New York's unsealed lawsuit alleges TikTok gave some users, including children, a non-working version of Algo Refresh. TikTok said routine tests do not make the platform less safe.
New York's lawsuit against TikTok, unsealed on Wednesday, alleges the company ran placebo tests in which users who tried to turn on safety tools received versions that did not work, Reuters reported. The tools included Algo Refresh, meant to reset recommendations. Users in the test believed the feature was on, the filing alleges.
Attorney General Letitia James's case is one of more than two dozen state suits accusing TikTok of designing the app to addict children. A product manager had warned internally against placebo tests of Algo Refresh because the practice was likely to mislead users, Reuters said.
TikTok told a court it runs tests in which some traffic keeps the original experience, and denied that those tests make the platform less safe. In September the company settled the first state case set for trial, agreeing to pay up to 300 million dollars to Alabama and to change teen features there.
The new development is the public allegation in the unsealed filing. It is not a ruling.
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- The filing says users in the tests got an experience made less safe by design.
- TikTok said routine tests do not make the platform less safe.