Senators Press TikTok on 2021 Experiment That Withheld Safety Feature
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Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal sent a sharply worded letter to TikTok executives demanding details on an experiment that withheld an algorithm safety feature from millions of users. The letter, which sets a September 1 deadline for responses, follows a Bloomberg report that teen Chase Nasca died by suicide shortly after his account was placed in the control group. The lawmakers called the disclosures 'appalling,' while TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Key Facts
- Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal sent a sharply worded letter to TikTok executives demanding details about a 2021 experiment that withheld an algorithm safety feature.
- TikTok began the experiment in 2021 to test a safety change meant to reduce repetitive "filter bubble" content, but held back the feature for millions of users in a control group.
- US teen Chase Nasca died by suicide shortly after his account became part of the control group, according to an internal TikTok document cited by Bloomberg.
- The senators gave TikTok a September 1 deadline to answer whether the company ever decided against rolling out a safety feature because of its impact on engagement or ad revenue.
- TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Senate Letter
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal sent a sharply worded letter to TikTok's top executives questioning how the app has tested and, in some cases, withheld key safety features. The letter follows a Bloomberg report on an experiment TikTok began in 2021 related to an algorithmic safety feature meant to help users avoid repetitive patterns, or "filter bubbles," in the "for you" feed. The senators wrote that TikTok "deliberately denied millions of users access to a safety intervention so that the company could study the intervention's impact on engagement." Both lawmakers have been advocates for the Kids Online Safety Act and previously urged TikTok to protect children at a Congressional hearing.
The Algorithm Experiment
TikTok said in 2021 that the update was meant to guard against "viewing too much of a content category that may be fine as a single video but problematic if viewed in clusters." The company did not share at the time that it planned to hold back the feature for millions of users so TikTok could use the control group to test its impact on engagement. The 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 children on its platform.
Teen Suicide and Company Response
One US teen, Chase Nasca, died by suicide shortly after his account became part of the control group, according to Bloomberg. An internal TikTok document reported by the outlet said Nasca "fell into a filter bubble where his account was recommended a repetitive amount of content surrounding Suicide and Self Harm and depressive topics, particularly leading up to the date of his suicide." The senators gave TikTok a September 1 deadline to provide responses about the experiment and whether it ever decided against rolling out a safety feature because of its potential impact on engagement or ad revenue. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Senators Press TikTok on 2021 Experiment That Withheld Safety Feature
