New Business
China’s tech giants vow to fix algorithm issues amid government crackdown
Major Chinese internet platforms have vowed to improve their algorithms, after the mainland’s internet watchdog launched a campaign to address the misuse of the technology underpinning the recommendation functions of apps and websites.
ByteDance’s TikTok alternative for its home market, Douyin, said on Friday it would establish a safety centre this year to make its recommendation system more transparent. It will also provide a more diverse video feed and strengthen its crackdown on misinformation and online violence, according to the company’s WeChat post.
Pinduoduo, a budget shopping app run by Temu owner PDD Holdings, said on the same day that it was “actively building a healthier ecosystem” to prevent “Big Data-enabled price discrimination”, according to Chinese news outlet Yicai. PDD did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours on Saturday.
Also on Friday, Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle community known as “China’s Instagram”, published a post on its platform, which invited users to learn how its app algorithms work and reminded users that they can disable personalised recommendations any time. The company also said it was soliciting public comments on how to polish its algorithms.
The moves come amid a three-month official campaign launched late in November to address “typical issues with algorithms” on online platforms, including filter bubbles, where users are isolated from content that disagrees with their views, and unfair pricing targeting different demographics.
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