WEBVTT - TikTok Withheld a Safety Feature From Millions. One Died by Suicide

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<v Speaker 1>Tik tok withheld a safety feature from millions one died

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<v Speaker 1>by suicide. A confidential documents as an algorithm adjustment was

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<v Speaker 1>kept from many users by design as part of an

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<v Speaker 1>experiment to measure engagement by Olivia Carvell read aloud by

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<v Speaker 1>Mark Liedorf. When TikTok tweaked its algorithm in twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 1>one to stop users from being overwhelmed with harmful content,

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<v Speaker 1>the company didn't roll out the safer version to everyone,

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<v Speaker 1>a confidential internal document shows. Instead, to see if the

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<v Speaker 1>change might reduce the app's stickiness, the company conducted an experiment.

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<v Speaker 1>It created a control group of ten percent of US

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<v Speaker 1>users at the time that would have been about fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>million people who kept the old version of the app.

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<v Speaker 1>This group, according to the document, included sixteen year old

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<v Speaker 1>Chase Nasca. Tik Tok's algorithm pushed him thousands of videos

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<v Speaker 1>about suicide, sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness right up until he

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<v Speaker 1>killed himself. Chase's account was stuck in a so called

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<v Speaker 1>filter bubble, an online echo chamber that pumped out repetitive

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<v Speaker 1>content the algorithm predicted he'd want to watch. There, he

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<v Speaker 1>received an onslaught of suicide and self harm content. According

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<v Speaker 1>to the document, because Chase was in the control group,

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<v Speaker 1>it says, TikTok's filter bubble prevention strategies did not take

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<v Speaker 1>effect on this user by design. Those two words by

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<v Speaker 1>design carry extra weight against the backdrop of litigation over

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<v Speaker 1>social media addiction that's playing out in US courts. The

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<v Speaker 1>crux of the legal argument being wielded against the world's

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<v Speaker 1>biggest social media platforms is that their products are dangerous

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<v Speaker 1>by design. The companies, including TikTok, vehemently deny this and

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<v Speaker 1>point to safety features they've introduced to protect users. But

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<v Speaker 1>the document shows TikTok intentionally withheld a safety feature from

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<v Speaker 1>millions of people, and why the user impact decision, it says,

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<v Speaker 1>was a delicate balance across safety and the ability to

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<v Speaker 1>measure impact on DAU and core metrics. DAU or daily

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<v Speaker 1>active users, is one of the top data points by

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<v Speaker 1>which Wall Street judges social media companies. Within the hyper

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<v Speaker 1>competitive industry, user growth is often prioritized over user safety.

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<v Speaker 1>That trade off has been well documented for years, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's now the backbone of thousands of lawsuits against the companies.

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<v Speaker 1>In response to questions about the document, a TikTok spokesperson

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<v Speaker 1>sent a written statement saying the company was deeply committed

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<v Speaker 1>to the safety and well being of users, especially teens.

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<v Speaker 1>Our hearts break for any family that experienced a tragic lass,

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<v Speaker 1>the spokesperson said. To help protect our community, we continue

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<v Speaker 1>to invest significantly in trust and safety, including robust detection

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<v Speaker 1>systems and dedicated enforcement teams that proactively remove content that

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<v Speaker 1>violates our community guidelines. Written in March twenty twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>the document is an in depth review of Chase's account,

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<v Speaker 1>prepared by members of TikTok's safety and algorithm teams. It

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<v Speaker 1>provides extraordinary detail about his watch history in the weeks,

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<v Speaker 1>days and hours before he died. Marked privileged and confidential.

