TikTok gave young users a placebo safety tool, New York lawsuit alleges
According to a new unsealed filing in New York’s lawsuit, TikTok gave thousands of users, including teenagers and children, a safety tool that did not work.
Reuters reported the allegations on October 7, after a judge ordered the filings unsealed. They appear in an amended complaint that New York Attorney General Letitia James filed under seal at the end of August.
The feature in question, Algo Refresh, allows users to reset their recommendations to avoid unwanted or harmful videos.
The complaint states that during tests in 2023, some users received a placebo. These users thought the tool was working, but their feeds remained unchanged.
The complaint also says the tests examined how the feature affected time spent in the app and ad sales. Basically, it claims that the reset TikTok offered did not last.
According to the filing, a product manager from TikTok’s Digital Well Being team raised concerns about...
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