In May, TikTok announced the automatic implementation of tags for AI-generated content on its platform. However, this measure does not apply to all versions of the app. According to a recent report by the Mozilla Foundation and AI Forensics, TikTok Lite, the version of TikTok with lower data consumption that is aimed at users in poorer markets, not only lacks tags for AI-generated content, but also omits other important safeguards.
Odanga Madung, Mozilla researcher and co-author of the report, emphasizes the importance of labeling to provide trust and security to users. In the full version of TikTok, labels are used to warn about graphic content or dangerous behaviors, and some topics, such as elections and health, include notices to access reliable information through a resource center. These measures are not present in TikTok Lite, which leaves users in poorer markets with less information to discern between real and fake content.
Madung questions the decision to remove these security features, suggesting that it could be either negligence or a deliberate choice. On the other hand, a TikTok spokesperson defends that content that violates the rules is removed in both versions of the app and that numerous security features are provided, although they did not specify the inaccuracies in the report.
For some time now, Lite versions of apps have sought to increase market share in areas with high data consumption and less advanced devices. TikTok launched its Lite version in 2018 in Thailand and quickly expanded in Southeast Asia, reaching over 1 billion downloads. According to Payal Arora, professor of inclusive AI cultures at the University of Utrecht, these Lite versions allow companies to attract low-income users in an AI-driven market.
The report reveals significant differences between the app versions. For example, TikTok Lite users are not shown links to COVID-19 resource centers in related content, unlike the full version. Additionally, shortened captions and the lack of features such as time limits and “restricted mode” affect users’ ability to understand and manage content.
In addition, Madung warns that the lack of tags and moderation in TikTok Lite can have repercussions beyond the app itself, since the videos are often shared on other platforms such as WhatsApp or Instagram.
