US senators demand explanation from TikTok for disabling safeguards
What's the story
US Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have demanded an explanation from TikTok over a controversial experiment that disabled a safety feature for 15 million American users. The senators have given the social media giant until September 1 to answer their questions. The demand comes after Bloomberg reported that TikTok intentionally turned off an algorithmic safeguard for 10% of its US user base, creating a control group for the experiment.
User impact
TikTok was checking if algorithmic safeguard made app less engaging
The algorithmic safeguard was meant to keep users from being bombarded with harmful content.
However, TikTok wanted to see if this feature made the app less engaging, leading them to conduct the experiment.
One of the control group members was a 16-year-old boy named Chase Nasca. His algorithm suggested thousands of videos about sadness, suicide, and loneliness until he died by suicide.
Ethical concerns
Senators raise 13 questions for TikTok
The senators have raised 13 questions regarding the experiment, including who all knew about it and why minors were included in the control group.
They also want a list of all algorithmic experiments in the US where a safety feature was disabled or delayed.
The move highlights growing concerns over TikTok's practices and its impact on young users.