Senators demand TikTok explain risky experiment that removed safety filter from millions
Two U.S. senators have given TikTok until September 1 to answer questions about a test that turned off a protective algorithm for about 15 million users, including a teen who later died by suicide.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have issued a formal request to TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew and U.S. operations chief Adam Presser, demanding answers about a recent experiment that disabled an algorithmic safety feature for about 15 million American users. According to reporting, the company deliberately turned off a safeguard designed to limit exposure to harmful content for a 10 percent control group, aiming to test whether the filter lowered the platform’s engagement.
One member of that group was 16-year-old Chase Nasca, whose feed was saturated with videos about sadness, suicide and loneliness before he died by suicide. The senators have posed 13 specific questions, including the identities of every employee who knew of the test, the rationale for allowing minors in the control group, and a full list of any other U.S. algorithmic experiments that postponed or removed safety mechanisms. TikTok has not provided comment to inquiries, and the deadline for a response is set for September 1.
Why it matters
The inquiry probes whether a major social-media platform put user safety at risk for engagement gains.
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