, Columnist
TikTok’s Algorithm Can’t Be Trusted
If it operates like other recommendation engines, it can be used for good or for evil.
Prepare to be influenced.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Everybody’s worried about the algorithm behind TikTok, the wildly popular Chinese-run short-video app. President Donald Trump thinks it poses a threat to national security (or maybe to his campaign rallies), and so is demanding that its U.S. operations be sold to an American company. China wants to keep it out of U.S. hands. TikTok insists it’s friendly and open for all to see.
So what is it? As best I can tell, it’s like any other algorithm, which means it can be used for evil or for good.