TikTok’s Chinese owner built search tool for users’ views on abortion, gun control, DOJ claims
==========
TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, had access to a search tool called Lark that allowed employees to collect data on U.S. users' views on divisive issues such as gun control, abortion, and religion, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ filing did not indicate how or if the data was used. In April, President Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company or face a ban in the U.S. The government's filing was in response to a legal challenge brought by TikTok and ByteDance. TikTok claims that a ban on the app would violate users' First Amendment rights. The DOJ alleges that TikTok's access to sensitive information could pose geopolitical risks by allowing the Chinese government to demand the sharing of U.S. users' data. The DOJ also argues that TikTok's algorithm can be manipulated and that its location in China could allow the Chinese government to covertly control the algorithm for its own purposes. The documents filed by the DOJ were heavily redacted, and an unredacted version featuring classified information will be given to the court. China has said it will block the sale of TikTok's algorithm, and TikTok claims that replacing such a central part of the app's structure is not feasible before the January deadline. The DOJ responded to TikTok's argument by stating that users would still be able to post and view the same content on other social media platforms if TikTok were taken down. The DOJ also argued against TikTok's First Amendment defense, stating that any damage to users' speech freedoms would be incidental.
#Tiktok #Bytedance #DepartmentOfJustice #DataCollection #ChineseGovernment #Algorithm #FirstAmendment
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/07/27/tiktok-bytedance-justice-department-ban/
The Washington Post /
npub1nw…97m8h
2024-07-27 20:37:40
Author Public Key
npub1nwad78hejfewj63p264uf2sxh0a5az753pw7auscrlupefjtr27sp97m8hPublished at
2024-07-27 20:37:40Event JSON
{
"id": "da7923d7aa14da693fb538c671d9aee92c244dc43e8effbf1499461edcc86a3a",
"pubkey": "9bbadf1ef99272e96a2156abc4aa06bbfb4e8bd4885deef2181ff81ca64b1abd",
"created_at": 1722112660,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [],
"content": "TikTok’s Chinese owner built search tool for users’ views on abortion, gun control, DOJ claims\n==========\n\nTikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, had access to a search tool called Lark that allowed employees to collect data on U.S. users' views on divisive issues such as gun control, abortion, and religion, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ filing did not indicate how or if the data was used. In April, President Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company or face a ban in the U.S. The government's filing was in response to a legal challenge brought by TikTok and ByteDance. TikTok claims that a ban on the app would violate users' First Amendment rights. The DOJ alleges that TikTok's access to sensitive information could pose geopolitical risks by allowing the Chinese government to demand the sharing of U.S. users' data. The DOJ also argues that TikTok's algorithm can be manipulated and that its location in China could allow the Chinese government to covertly control the algorithm for its own purposes. The documents filed by the DOJ were heavily redacted, and an unredacted version featuring classified information will be given to the court. China has said it will block the sale of TikTok's algorithm, and TikTok claims that replacing such a central part of the app's structure is not feasible before the January deadline. The DOJ responded to TikTok's argument by stating that users would still be able to post and view the same content on other social media platforms if TikTok were taken down. The DOJ also argued against TikTok's First Amendment defense, stating that any damage to users' speech freedoms would be incidental.\n\n#Tiktok #Bytedance #DepartmentOfJustice #DataCollection #ChineseGovernment #Algorithm #FirstAmendment\n\nhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/07/27/tiktok-bytedance-justice-department-ban/",
"sig": "47591c4d5c7a4f414ce91b78a8f3287b7b882439c1a8ae16f75e28cd0f285a26d9cb295e5cbedf90a7f7828083aec987693b01763ce4f466baa396d505bcdc05"
}