Senators probe TikTok over withheld algorithm safety test
US lawmakers demand answers on a 2021 experiment that held back a filter bubble tool to measure engagement, citing the case of a teen who died by suicide.
US Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have issued a formal inquiry to TikTok, pressing the company to explain a 2021 experiment that withheld an algorithmic safety feature from millions of users. The lawmakers describe the move as sinister, arguing that the platform deliberately denied users access to a safety intervention to study its impact on engagement metrics.
The feature in question was designed to help users avoid repetitive patterns, commonly referred to as filter bubbles, within the app’s for you feed. TikTok stated at the time that the update was intended to guard against viewers consuming excessive amounts of a specific content category, which could become problematic when viewed in clusters. However, the company did not disclose that it planned to hold back the feature for a large group of users to create a control group for testing.
The inquiry is heavily influenced by the case of US teen Chase Nasca, who died by suicide shortly after his account was placed in the control group. According to an internal TikTok document reported by Bloomberg, Nasca fell into a filter bubble where his account was recommended a repetitive amount of content surrounding suicide and self-harm, particularly leading up to the date of his death.
In their letter, the senators demand that TikTok provide details about this experiment and any similar tests conducted by the company. They specifically ask whether TikTok decided against rolling out other safety features due to potential negative impacts on engagement or advertising revenue. The company has been given a deadline of 1 September to provide a response to the inquiries.
Both lawmakers are prominent advocates for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and have previously urged social media companies to implement stronger safeguards for children. The 2021 experiment began shortly after a TikTok policy official appeared at a Congressional hearing, where Blumenthal and Blackburn urged the company to do more to protect young users on its platform.
The senators noted that the revelations are made more sinister because TikTok was on notice about the effects of its recommendation algorithms on children. The letter states that the disclosures show the company possessed information about the dangers created by its systems yet prioritised engagement data. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