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<v Speaker 1>It's currently under a court ordered seal. Two weeks after

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<v Speaker 1>the review was conducted, TikTok chief executive Officers show Cho

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<v Speaker 1>testified before Congress. He told lawmakers safety and wellness, in

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<v Speaker 1>particular for teens, is a core priority for TikTok. During questioning,

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<v Speaker 1>he said that we have a commitment to transparency. Chu

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<v Speaker 1>made this point so often that one representative, Alabama Republican

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<v Speaker 1>Gary Palmer, used it to call him out. You have

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<v Speaker 1>repeatedly used the word transparency throughout this hearing, and every

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<v Speaker 1>time you've said it, what I've heard is deception. After

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<v Speaker 1>the hearing, members of Congress and TikTok written questions. One

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<v Speaker 1>asked how many cases is TikTok aware of where users

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<v Speaker 1>have committed suicide after receiving sad, depressing or suicide promoting

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<v Speaker 1>videos on TikTok. In response, the company wrote, TikTok does

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<v Speaker 1>not believe that use of the platform has caused users

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<v Speaker 1>to commit suicide. That answer was dated May fourth, twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty three, fifteen months after Chase's death and two months

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<v Speaker 1>after the company's investigation into his account. TikTok doesn't typically

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<v Speaker 1>examine the watch history.

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<v Speaker 2>Of individual users.

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<v Speaker 1>The company analyzed chases after Bloomberg BusinessWeek reached out in

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<v Speaker 1>March twenty twenty three seeking comment for a story about

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<v Speaker 1>TikTok's impact on teen users. The article centered on Chase,

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<v Speaker 1>a free spirited sixteen year old soccer prodigy with no

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<v Speaker 1>history of mental health issues, who in February twenty twenty two,

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<v Speaker 1>killed himself by stepping in front.

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<v Speaker 2>Of a train in Bayport, New York.

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<v Speaker 1>He left no suicide note, and his death at first

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<v Speaker 1>mystified his friends and family, but when Chase's mother gained

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<v Speaker 1>access to his TikTok account, she found a clue the

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<v Speaker 1>algorithm was feeding him video about suicide. Five days before

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<v Speaker 1>Chase's death, she discovered he'd been sent a video of

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<v Speaker 1>a person taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train,

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<v Speaker 1>with the caption went for a quick little walk to

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<v Speaker 1>clear my head. Following BusinessWeek's inquiry, TikTok's algorithm and safety

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<v Speaker 1>teams reconstructed Chase's watch history. They summarized their findings in

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<v Speaker 1>a fourteen page document titled Bloomberg BusinessWeek Youth Safety and

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<v Speaker 1>Filter Bubbles Escalation Summary. A list of key contacts shows

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<v Speaker 1>it was shared across ten teams within TikTok, including communications,

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<v Speaker 1>legal response, policy, security, and search. The report's first line

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<v Speaker 1>alerts readers that it contains potentially disturbing information. Overall, sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>year old user Chase Naska's account fell into a filter bubble,

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<v Speaker 1>where his account was recommended a repetitive amount of content

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<v Speaker 1>surrounding suicide and self harm and depressive topics, particularly leading

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<v Speaker 1>up to the date of his suicide. The document says

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<v Speaker 1>many of Chase's video searches were about sports and comedy,

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<v Speaker 1>it says, but he also searched for songs about loneliness

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<v Speaker 1>and hopelessness. Those songs written by popular musical artists who

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<v Speaker 1>struggled with depression and suicidal ideation likely triggered the algorithm

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<v Speaker 1>to keep feeding him this content. The document says. TikTok

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<v Speaker 1>analyzed seven thousand, five hundred and sixty three videos served

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<v Speaker 1>to Chase in the two weeks before he died. Its

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<v Speaker 1>review found that seventy three percent carried common themes testimonials

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<v Speaker 1>of suicide survivors, mental health struggles, suicide awareness, and longing

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<v Speaker 1>to be in a relationship, or sadness over a breakup,

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<v Speaker 1>but didn't violate TikTok's rules. An additional group of videos,

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<v Speaker 1>almost ten percent, did violate the rules, which ban anything

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<v Speaker 1>that promotes or normalizes suicide or self harm. These videos

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<v Speaker 1>included images with memes and messages about deep depression, low

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<v Speaker 1>self esteem, loneliness, feeling tired, and suicidal ideasation. In all,

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<v Speaker 1>thousands of videos that were pushed to Chase had a

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<v Speaker 1>current of despair. The analysis provides a glimpse into the

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<v Speaker 1>last moments of Chase's life. The day before he died,

