TikTok expands transparency around its recommendation algorithms

ByteDance has unveiled a feature that explains why TikTok’s recommendation algorithms show a video to a user in the For You tab.

Today we’re rolling out a new feature which brings more context to content recommended in For You feeds. Just tap «Why this video» to see why a particular video has been recommended. More details —> https://t.co/IhNhCBkRRC

— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 20, 2022

To see why the algorithm added a video to the feed, a user must click the Share button and select the question-mark icon. This section will list some factors that played a role in the recommendation.

“Our recommendation system is based on technical models, so we aimed to make the technical details more understandable,” the press release says.

In total, the developers highlighted four factors that influence the appearance of videos in the For You tab:

• user interactions (viewing content, likes, comments, sharing videos with friends, searching);
• subscriptions or recommended accounts;
• recently published content in the user’s region;
• popular content in the user’s region.

The company said that, over time, it plans to add “more detail and transparency” to this feature, so the explanations may become more detailed. According to a TikTok spokesperson, future versions could also include other factors affecting the app’s algorithm, such as account settings.

The developers say the change will make recommendations easier to understand for users. This move is part of a broader TikTok effort to demonstrate its readiness to be more transparent about the inner workings of its app.

Earlier the company entered into a partnership agreement with Oracle to review its algorithms and content-moderation system.

Earlier in December, U.S. lawmakers proposed banning TikTok over concerns about spying by China.

In August, the platform introduced a text-to-video background generator.

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