Alibaba and TikTok share algorithm data with Chinese government, claims report – Times of India

Chinese internet giants including Alibaba, Tiktok-owner ByteDance and Tencent have reportedly shared details of their algorithms with China’s regulators for the first time, claims a report in BBC. As per the report, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has published a list with the descriptions of 30 algorithms. In a statement it said that this algorithm list would be routinely updated and aims to curb data abuse.
The list of algorithms includes Taobao, an e-commerce website owned by Alibaba; ByteDance’s algorithm for Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
Kendra Schaefer, head of tech policy research at Trivium China, said that the data appeared surface level and it doesn’t look like the algorithms themselves have been submitted. This claim is, however, disputed by Zhai Wei, an executive director at the Competition Law Research Center at the East China University of Political Science and Law. He told the BBC that the information provided was “much more detailed than what was published for sure.”
Algorithms basically decide how a certain process will work on an app or website. Basically, how the website/app will perform. These algorithms are claimed to be closely guarded by companies. In the US Meta and Google-parent Alphabet have reportedly successfully argued that they are trade secrets amid calls for more disclosure.