TikTok Lite Leaves up to 1 Billion Users With Fewer Protections

In May, TikTok announced that it would automatically statement AI-generated content connected its platform. That's not true, though, of each versions of the app. A new report from the Mozilla Foundation and AI Forensics finds that TikTok’s Lite-Save Data version, aimed astatine users successful poorer markets, not lone leaves AI-generated contented unlabeled, but besides lacks other, akin safeguards.

“Labeling is simply a precise important maneuver that platforms usage to present immoderate signifier of spot and safety,” says Odanga Madung, a Mozilla chap and coauthor of the report.

Users of the afloat mentation of TikTok, for example, volition spot labels indicating that contented is graphic oregon depicts unsafe behavior. Some contented astir topics similar elections and health, similarly, includes a announcement encouraging users to entree credible accusation done a “resource hub” connected the app.

On TikTok Lite, nary of these guardrails are present. Among different things, this means that with deceptive AI-generated content an contented successful elections each implicit the world, users successful poorer markets are being fixed little accusation astir what’s fake and what’s existent than users successful richer ones.

Madung questions why, of each the features that could beryllium chopped to optimize the app, the institution included ones that marque the level safer for users. “We don’t cognize if this is simply a prime oregon if it’s conscionable negligence,” helium says.

“There are respective factual inaccuracies successful this study which fundamentally misrepresent our attack to safety,” a TikTok spokesperson said successful a statement. “The information is contented that breaks our rules is removed from TikTok Lite the aforesaid mode arsenic our main app and we connection galore information features.” The institution declined to constituent to immoderate circumstantial inaccuracies.

Lite versions of apps person agelong been a mode for companies to summation marketplace stock successful areas wherever users are taxable to precocious information costs oregon tin lone spend little precocious phones. In 2015, Meta, past Facebook, launched Facebook Lite, a stripped-down mentation of its app that was much compatible with 2G information networks. That aforesaid twelvemonth it besides launched Free Basics, which allowed users successful the Global South to entree the level and definite different websites without being charged for information usage. (An app oregon work gathering these criteria is called “zero-rated.”) At the time, the task faced wide criticism, peculiarly successful India, for creating a second-tier acquisition for poorer customers.

TikTok launched its Lite mentation successful 2018 successful Thailand, and rapidly expanded to different markets successful Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The app, which dissimilar the afloat mentation of TikTok tin tally connected 2G and 3G networks, present has much than 1 cardinal downloads, according to information from the Google Play Store. (TikTok Lite is lone disposable for Android phones.)

“The bulk of users successful the Global South are low-income and resource-constrained,” says Payal Arora, prof of inclusive AI cultures astatine Utrecht University. Lite versions of apps assistance companies get these radical connected board, thing she says is adjacent much captious than it has been successful the past due to the fact that “data is currency successful this AI-driven and AI-hungry market.”