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Senators Demand Answers From TikTok over Experiment that Disabled Safeguards
The senators want 13 answers and an unredacted document after Bloomberg reported TikTok disabled a safeguard for 10% of U.S. users.
- On Wednesday, Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to TikTok CEO Shou Chew and Adam Presser demanding answers about an experiment that withheld a safety feature from 15 million United States users, calling the move "depraved."
- Revealed in a 2023 document, the experiment intentionally disabled an algorithmic safeguard for 10% of United States users to test whether protecting them would impact engagement or the platform's "stickiness," Bloomberg Businessweek reported this month.
- One individual in the control group, 16-year-old Chase Nasca of Bayport, New York, received an "onslaught" of dark content before his suicide, prompting the senators to demand 13 answers by September 1.
- TikTok previously stated it remains "deeply committed to the safety and well-being of users," yet the senators argue these revelations contradict such assurances and advocate for fast-tracking the Kids Online Safety Act.
- This inquiry coincides with broader legal challenges, including roughly 2,400 addiction lawsuits proceeding after an Appeals Court ruling, as regulators intensify scrutiny of algorithmic design across platforms.
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13 Articles
13 Articles
TikTok’s ‘depraved’ safety experiment on teens ignites Senate backlash
Two senators have sent a letter to TikTok executives demanding answers about an experiment the company ran that withheld a safety feature from millions of users, including a teenager who died by suicide.
·El Segundo, United States
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 33%
11%
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