“The vast majority (63%) of content collected when searching for the keyword Tibet concerned travel. It should be emphasized that foreigners are not allowed to travel to or stay in the region independently,” the report states.

As with searches for “Xinjiang,” the monitoring of Tibet-related content also revealed posts created by influencers. The authors of the report note that these individuals are most likely sponsored by entities linked to the Chinese government.

The Tiananmen Square massacre

The analysis of content related to the remaining topics produced a very different picture. In the case of the Tiananmen Square massacre, users could easily find information about the violent suppression of the 1989 student protests. As many as 74% of the analyzed materials actually concerned the event, and 89% of those criticized the actions of the People’s Republic of China.

In the case of Taiwan, neutral content dominated (93%), while one in every 20 pieces of content was critical of China.

One in three (34%) materials identified by researchers on TikTok that concerned human rights issues in China was critical of the country’s policies. 35% had a pro-China character.

NASK researchers observed an interesting strategy when analyzing content related to “re-education camps in China.” It turned out that 88.9% of search results for this topic were unrelated to the term itself. Among them, the most common categories included content about travel, medicine and weight loss, as well as recycling.

How do the report’s authors explain these differences?

“If all content were manipulated, it would not bring any benefit to the Chinese government. It would then be easy to prove that the application spreads disinformation and distorts reality. It is difficult to imagine users receiving content denying that the Tiananmen Square massacre took place in 1989, when this knowledge is relatively widespread in Europe,” says Patrycja Krzyśpiak, an external threats analyst at NASK specializing in China-related issues and a co-author of the report.

According to the expert, the strategy adopted by TikTok allows content to be manipulated in a less obvious way on topics that are more niche from a European perspective, such as Xinjiang or Tibet.

“Questions related to the country’s ethnic unity are an absolute priority for the Chinese government, which is why it is not surprising that these issues are the most vulnerable to propaganda on TikTok,” says Patrycja Krzyśpiak.

TikTok hosts accounts spreading pro-China propaganda content

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the algorithm responsible for ranking content on TikTok may be subject to manipulation and used for propaganda purposes. This includes efforts aimed at shaping the image of a particular country – in this case, creating a positive image of China,” the report concludes.

The researchers note that the average Polish user of the platform searching for information on China-related topics – particularly sensitive issues such as Xinjiang, Tibet, human rights and re-education camps – would receive content that is strongly pro-China in nature.

“The results of the research show that the platform contains accounts responsible for disseminating pro-China propaganda content. Several characteristics indicate their direct links to the Chinese propaganda apparatus.”

The experts point out that the Chinese Communist Party maintains the appearance of freedom of speech, while Polish users are exposed to pro-China messaging.

What will a Polish user not learn on TikTok?

“I am not surprised that travel and entertainment content dominates TikTok, because relatively few creators cover topics such as repression against Uyghurs or the situation in Tibet,” says Jakub Śliz, a disinformation expert and president of the Pravda Association.

In his view, the report does not directly prove that TikTok intentionally manipulates its algorithm, but it does reveal a worrying outcome.

“An average Polish user searching for information about China will probably learn almost nothing about human rights abuses, because hardly anyone talks about them. The problem is therefore both the way content is ranked and the broader absence of critical, reliable materials – a gap that the algorithm may further reinforce,” Jakub Śliz notes.

TikTok rejects NASK’s allegations

We asked TikTok for comment on the NASK report. The platform’s response arrived after our article had already been published. TikTok criticized the report’s methodology.

“A methodology in which both the presence and absence of critical content are interpreted as evidence of manipulation makes an objective assessment impossible,” TikTok said in its response.

The platform also argued that “showing existing, publicly available materials does not constitute evidence that the recommendation engine actively favors or promotes specific political agendas.” TikTok claims that the study was based on a small sample which, in its view, “is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions about the entirety of content available on the platform.”

“TikTok is a platform offering a wide range of content and creators to discover, and its recommendation system is designed to reflect users’ preferences and provide a personalized experience,” says Piotr Żaczko, TikTok’s spokesperson.

In his assessment, a review of the topics mentioned in the report demonstrates the presence of a broad range of content and perspectives on the platform, including critical opinions. “TikTok does not allow any government to influence or modify its recommendation model,” Piotr Żaczko says.

Key Takeaways

1. NASK examined how TikTok presents China to Polish users. Over a three-month period, researchers used a “user journey” methodology to regularly monitor six search terms associated with information unfavorable to China. These included Xinjiang, Tibet, the Tiananmen Square massacre, Taiwan, human rights in China, and re-education camps.
2. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the algorithm responsible for ranking content on TikTok may be subject to manipulation and used for propaganda purposes. This includes efforts aimed at shaping the image of a particular country – in this case, creating a positive image of China,” the report’s conclusion states. Researchers argue that an average Polish user searching for China-related topics – particularly sensitive issues such as Xinjiang, Tibet, human rights and re-education camps – would be exposed primarily to strongly pro-China content. On other topics, negative content about China is available on TikTok, which may suggest that the Chinese Communist Party maintains the appearance of freedom of speech.
3. “I am not surprised that travel and entertainment content dominates TikTok, because relatively few creators cover topics such as repression against Uyghurs or the situation in Tibet,” says Jakub Śliz, a disinformation expert and president of the Pravda Association. In his view, the report does not directly prove that TikTok intentionally manipulates its algorithm, but it does reveal a worrying effect.