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<v Speaker 1>he scrolled TikTok for more than five hours and searched

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<v Speaker 1>for posts about suicide and trains. On the day of

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<v Speaker 1>his death, he favored videos alluding to suicide. Hours before

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<v Speaker 1>he died, he watched and rewatched a video about a

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<v Speaker 1>teen boy who left a goodbye missive on social media,

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<v Speaker 1>saying this world is going to forget me, before jumping

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<v Speaker 1>from the Manhattan Bridge. The last video Chase saw was

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<v Speaker 1>of someone crying. The document explains that Chase was fed

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<v Speaker 1>this kind of content because his account had been randomly

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<v Speaker 1>selected for an internal back test, making his account part

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<v Speaker 1>of the control group, so for him, TikTok's safeguard wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>switched on. Back testing, the document states, is a common

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<v Speaker 1>data science technique, often referred to as an ab experiment,

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<v Speaker 1>that establishes two groups to measure a change's impact and

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<v Speaker 1>validate the gains to prevent future incidents. The report provides

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<v Speaker 1>two recommendations, shrink the control group to less than one

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<v Speaker 1>percent and reduce the test duration for the same users

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<v Speaker 1>from a half year full year to seven days, but

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<v Speaker 1>an update included in the report warned that cutting the

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<v Speaker 1>test pool to one tenth the size still meant at

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<v Speaker 1>least one point eight million US users have been excluded,

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<v Speaker 1>putting them at risk for falling into bubbles. The twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty two to AB test was a routine one used

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<v Speaker 1>to evaluate whether safety changes were working as intended, the

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<v Speaker 1>company told Business Week Tuesday. TikTok said it has since

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<v Speaker 1>refined how it conducts such tests, without elaborating. In the

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<v Speaker 1>past four years, more than four thousand personal injury lawsuits

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<v Speaker 1>have been filed accusing social media companies of harming children's

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<v Speaker 1>mental health, with many cases joined into a huge consolidated litigation.

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<v Speaker 1>So far, only one lawsuit has made it to trial.

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<v Speaker 1>In March Whch, a jury in California found Google's YouTube

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<v Speaker 1>and meta platforms Instagram negligible for intentionally targeting children with

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<v Speaker 1>addictive features. Jurors awarded the plaintiff, who was seventeen when

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<v Speaker 1>she sued six million dollars in damages. TikTok and Snap

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<v Speaker 1>settled on the eve of trial. Google and Meta say

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<v Speaker 1>they planned to appeal. In the run up to the case,

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<v Speaker 1>all four companies went through an exhaustive two year discovery

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<v Speaker 1>process connected to the broader litigation and handed over more

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<v Speaker 1>than six million internal documents to the other side. The

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<v Speaker 1>review of Chase's account was unearthed during that discovery process.

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<v Speaker 1>On Monday, TikTok finalized settlements in three more cases. The

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<v Speaker 1>company has settled every personal injury case alleging social media

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<v Speaker 1>addiction five in all, that had been set for trial

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<v Speaker 1>this year. When TikTok exploded into popular culture in twenty eighteen,

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<v Speaker 1>what set it apart was its stickiness, the irresistible carousel

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<v Speaker 1>of hyper personalized comment on its for you page optimized

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<v Speaker 1>for engagement. By the summer of twenty twenty one, it

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<v Speaker 1>had reached one billion users worldwide, faster than any other

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<v Speaker 1>social media platform. Rivals tried to mimic the algorithm driving

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<v Speaker 1>its recommendation engine, and journalists started investigating it. The Wall

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<v Speaker 1>Street Journal created more than one hundred automated TikTok accounts

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<v Speaker 1>to track how it works. Within about thirty six minutes,

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<v Speaker 1>one bought program to engage with posts about depression was

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<v Speaker 1>being fed a stream of content that was ninety three

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<v Speaker 1>percent about sad topics. In December twenty twenty one, TikTok

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<v Speaker 1>issued a press release saying it was testing ways to

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<v Speaker 1>interrupt repetitive patterns of subjects that could be problematic if

