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This Week's Updates:
TikTok Hearing Demonstrates Growing Focus on Social Media Product Safety
Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee took aim at TikTok, an app which has skyrocketed in popularity with young Americans. While many members pressed TikTok CEO Shou Chew on his company’s ties to the Chinese government, they also criticized social media platforms more broadly for their embrace of content recommendation algorithms and surveillance advertising. Like other tech CEOs, Chew defended this business model by pointing to the existence of various rules and content moderation features without expanding on their efficacy.
Many major platforms, including Instagram and YouTube, have launched short-form video features to emulate TikTok; even Twitter has an algorithmically curated “For You” page that attempts to predict what content users will want to engage with. Banning TikTok might temporarily protect some users from dangerous algorithms, but it won't address the fundamental problems with social media or hold other platforms accountable for the harms that they cause. In light of that, CfA’s Tech Transparency Project (TTP) signed a letter calling on Congress to investigate companies like TikTok, Meta, SnapChat, and YouTube for employing predatory algorithms and trapping young users in harmful rabbit holes.
Bill in Texas Legislature Could Formalize Border Militias, Deputize Citizens to Arrest Migrants
Within the next few weeks, Texas Republicans plan to introduce a bill that would allow the state to train private citizens for “Border Protection Units,” which could then oversee the construction of a border wall and be deputized with the authority to arrest migrants. The bill includes no actual training requirements, meaning dangerously unqualified individuals could be placed on the front lines of border security. Officers of this unit could use “non-deadly force” under the direction of a unit chief appointed by the state’s governor, and any citizens without felony convictions would be allowed to participate in the unit's “operations and functions.”
TTP’s investigations of anti-migrant militias revealed that they have been allowed to flourish on Facebook, where members are free to fundraise, spread harmful misinformation, and share videos of themselves detaining migrants. Creating a unit of legalized vigilantes in this environment would be disastrous, given the existing relationships between militias and anti-government extremist groups. If the Texas bill becomes law, it could serve as a model for other border states and create new dangers for migrants, who have already been harassed and detained by volunteer militias.
The FTC Wants to Help You Cancel Your Gym Membership
Going back to the 1960s, gyms have made it easy for people to sign up and difficult for them to leave. Now, the FTC is taking steps to help Americans cancel recurring payments without spending hours making phone calls, visiting businesses in person, or listening to last-ditch sales pitches. On Thursday, the Commission released a notice of proposed rulemaking for the 1973 Negative Option Rule, which is used to regulate businesses that operate on a recurring payment schedule. Under the new proposal, companies would be forced to implement a simple cancellation mechanism, which would make it as easy to exit a subscription as it was to enter it. Companies would have to issue annual reminders about subscriptions, and could no longer bombard users with additional offers before allowing them to cancel their payments.
