The Justice Department warned, in stark terms, of the potential for what it called 'covert content manipulation' by the Chinese government.
In a fresh broadside against one of the world's most popular technology companies, the Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion.
One of Lark's internal search tools, the filing states, permits ByteDance and TikTok employees in the U.S. and China to gather information on users' content or expressions, including views on sensitive topics, such as abortion or religion. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported TikTok had tracked users who watched LGBTQ content through a dashboard the company said it had since deleted.
The Justice Department warned, in stark terms, of the potential for what it called"covert content manipulation" by the Chinese government, saying the algorithm could be designed to shape the content that users receive. The concern, the Justice Department said, is more than theoretical, alleging that TikTok and ByteDance employees are known to engage in a practice called"heating" in which certain videos are promoted in order to receive a certain number of views. While this capability enables TikTok to curate popular content and disseminate it more widely, U.S. officials posit it can also be used for nefarious purposes.
"The TikTok ban would silence 170 million Americans' voices, violating the 1st Amendment," Haurek said."As we've said before, the government has never put forth proof of its claims, including when Congress passed this unconstitutional law. Today, once again, the government is taking this unprecedented step while hiding behind secret information. We remain confident we will prevail in court.
In its legal challenge against the law, TikTok has heavily leaned on arguments that the potential ban violates the First Amendment because it bars the app from continued speech unless it attracts a new owner through a complex divestment process. It has also argued divestment would change the speech on the platform because a new social platform would lack the algorithm that has driven its success.
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Justice Dept. claims TikTok collected US user views on issues like abortion and gun control
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Justice Dept. claims TikTok collected views on issues like abortion and gun controlThe US Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion.
Read more »
TikTok collected US user views on issues like abortion and gun control, Justice Dept. claimsThe Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion.
Read more »
Justice Dept. claims TikTok collected views on issues like abortion and gun controlThe US Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion.
Read more »
Justice Dept. claims TikTok collected US user views on issues like abortion and gun controlWASHINGTON (AP) — In a fresh broadside against one of the world’s most popular technology companies, the Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of
Read more »
Justice Dept. claims TikTok collected US user views on issues like abortion and gun controlIn a fresh broadside against one of the world’s most popular technology companies, the Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion.
Read more »