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<v Speaker 1>viewed in clusters such as extreme dieting and loneliness. By

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<v Speaker 1>early twenty twenty two, TikTok had rolled out its newly

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<v Speaker 1>safeguarded algorithm to ninety percent of US users. It held

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<v Speaker 1>back ten percent in the control group. According to the

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<v Speaker 1>confidential document. The report pinpoints January twenty fifth, twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five U two as the day Chase's account was randomly

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<v Speaker 1>selected for the back test experiment. That's around the time

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<v Speaker 1>a high school friend, Brandon Maffay, noticed a change in

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<v Speaker 1>the videos Chase was sharing. According to an interview Mafay

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<v Speaker 1>gave Business Week the following year, Chase used to share

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<v Speaker 1>funny videos with his friends. Now he was sending posts

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<v Speaker 1>about suicide. Maffay remembered getting one in particular. I opened

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<v Speaker 1>it up and I was just like, damn, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know why he's sending this to me. Within a month,

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<v Speaker 1>Chase was dead. Chase's account remained active, and a year

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<v Speaker 1>later the algorithm was still sending its suicide content, his

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<v Speaker 1>mother discovered. When BusinessWeek reached out to the company for

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<v Speaker 1>comment for the twenty twenty three article, TikTok employees traded

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<v Speaker 1>messages discussing a public relations strategy for the story. These

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<v Speaker 1>internal communications had become an exhibit in litigation against social

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<v Speaker 1>media companies. The exhibit was unsealed earlier this year, but

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<v Speaker 1>references to Chase's name and the back test experiment were redacted.

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<v Speaker 1>The internal dialogue visible in the court filing provides a

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<v Speaker 1>behind the scenes account of a corporate crisis team mobilizing.

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<v Speaker 1>Two dozen employees are looped into the multi day thread,

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<v Speaker 1>with messages being sent late into the night. After one

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<v Speaker 1>employee from the trust and safety team shares a summary

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<v Speaker 1>of Chase's watch history, three others respond with the crying emoji.

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<v Speaker 1>A communications team member then shares that they are developing

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<v Speaker 1>on the record quotes to show empathy for these issues

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<v Speaker 1>and are hoping to expedite the rollout of a feature

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<v Speaker 1>allowing people to refresh their for you feeds to show

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<v Speaker 1>progress ahead of the story. In the end, TikTok provided

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<v Speaker 1>a statement to BusinessWeek for the twenty twenty three story

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<v Speaker 1>that's similar to the one it gave for this story.

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<v Speaker 1>The company said it was committed to the safety and

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<v Speaker 1>well being of teen users. Our hearts break for any

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<v Speaker 1>family that experiences a tragic loss, said Jamie Favazza.

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<v Speaker 2>A spokeswoman.

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<v Speaker 1>We strive to provide a positive and enriching experience and

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<v Speaker 1>will continue our significant investment in sane safeguarding our platform.

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<v Speaker 1>When Chew the CEO, went before the House Committee on

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<v Speaker 1>Energy and Commerce on March twenty third, twenty twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>it was two weeks after Business Week had reached out

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<v Speaker 1>to TikTok and the company had reviewed Chase's account. The

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<v Speaker 1>hearing lasted five hours. Members asked him about TikTok's ties

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<v Speaker 1>to its Beijing based parent company Byte Dance, about possible

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<v Speaker 1>national security risks, and about child safety. Florida Republican Gus

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<v Speaker 1>Billerrocas motioned toward Chase's parents, who were sitting in the

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<v Speaker 1>public gallery. They'd filed a wrongful death lawsuit against TikTok

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<v Speaker 1>in New York two days earlier. Mister Chew, Bill Rocus said,

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<v Speaker 1>your company destroyed their lives.

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<v Speaker 2>For Chase.

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<v Speaker 1>TikTok was sadly a window to discover suicide, he said.

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<v Speaker 1>Bill Rocus then played a thirty second recording of videos

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<v Speaker 1>sent to Chase's account, including one in which a user says,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to put a shotgun in my mouth and

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<v Speaker 1>blow the brains out the back of my head. Your

0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:03.040
<v Speaker 1>technology is literally leading to death. Billi Rocus said to Chew,

0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:07.040
<v Speaker 1>yes or no? Do you have full responsibility for your algorithms.

