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Has TikTok said its recommendations are racially biased?

Saturday, July 18, 2020
By Jiyul Kim
NO

TikTok, a social-media app that has become popular with younger users, says it is working to diversify the recommendations the app automatically offers users.

TikTok tactics have received intense scrutiny from competitors, media and regulators. The company concedes that its recommendation methods may have limited user exposure to work by creators from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. "Our teams are intent on developing ethical machine learning processes that reflect inclusivity and diversity, but we know there's work to be done in this area," the company said on June 24.

The company's plans to open a "transparency center" in Los Angeles, where it promises to show outside experts more about how its tools work, are on hold because of the pandemic.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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