Summary
Whistleblowers from TikTok and Meta claim these companies risked user safety to improve their algorithms and compete for user attention. They say both companies allowed more harmful content on their platforms to boost engagement. TikTok and Meta reportedly prioritized relationships with politicians and company profits over user safety.
Key Facts
- Whistleblowers claimed TikTok and Meta increased harmful content visibility to boost engagement.
- An engineer at Meta said they were told to allow more borderline harmful content to compete with TikTok.
- TikTok staff allegedly prioritized political cases over protecting users from harmful content.
- Meta's Instagram Reels platform reportedly launched without enough safety measures.
- Internal research showed comments on Instagram Reels had more incidents of bullying, hate speech, and violence.
- Meta invested in Instagram Reels staff but not in safety teams needed to protect users.
- Both companies denied claims, saying they invest in technology to prevent exposure to harmful content.
- Algorithms like TikTok's are complex and difficult for engineers to fully control for safety.