0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.319
<v Speaker 1>Chew began to answer, saying I would just like to respectfully,

0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:13.360
<v Speaker 1>if you don't mind, I would just like to start

0:14:13.400 --> 0:14:16.000
<v Speaker 1>by saying it is devastating to hear about the news

0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:19.320
<v Speaker 1>as a father myself, but Bill Rocus cut him off.

0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:23.440
<v Speaker 1>Yes or no, he demanded. We do take these issues

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<v Speaker 1>very seriously, and we do provide resources for anyone who

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<v Speaker 1>types in anything like suicide, Chew said, before Bill Rocus

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<v Speaker 1>interrupted again. I see you are not willing to answer

0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:36.880
<v Speaker 1>the question or take any responsibility for your parent company,

0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:40.840
<v Speaker 1>the technology and the harm it creates. The following month,

0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:44.120
<v Speaker 1>the committee sent TikTok a long list of follow up questions.

0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:48.880
<v Speaker 1>TikTok responded on May fourth, providing fifty three pages of answers.

0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.680
<v Speaker 1>One question asked when did TikTok first become aware that

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<v Speaker 1>its algorithms sends sad, depressing and suicide promoting videos to

0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.880
<v Speaker 1>the for you feeds of teenage users. The reply began,

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<v Speaker 1>TikTok does not believe that this is an accurate sentiment

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<v Speaker 1>regarding its algorithms. The safety of the TikTok community is

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<v Speaker 1>of the utmost importance to TikTok. The company added that

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<v Speaker 1>it proactively blocks redirects and warns users who attempt to

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<v Speaker 1>search for dangerous or otherwise harmful content. The next question,

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<v Speaker 1>what if anything has TikTok done to stop young users

0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:27.440
<v Speaker 1>from receiving sad, depressing and suicide promoting videos in their

0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:35.520
<v Speaker 1>FORU feeds? The reply began TikTok's community guidelines prohibit content depicting, promoting, normalizing,

0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:39.200
<v Speaker 1>or glorifying activities that could lead to suicide or self harm.

0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.600
<v Speaker 1>The company added that it's aware of the potential concern

0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.360
<v Speaker 1>with receiving recurrent content and that it's introduced strategies to

0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:51.200
<v Speaker 1>help users avoid filter bubbles. Two questions down, how many

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<v Speaker 1>cases is TikTok aware of where users have committed suicide

0:15:54.760 --> 0:16:00.320
<v Speaker 1>after receiving sad, depressing or suicide promoting videos on TikTok apply.

0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:05.040
<v Speaker 1>User safety is an important priority for TikTok. Its policies

0:16:05.280 --> 0:16:08.680
<v Speaker 1>aim to support people who may be struggling. It provides

0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:13.920
<v Speaker 1>regional suicide prevention hotline numbers. This answer also said TikTok

0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:16.440
<v Speaker 1>does not believe that use of the platform has caused

0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:21.440
<v Speaker 1>users to commit suicide. Then six more questions down, Please

0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:25.280
<v Speaker 1>list all cases where algorithmic ab testing has resulted in

0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:30.120
<v Speaker 1>harm to TikTok's users. To this, TikTok's answer, in its entirety, was,

0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:33.200
<v Speaker 1>the safety of the TikTok community is of the utmost

0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:36.800
<v Speaker 1>importance to TikTok, and the community guidelines include rules and

0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:40.520
<v Speaker 1>standards for using TikTok. The guidelines apply to everyone and

0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:43.840
<v Speaker 1>everything on our platform, including content that is presented to

0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:48.680
<v Speaker 1>users during ab testing. The company's answers made no mention

0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:51.840
<v Speaker 1>of the back test experiment described in the confidential document.

0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:55.880
<v Speaker 1>The Business Week's story was published in April twenty twenty three,

0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:59.840
<v Speaker 1>two weeks before TikTok's written answers were submitted to Congress.

