Big Chinese tech companies have been making fortunes off their algorithms for years. These programs, which for example allow you to create a hyper-personalized theme on TikTok, generally have a very opaque functionality. Beijing has forced the industry’s biggest groups to reveal their most valuable secrets, the Cyberspace Administration of China, one of the country’s regulators, said on Friday.
About thirty companies are concerned, including e-commerce giant Alibaba, entertainment group Tencent or ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. It is not lightly that these companies revealed their secret recipe. They are forced to do so. In March, China passed a law that controls how companies use recommendation algorithms. They must now be analyzed and then approved by the regulatory body. The user shall also be free to accept or reject such recommendations.
Dissemination of regulations
While companies must be transparent with Beijing, the government does not apply the same restrictions. Very little information has been released about this software. The only secret about Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese twin, is that an algorithm is used to suggest products and services that users might be interested in. Interest is determined by behavioral data such as clicks and likes. The document published by the regulator does not allow us to determine whether he knows much more about the operation of the instruments.
China has been trying to regain control of powerful technology companies for two years. It multiplies regulations on both personal data protection, with the GDPR passed a year ago, and anti-competitive practices. This decision to frame algorithms is a new turn of the screw. The regulator has even gone ahead of its European equivalents, which are often very concerned about consumer protection.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.