Attorneys general from the states of California, Florida and Kentucky in the USA joined forces to investigate the potential effect of the social network TikTok on the mental and physical health of young people. The objective of the study is to determine whether the way in which the company “designs, operates and markets its platform has a negative effect on the health of children, adolescents and young adults.”

The group of prosecutors is focusing the investigation on the methods and techniques used by the social network. The algorithm used by TikTok allows establishing the type of content that is exposed to users “and is very effective in keeping them interested”

The representatives of the company have explained on other occasions the operation of the social network. However, prosecutors want to delve into the methods and techniques used to “boost the participation of its users, as well as the length of time they usually spend on the platform.”

TikTok’s reaction to the lawsuits

It is not the first time that the social network has faced an investigation or lawsuit. In 2019 the company had to pay 5.7 million dollars to the FTC to solve the accusations that its “predecessor: Musical.ly.” A platform that was denounced because it did not have the necessary permissions from “the parents of young children who had signed up to use the app.”

Additionally, that agreement intended that TikTok also limit the way in which users “under the age of 13 interact with the content of the application”. Recently, another group of researchers expressed concern about the “few studies that had been carried out on the possible impact of the platform on mental health.”

Ben Rathe, a spokesman for the social network TikTok, expressed his opinion about the investigation being carried out by the attorneys general and indicated that his company “appreciates that the state attorneys general focus on the safety of younger users.” And he noted that the company hopes to provide all the “information about the many security and privacy protections they have for teens.”

The prosecutors’ investigation has other companies responsible for other social networks on the lookout because both Meta and Snapchat are modeling inspiration on TikTok in order to improve or develop their applications.

M. Rodríguez

Source: tekcrispy.com

La entrada US investigates TikTok for its impact on mental health apareció primero en Bitfinance.

A coalition of 37 attorneys general in the United States filed a lawsuit against Google in California for alleged monopolistic conduct in relation to its application Google Play Store.

The lawsuit is led by the Utah attorney general. It has been joined by the attorneys general from 35 other states in the country, in addition to Washington DC.

“Google’s monopoly is a threat to the market. Google Play is not fair. Google must be prosecuted for harming small businesses and consumers. It must stop using its monopoly power and hyper-dominant market position to capture billions of dollars of SMEs, competitors and consumers above what they should pay,” said Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.

This new lawsuit accuses Google of having used its dominant position to unfairly restrict competition with the Google Play Store. The complaint argues that the technology company originally sold Android as an “open” system, causing manufacturers to use it and not compete with Google Play at that time. According to the lawsuit, once the company had a “critical mass” of users, it began shutting down the Android ecosystem.

Specifically, the attorneys general accuse the giant of imposing technical barriers that prevent users from installing applications outside the Play Store. They also ensure that the company forces device manufacturers to sign agreements to prevent them from developing versions of Android that deviate from the version certified by Google.

K. Tovar

Source: Xataka Android

La entrada Google was sued for alleged monopoly apareció primero en Bitfinance.