Senators Request Clarification from TikTok on Experiment that Disabled Safety Measures

Two senators have established a deadline for TikTok to address questions regarding an experiment that removed a safety feature from 15 million users in the U.S., which included a teenager who later took his own life.

Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to TikTok CEO Shou Chew and Adam Presser, the head of the company’s U.S. operations, criticizing the firm’s choice to conduct the experiment as “depraved.”

As reported by Bloomberg, TikTok intentionally disabled an algorithmic safeguard for 10% of U.S. users to create a control group for its study. This safeguard was designed to protect users from an overabundance of harmful content, but TikTok chose to proceed with the experiment to assess any potential effects on user engagement.

Among those in the control group was 16-year-old Chase Nasca, whose content feed was inundated with thousands of videos related to sadness, suicide, and isolation prior to his tragic death.

The senators are demanding answers to 13 specific questions related to the experiment, including the names of all employees who knew about the experiment and the reasoning behind the decision to allow minors in the control group. They are also asking for a detailed list of all algorithmic experiments conducted in the U.S. where TikTok disabled or delayed a safety feature. TikTok has until September 1 to respond.

TikTok has not yet replied to TechCrunch’s request for comment.