A recent study has intensified scrutiny of TikTok, alleging the app curates content in ways that benefit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The research suggests the platform suppresses criticism of China while amplifying favorable narratives, raising alarms about its influence on public opinion.
Conducted by Rutgers University and the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), the study builds upon earlier findings and is set to appear in the journal Frontiers in Social Psychology. It claims to be the first peer-reviewed, data-driven investigation showing TikTok’s algorithmic bias toward pro-China content.
These findings come at a critical juncture for the app, which faces a potential US ban unless its parent company, ByteDance, severs ties with China by January 19, 2025.
TikTok Fires Back
TikTok has denounced the study, calling its conclusions baseless and the methodology flawed. In a statement, a company spokesperson said, “This flawed experiment was clearly engineered to reach a false, predetermined conclusion. Previous research by NCRI has been debunked by outside analysts, and this latest paper is equally flawed.”
While the researchers acknowledged limitations in their methods, such as relying on newly created accounts to simulate user behavior, they stand by their findings. NCRI Director Joel Finkelstein emphasized the need for increased transparency, warning that social media algorithms can be exploited to influence perceptions on a global scale.
Evidence of Algorithmic Bias
The study revealed stark differences in how TikTok handles politically sensitive topics compared to platforms like Instagram and YouTube. For instance, searches on terms such as “Tiananmen,” and “Tibet,” yielded significantly fewer critical results on TikTok. The researchers noted that while users engaged more with anti-China content, the platform’s algorithm disproportionately recommended pro-CCP material—an imbalance not observed on other platforms.
The Supreme Court will this week weigh the First Amendment arguments against a TikTok ban.
