Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Feed Link: https://www.engadget.com/
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Title: TikTok is trying to clean up its ΓÇÿFor YouΓÇÖ recommendations

Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 21:00:57 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-trying-to-...

TikTok is ramping up penalties for creators who post potentially
ΓÇ£problematicΓÇ¥ content and tightening its rules around what can be
recommended in the app. The updates arrive as TikTok is fighting for its
future in the United States and trying to convince lawmakers and regulators
that its app is safe for teens.

Under its updated community guidelines, set to take effect in May, TikTok has
added a long list of content thatΓÇÖs not eligible to be recommended in the
appΓÇÖs coveted ΓÇ£For YouΓÇ¥ feed. The list includes some obvious
categories, like sexually suggestive or violent content, but it also adds
topics that have previously been a source of controversy for the app. For
example, the new guidelines bar videos showing ΓÇ£dangerous activity and
challenges,ΓÇ¥ as well as many types of weight loss or dieting content. It
also prohibits any clips from users under the age of 16 from appearing in
ΓÇ£For You.ΓÇ¥

ThereΓÇÖs also a lengthy section dedicated to a wide range of misinformation
and conspiratorial content. From the guidelines:

-Conspiracy theories that are unfounded and claim that certain events or
situations are carried out by covert or powerful groups, such as "the
government" or a "secret society"

-Moderate harm health misinformation, such as an unproven recommendation for
how to treat a minor illness

-Repurposed media, such as showing a crowd at a music concert and suggesting
it is a political protest

-Misrepresenting authoritative sources, such as selectively referencing
certain scientific data to support a conclusion that is counter to the
findings of the study

-Unverified claims related to an emergency or unfolding event

-Potential high-harm misinformation while it is undergoing a fact-checking
review

In addition to the eligibility changes, TikTok says it will also begin to
penalize creators who repeatedly disregard this guidance by making their
entire account ineligible for recommendations, not just the specific
offending posts. The company will also make their account ΓÇ£harder to
findΓÇ¥ in search.

Additionally, the app is getting a new ΓÇ£account statusΓÇ¥ feature, which
will help users track if they are running afoul of these rules. Much like the
feature of the same name in Instagram, TikTokΓÇÖs account status will alert
creators to strikes on their account and posts that run afoul of the appΓÇÖs
rules. And an ΓÇ£account checkΓÇ¥ feature will allow users to track if they
are currently being blocked from recommendations or otherwise unable to
access features like messaging or commenting as a result of breaking the
appΓÇÖs rules.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-trying-to-...
recommendations-210057825.html?src=rss

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