0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.560
<v Speaker 1>The article cited former employees of the company's safety team

0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:05.879
<v Speaker 1>who said they were concerned about the high level of

0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:09.000
<v Speaker 1>secrecy around the algorithm, how it was weighted, and how

0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:12.040
<v Speaker 1>it could be changed. They insisted they'd been set up

0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.760
<v Speaker 1>to fail, asked to enhance the safety of an app

0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.600
<v Speaker 1>whose underpinnings they couldn't comprehend. One of those trust and

0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:21.359
<v Speaker 1>safety workers had been employed as a team leader at

0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.200
<v Speaker 1>the time the back test experiment was rolled out. When

0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.160
<v Speaker 1>contacted for this story, he said he hadn't been aware

0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.879
<v Speaker 1>of the experiment. After hearing details from the document, he

0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:34.040
<v Speaker 1>confirmed that such tests are commonly used in the social

0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:37.720
<v Speaker 1>media industry, but said there were flaws in this one's methodology.

0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:40.960
<v Speaker 1>The share of users assigned to the control group was

0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:43.760
<v Speaker 1>much too high, he said, and the experiment should have

0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:48.480
<v Speaker 1>excluded miners and dangerous contents such as suicide videos. The

0:17:48.480 --> 0:17:51.720
<v Speaker 1>wrongful death lawsuit brought by Chase's parents against tik Tok

0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:55.359
<v Speaker 1>was dismissed by a judge last year after the company

0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:58.760
<v Speaker 1>argued that Section two thirty of the Communications Decency Act

0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:02.960
<v Speaker 1>shielded it from life liability. An appeal is pending. The

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<v Speaker 1>NASCAZ didn't respond to requests for comment for this story.

0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:10.120
<v Speaker 1>Soon after the twenty twenty three BusinessWeek story was published,

0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:13.480
<v Speaker 1>Chase's parents were interviewed for a documentary Bloomberg was co

0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:17.400
<v Speaker 1>producing about social media harms. They later decided they didn't

0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:20.000
<v Speaker 1>want to be involved and filed a lawsuit to prevent

0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:23.280
<v Speaker 1>the interview from being used. The interview wasn't included in

0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.840
<v Speaker 1>the documentary. The lawsuit was dismissed, and Chase's parents have

0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:30.440
<v Speaker 1>filed a notice of appeal. At least one effort has

0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:32.840
<v Speaker 1>been made to get the confidential document in front of

0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:36.920
<v Speaker 1>Chase's parents. The Arkansas Attorney General's office, in a lawsuit

0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:40.760
<v Speaker 1>against TikTok, filed a motion seeking to depose Chase's.

0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:41.880
<v Speaker 2>Father in June.

0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:45.160
<v Speaker 1>It wanted to show him fifteen documents, including the one

0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:48.800
<v Speaker 1>about his son being part of an experiment. TikTok responded

0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:52.040
<v Speaker 1>in a court filing, saying Chase's father has never seen

0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:55.040
<v Speaker 1>these documents and has no personal knowledge of their contents.

0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.840
<v Speaker 1>The deposition request should be rejected, the company argued, and

0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:04.120
<v Speaker 1>the documents should remain because they contained sensitive internal confidential discussions.

0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:09.440
<v Speaker 1>A judge sided with TikTok. The use of ab testing

0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:12.600
<v Speaker 1>on teen social media users was cited in a wrongful

0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:15.800
<v Speaker 1>death lawsuit filed in July in Delaware, alleging that two

0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:18.920
<v Speaker 1>young people who died by suicide were addicted to TikTok

0:19:18.960 --> 0:19:22.920
<v Speaker 1>and other platforms. Such testing, the complaint says, has ended

0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:26.600
<v Speaker 1>in direct harm to young users. It's like relaxing the

0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:29.840
<v Speaker 1>seat belt standards in a child's car seat to determine

0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:33.119
<v Speaker 1>whether consumers will buy more of those car seats, knowing

0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.200
<v Speaker 1>that some number of children died in car accidents because

0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:40.200
<v Speaker 1>of that choice. With assistance from Madlein, Mecklberg,