TikTok's New CEO Says Company Will Reveal How Its Algorithms Work

In his first public statement as CEO of TikTok, former Disney exec Kevin Mayer says the company will be releasing that code that drives its content-moderation algorithms so that experts can observe how its policies are enforced in real time. He says TikTok will also reveal its data flows to regulators, and is calling on its rivals to do the same. Axios reports: It's an unprecedented move that could help defuse concerns from U.S. lawmakers that the app is a data-harvesting tool for the Chinese government. It would also place TikTok ahead of its peers in terms of transparency. In the post, Mayer conceded that TikTok faces more scrutiny than its U.S. tech rivals "due to the company's Chinese origins." "TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy," he wrote. "The bigger move is to use this moment to drive deeper conversations around algorithms, transparency, and content moderation, and to develop stricter rules of the road."

TikTok will launch a Transparency and Accountability Center in Los Angeles for moderation and data practices that will house all of its data flows and code moving forward. The center will host online tours of its data during the pandemic. Mayer also touted TikTok's new investments in building community within the U.S., including the creation of a $200 million Creator Fund, that he expects to grow to a $1 billion investment in the U.S. and $2 billion globally in the next 3 years, and the creation of 10,000 new TikTok jobs across the U.S.

Re:

[ArchieBunker]

These past few years google just gives you a mix of vaguely related terms to what you typed mixed with what's popular.

You know what reveals how the algorithms work?

[lessSockMorePuppet]

The source code, binary, and compilation directions. Plus some elbow grease.

Ban tiktok

[slazzy]

Do the world a favour, ban tiktok. If not for privacy then for the stupid dances

Re:

[shadey2]

Do the world a favour, ban tiktok. If not for privacy then for the stupid dances

Right on!

Re:

[MerlTurkin]

It's just another site for attention whores. Like facebook. I have neither.

Who cares about moderation algorithm

[minibnz]

No one cares about the moderation algorithm of TIk Tok!! Everyone wants to know if they give access to government bodies!!! And maybe / Tin foil beanie ON : do they have some sore of Ai processing the videos, cataloging what it see’s in the background of videos and using that to rank users for other purposes? Catalog the products in the background, get an indication of wealth.. wearing a uniform, indication of power or state knowledge etc etc I could go on but this beanie is a bit tight../ Tin foil

The moderation algorithm is not what worries me

[rminsk]

It is not the moderation algorithm that worries me, it is the information it sends home. https://www.reddit.com/r/video... [reddit.com]

This has me somewhat concerned

[Headw1nd]

Is this just the moderation algorithm or is the feed algorithm as well? If it's the latter i am somewhat concerned as it could quickly lead to companies (and governments) gaming the system to flood the system with paid garbage, leading to something similar to what first page results in google have become.

Remember:

[LenKagetsu]

Any time someone who answers to the CCP speaks to you, he is lying.

bull

[Shaitan]

There is nothing about revealing their algorithms that establishes they aren't harvesting data or even that information is real. This is just another attempt to get their hands on and steal more IP.