TikTok is now being used as a platform for information about the war in Ukraine.
On Thursday, the White House briefed 30 high-profile creators on the popular app about important details of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reported the Washington Post.
According to the Post, the meeting was led by press secretary Jen Psaki and National Security Council special communications adviser Matt Miller on Zoom.
The influencers were briefed about the “United States’ strategic goals in the region and answered questions on distributing aid to Ukrainians, working with NATO and how the United States would react to a Russian use of nuclear weapons”.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched an attack on Ukraine in February, Tiktok users have turned to the platform for real time news. Russian and Ukrainian users have posted thousands of videos showing what is happening in their countries.
During the briefing, the White House director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty, said that the Biden administration recognized that TikTok “is a critically important avenue in the way the American public is finding out about the latest”.
“So we wanted to make sure you had the latest information from an authoritative source,” Flaherty added, according to the Post.
After attending Thursday’s meeting, several creators posted videos online, ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length, about the information they had received.
This is not the first time the Biden administration has tried to partner with TikTok creators and celebrities to spread messages. Last year it worked with dozens of top TikTok stars to encourage vaccination against COVID-19.
At one point there was also a “briefing for influencers to educate them about his infrastructure plan,” reported the Post.