New York lawsuit alleges TikTok gave thousands of users nonfunctional safety features in placebo tests

Reuters reports that New York’s lawsuit alleges TikTok ran placebo tests on thousands of users in 2023, including teens and children who sought to use safety features. Some users received a nonfunctional version of Algo Refresh, a tool intended to reset video recommendations. The lawsuit says TikTok compared time on the platform and ad revenue between users who received the working feature and those who did not. TikTok says it regularly tests features and has broadly denied New York’s allegations.