A content creator on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, who falsely claimed to be a Russian special forces operative was banned from the platform for spreading misinformation. The man, identified as Baoer Kechatie, who had about 400,000 followers, was actually based in China’s Henan province and used the platform to sell products.
Key Points:
- The content creator, who used the pseudonym Baoer Kechatie, claimed in his videos to be a Chechnyan soldier deployed in Ukraine, even suggesting that he had defeated US Marines, a claim Douyin debunked as false.
- Baoer Kechatie often wore a jacket resembling military fatigue and used deepfake AI technology to distort his face and modify his voice in an apparent effort to conceal his real identity and enhance the credibility of his false claims.
- Despite the falseness of his persona, Baoer Kechatie was able to use the platform to sell products, including milk powder and honey imported from Russia, with some of his followers even lauding his supposed efforts in the ongoing conflict.
- The social media platform eventually blocked Baoer Kechatie’s account after noticing that his IP address was listed in China’s Henan province, contradicting his claims of being on the battlefield in Ukraine.
- Douyin released a statement on Saturday, stating that the fake account had “severely violated platform regulations” by spreading false content and misinformation.
Continue reading at https://www.insider.com/tiktoker-400000-fans-pretends-russian-spec-ops-ukraine-douyin-china-2023-6
