TikTok mandatory beauty filtering consent

Occurred: June 2021

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TikTok was automatically touching up the videos of some users' faces without notifiying them or asking for their consent. 

The practice was exposed by Tori Dawn and other users, who shared the issue in videos posted on the social network. TikTok subsequently acknowledged there was an issue, but has not divulged what caused it, or how it was fixed. 

According to the Technology Review, automated beauty filtering is standard practice in China; elsewhere it is offered as an option to which users have to opt-in. 

TikTok has also been accused of suppressing ugly, poor, disabled and LBGT users and content.

Operator: ByteDance/TikTok
Developer: ByteDance/TikTok
Country: USA; Global
Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts
Purpose: Beautify user faces
Technology: Computer vision
Issue: Appropriateness/need; Privacy
Transparency: Governance; Marketing; Privacy

Page info
Type: Incident
Published: December 2021