Known for its addictive recommendation algorithm, TikTok has just published part of its code. The objective: to show credentials to avoid banishment in the United States, which is scheduled for January 19, 2025.
If nothing happens, TikTok will be banned on January 19, 2025 in the United States, which could lead to the start of its downfall. ByteDance, its owner, categorically refuses to sell the social network, despite American requests.
While waiting for this fateful date, the company is trying everything to save itself. After an appeal to the Supreme Court and dinner with Donald Trump, TikTok put its video recommendation algorithm online on GitHub.
Monolith: TikTok's recommendation algorithm
Monolith is the nickname for TikTok's recommendation algorithm, which can operate in real time. Available for download, it can even be modified and tested by anyone who wishes.
As artificial intelligence researcher François Chollet pointed out on X, Monolith uses Keras, an open source library that allows you to interact with neural and machine learning networks. We also learn that TikTok uses TensorFlow, which is precisely the machine learning tool used by the application. A tool that was developed and published as open source by… Google.
By unveiling Monolith, ByteDance therefore reveals that it uses American technologies, in order to prove to the authorities that it is not a product controlled by China.
However, Monolith is not just a slightly modified TensorFlow. This is explained in a research article published by ByteDance in 2022: TensorFlow only works with static parameters. But TikTok needs to constantly review recommendation settings, in real time. This is what Monolith allows you to do.
It is difficult to understand everything about the files published on GitHub, but what we understand quite easily is that the algorithm is very agile. It is able to analyze user interactions with videos to tailor its suggestions to understand user interests. The algorithm is also based on the viewing time of a video: the longer a video is viewed, the more it is highlighted. It only takes a few minutes to adjust. Importantly, the way it stores user information is designed to prevent them from being confused. The idea is that the algorithm is personalized for each user.
This agility also allows it to quickly integrate new trends and popular content, in order to encourage people to stay in the application.
These practices are quite classic and resemble what we find on other social networks. TikTok has just found the magic formula to be able to adapt to any user, in a few minutes, almost in real time.
Of course, with this algorithm made public, ByteDance is very far from revealing all its secrets. This is not the only brick of TikTok in terms of recommendation. Furthermore, the last modification listed on GitHub dates back to November 2023: in the meantime, the social network has had time to make changes. It makes sense that the code currently in use is not released.
Why is TikTok being transparent?
In March 2023, the United States implemented the “ RESTRICT Act », which makes it possible to sanction foreign companies, especially if they come from enemy countries.
In 2024, Congress and the Senate voted to ban TikTok. Joe Biden signed a law to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company by January 19, 2025. One month before the deadline, ByteDance still refuses. If the publisher continues, its app will be removed from app stores and inaccessible from the United States.
January 20 is also the inauguration of Donald Trump. TikTok is banking on its budding friendship with the billionaire to save itself.
Indeed, when he was a candidate, he declared his support for TikTok to prevent Meta from having a monopoly on social networks. At the same time, ByteDance filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court on December 16 in the name of the First Amendment relating to freedom of expression. An appeal which has little probability of succeeding. Showing credentials by publishing its recommendation algorithm is also a way for ByteDance to prove to the American authorities that it is not just trying to save time.
Problems also in the European Union
In Europe, TikTok has a bad reputation, with several investigations opened. The most important is that of the European Commission within the framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA). In October, the authority asked YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok for explanations on how their recommendation algorithm works. Even if TikTok had already changed its algorithm because of the DSA.
On December 17, the European Commission opened an investigation into the election manipulation affair in Romania. In the process, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the resigned government Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that he had elements showing that Russia is trying to manipulate influencers in European countries, including France.
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