TikTok has been in the hot seat for quite some time now with growing speculations about a possible ban in the US market.
The app certainly would not want something like that to occur and that’s why the latest reports on this front are speaking about how it might soon be sharing some very intimate details linked to its algorithm.
The app’s parent firm ByteDance was seen speaking about how the concerns of US lawmakers are plenty and there is an outcry among them to offer more transparency of how exactly the algorithm works.
This report comes as the popular app was accused of sending American citizens into some alarming rabbit holes. Moreover, many other claims included how the platform has been busy taking part in tracking user data. But with such information out and about in public, ByteDance is hoping to see the firm offer more transparency and get rid of more potential bans that have been rumored to arise soon.
But not all experts feel that such transparency would do justice in altering people’s perception of the matter. While it may be a great start, there are definitely some great reservations on this front.
For those who may not be aware, this particular offer means TikTok unveiling the way the platform functions and how it creates some video feeds with a more personalized outlook. And this has been a part of the firm’s most secret features that other arch rivals hoped to crack to attain similar success to that seen with TikTok.
All that we know publicly about its functioning is that the platform utilizes four different types of signals. This entails what users watch, which videos they adore, which ones they share, and also the ones they follow in detail.
Meanwhile, other investigations linked to the matter showcased how the main feature was linked to how long people were spending their time on the app and which particular types of content were intriguing them. After seeing those stats, the app goes into a mode where it focuses on showcasing such content as quickly as possible to attain record-breaking viewership.
Also, it was speculated that no matter how much harm or disturbing the content may be, the app would carry on offering it because there’s plenty of revenue being generated through this type of engagement. But ByteDance does hope to curb this endeavor in whatever manner possible.
Meanwhile, there are even more speculations growing on this front including how the officials from China’s government might be requesting the firm to put forward more content on the platform that might disrupt the American political scenes.
The offer by TikTok is provided to the American-based firm Oracle who will now be allowed to review codes that make the algorithm function in a certain manner, as reported by the WSJ.
Moreover, TikTok mentioned how it would now be devising a plan that allows American officials to see if proprietary algorithms had been influenced by the Chinese capital city of Beijing. Clearly, the stakes are high as this is TikTok’s secret sauce and the magic required to ensure the app keeps functioning in a successful manner.
Similarly, so many US lawmakers and other independent bodies would be allowed to make sure the app has no types of backdoors that provide access or manipulate the content seen through such apps. However, many people do feel that this entire endeavor is just too hard and complex to work around.
Moreover, such an arrangement puts ahead some practical difficulties as per officials in the US and researchers that claim the task is certainly not easy. It’s hard to see how the algorithm functions and the answers that it will provide won’t be too clear cut as well. So as you can see, the technical challenges in this aspect are plenty.
Despite the great efforts being made by TikTok, there are still so many cybersecurity concerns that continue to surround the company. There is fear that American users’ personal data is getting shared with the Chinese government without them providing any consent on the matter. So it would be interesting to see what results this brings about in the end.
Read next: Biden’s State Of The Union Address Calls Upon Congress To Pass Laws On Antitrust And Data Privacy
The app certainly would not want something like that to occur and that’s why the latest reports on this front are speaking about how it might soon be sharing some very intimate details linked to its algorithm.
The app’s parent firm ByteDance was seen speaking about how the concerns of US lawmakers are plenty and there is an outcry among them to offer more transparency of how exactly the algorithm works.
This report comes as the popular app was accused of sending American citizens into some alarming rabbit holes. Moreover, many other claims included how the platform has been busy taking part in tracking user data. But with such information out and about in public, ByteDance is hoping to see the firm offer more transparency and get rid of more potential bans that have been rumored to arise soon.
But not all experts feel that such transparency would do justice in altering people’s perception of the matter. While it may be a great start, there are definitely some great reservations on this front.
For those who may not be aware, this particular offer means TikTok unveiling the way the platform functions and how it creates some video feeds with a more personalized outlook. And this has been a part of the firm’s most secret features that other arch rivals hoped to crack to attain similar success to that seen with TikTok.
All that we know publicly about its functioning is that the platform utilizes four different types of signals. This entails what users watch, which videos they adore, which ones they share, and also the ones they follow in detail.
Meanwhile, other investigations linked to the matter showcased how the main feature was linked to how long people were spending their time on the app and which particular types of content were intriguing them. After seeing those stats, the app goes into a mode where it focuses on showcasing such content as quickly as possible to attain record-breaking viewership.
Also, it was speculated that no matter how much harm or disturbing the content may be, the app would carry on offering it because there’s plenty of revenue being generated through this type of engagement. But ByteDance does hope to curb this endeavor in whatever manner possible.
Meanwhile, there are even more speculations growing on this front including how the officials from China’s government might be requesting the firm to put forward more content on the platform that might disrupt the American political scenes.
The offer by TikTok is provided to the American-based firm Oracle who will now be allowed to review codes that make the algorithm function in a certain manner, as reported by the WSJ.
Moreover, TikTok mentioned how it would now be devising a plan that allows American officials to see if proprietary algorithms had been influenced by the Chinese capital city of Beijing. Clearly, the stakes are high as this is TikTok’s secret sauce and the magic required to ensure the app keeps functioning in a successful manner.
Similarly, so many US lawmakers and other independent bodies would be allowed to make sure the app has no types of backdoors that provide access or manipulate the content seen through such apps. However, many people do feel that this entire endeavor is just too hard and complex to work around.
Moreover, such an arrangement puts ahead some practical difficulties as per officials in the US and researchers that claim the task is certainly not easy. It’s hard to see how the algorithm functions and the answers that it will provide won’t be too clear cut as well. So as you can see, the technical challenges in this aspect are plenty.
Despite the great efforts being made by TikTok, there are still so many cybersecurity concerns that continue to surround the company. There is fear that American users’ personal data is getting shared with the Chinese government without them providing any consent on the matter. So it would be interesting to see what results this brings about in the end.
Read next: Biden’s State Of The Union Address Calls Upon Congress To Pass Laws On Antitrust And Data Privacy