A social media-scrubbing algorithm is facing scrutiny after a TikToker claimed their software was “crap” and cast too broad a net over a user’s social media presence.
The TikTok, which has amassed over 40,000 views and over 3,000 likes, shows pages of a social media report allegedly run on an account by Fama, a social media screening software.
The report appears to be of a user’s Twitter account, and the algorithm has rated various liked tweets as good or bad with a reasoning for the rating. Various tweets shown in the video have been flagged as “Bad” by the algorithm for containing swear words.
“Many companies really don’t understand how the software works so they’re going to take a companies word for it,” @merelyashely said on the TikTok. Ashley is a cybersecurity creator on the platform with over 50,000 followers.
In the video, Ashley said the report she shows was 300 pages long. The last tweet, which the algorithm flagged as “good,” includes a cynical remark about billionaires donating to charity.
“They’re spending a lot of money on this software,” Ashley added, noting that companies were more likely to take its word for what constitutes a bad tweet.
Commenters were quick to point out the errors in the report.
“Language is flagged?? it’s not like it’s an adult liking a post,” one commenter wrote.
“This is dystopian,” another said bluntly.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator and Fama for comment via email.
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