TikTok excluded millions from crucial safety guardrails
Summary
Marketplace Tech investigates how TikTok withheld a safety feature from 15 million users, including 16-year-old Chase Nazca, who died by suicide after being exposed to harmful content. Bloomberg reporter Olivia Carville reveals internal documents showing the exclusion was intentional for testing, contradicting TikTok’s public claims to Congress about user safety. The episode explores the broader legal landscape, where social media platforms face lawsuits alleging their products are dangerous and addictive by design.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Raymond James financial services
TikTok withheld safety feature from 15M users
Chase Nazca's death and internal video review
Congressional testimony and TikTok's denial
Trust and safety teams vs. addictive design
Sponsor: Gusto payroll software
Promo: Tomorrow's Cure podcast
Broader legal landscape and discovery docs
Section 230 and 'addictive by design' claims
Risks to internal safety research
Promo: This Is Uncomfortable podcast
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