Get the latest tech news

Did the US Government Ignore a Chance to Make TikTok Safer?


"To save itself, TikTok in 2022 offered the U.S. government an extraordinary deal," reports the Washington Post. The video app, owned by a Chinese company, said it would let federal officials pick its U.S. operation's board of directors, would give the government veto power over each new hire and ...

Officials declined the proposal, forfeiting potential influence over one of the world's most popular apps in favor of a blunter option: a forced-sale law signed last month by President Biden that could lead to TikTok's nationwide ban. The government has never publicly explained why it rejected TikTok's proposal, opting instead for a potentially protracted constitutional battle that many expect to end up before the Supreme Court... The episode raises questions over whether the government, when presented with a way to address its concerns, chose instead to back an effort that would see the company sold to an American buyer, even though some of the issues officials have warned about — the opaque influence of its recommendation algorithm, the privacy of user data — probably would still be unresolved under new ownership...

Get the Android app

Or read this on Slashdot

Read more on:

Photo of TikTok

TikTok

Photo of Chance

Chance

Photo of government

government

Related news:

News photo

TikTok said to be working on US-specific version of its content algorithm for months

News photo

TikTok denies reports it is creating a US-only algorithm

News photo

TikTok Pauses E-Commerce Push into Europe to Focus on US