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shopping14h ago
TikTok Shop Showed Me Search Suggestions for Products With Nazi Symbolism
- WIRED found that TikTok Shop sometimes showed Nazi-related product search suggestions starting from the user's hip hop jewelry query.
- TikTok says the observed prompts violate policies and are being removed as the company reviews the algorithm.
- The safety report notes TikTok Shop removed 700,000 sellers and 200,000 restricted or prohibited products in the first half of 2025.
- Experts suggest the algorithm may link related terms or be manipulated by nefarious actors, though details are opaque.
- Joan Donovan argues moderation must improve and users deserve transparency about targeting.
- The article traces how the 'Others searched for' box guided users through increasingly explicit Nazi-related terms.
- The piece highlights potential explanations: expected algorithm behavior versus manipulation by fake accounts.
- TikTok’s response reinforces ongoing moderation challenges in a growing ecommerce environment.
- The report situates Nazi symbolism within broader concerns about disinformation and extremist content online.
- Indiana University’s Filippo Menczer cautions about the opaque specifics of how platforms implement recommendations.
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