New article out with Dr. Crystal Abidin in Policy & Internet: We analyze what happens when young people become internet-famous on TikTok—and neither legal protections nor platform policies are enough to address the risks they face. The gaps are filled, unevenly, by the TikTok public.

think that this point right here is so, so central to what *socio*technical research can offer in this moment. The backend “algorithm” is (sort of) an unknowable black box, but the stuff we can see is far more interesting and relevant.

This is what I get for making predictions.

Sharing @rscarlets.bsky.social and I’s piece again given what’s going on today - such a moment of uncertainty given Trump’s explicit push for the Court to delay vs. their seeming openness to uphold the law today. www.techpolicy.press/the-tiktok-b...

Alex Turvy and Dr. Rebecca Scharlach write that the US TikTok ban reveals the paradoxes and limitations of current government regulatory paradigms.

My brill friends @rscarlets.bsky.social & @alexturvy.bsky.social remind us that bans "aim to reduce risks but instead fragment oversight, drive users to less regulated spaces, and reduce transparency while claiming to increase security" 🔥👇

I guess the Supreme Court read our article @rscarlets.bsky.social 🙃 www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/u...

New piece with @rscarlets.bsky.social : The TikTok ban won't work—it'll create exactly what it claims to prevent. Bans don't eliminate platforms, they transform them into less governable forms. Our analysis of the paradox at the heart of platform restrictions: www.techpolicy.press/the-tiktok-b...

In the meantime -- making the use of my daily Research API credits while I still can.

Now that I've done my best impression of a lawyer, I want to offer a few deeper considerations as a researcher: 1️⃣TikTok’s “U.S. company” framing 2️⃣The illusion of free speech neutrality 3️⃣The global power struggle over platforms This case is about way more than TikTok. 🧵

As expected, TikTok filed their emergency injunction yesterday. With the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer, here's what they're arguing -- a thread:🧵 www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

Met with Zuckerberg within the last two weeks, now this. Feels like everything about this TikTok ban might hinge on this meeting.

A friend (h/t @kjfernelius.bsky.social ) sent me @bigblackjacobin.bsky.social 's (excellent) piece written in response to this -- sharing in case anyone hasn't seen this like me. I actually think both are right, but Ongweso is making a deeper and more critical point. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Factors the court will weigh in deciding whether to grant it: 1️⃣ Irreparable harm: Would TikTok suffer damage that can’t be undone? 2️⃣ Likelihood of success: Does TikTok have a strong case? 3️⃣ Public policy interests: What’s best for the public? TikTok will likely lean heavily on irreparable harm.

Here we go - injunction filed, now we wait and see if they grant it.

Great, simple framing from @caseynewton.bsky.social: "The first camp, which I associate with the external critics, holds that AI is fake and sucks. The second camp, which I associate more with the internal critics, believes that AI is real and dangerous." www.platformer.news/ai-skeptics-...

For...lots of reasons, it's time for me to start actually figuring out how I want to use the TikTok Research API that I got access to a while back but haven't yet used. If you've spent time with it (I've seen the excellent @icsjournal.bsky.social audit article), DM me / reply, I'd love to chat.

Discords and Telegrams thrive on trust, intimacy, and controlled access—classic dark forest spaces. A splintered or VPN-driven TikTok could invert that: a semi-public, semi-hidden arena where creativity still chases reach but under new constraints. What cultural forms emerge here?

For TikTok researchers, this feels like a stressful moment—potential bans, disrupted projects, uncertain futures. But it’s also a moment of opportunity. Disruption opens new angles and questions. Here are 5 provocations to spark fresh insights in a rapidly changing landscape. 🧵

SCENARIO 4 THREAD - THE BAN TAKES EFFECT: 1/4 Precedent setting: Enforcing a ban on TikTok would mark the first time Congress has prohibited a specific platform (as far as I know, not a legal expert), raising questions about future thresholds for national security risks.

SCENARIO 3 THREAD – SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION: 1/6 TikTok's Legal Battle: TikTok plans to appeal to the Supreme Court and seek a "stay" to halt enforcement during the appeal process. If granted, this stay would allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. until a final decision is made.

SCENARIO 2 THREAD - THE TRUMP WORKAROUND: 1/6: For me -- feels like a classic case of the 'I'd like to see ol Donny Trump wriggle out of THIS jam' dynamic.

SCENARIO 1 THREAD - THE DIVESTMENT: 1/5 ByteDance divests U.S. ops. But here's the twist: Chinese regulations prohibit the sale of TikTok's proprietary algorithm. Any buyer would acquire the platform's basic infrastructure and IP only -- what is TikTok without its ostensibly defining technology?

Key TikTok scenarios after court upholds ban: 1️⃣ ByteDance divests to U.S. buyer 2️⃣ Trump finds administrative workaround 3️⃣ Supreme Court intervenes 4️⃣ Ban takes effect 5️⃣ Am I missing another path? Each path holds strange complications. 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/b...

What if we saw platform research APIs not as flawed tools but as perfect embodiments of platform logic: appearing to offer transparency while carefully managing what can be known and how. Meta-level platform governance.

Maybe APIs aren't really research tools - they're organizational artifacts showing how platforms imagine (or want us to imagine) themselves. This TikTok API audit is fascinating when read as platform self-presentation.

As platforms try to be more "transparent" through research APIs, this TikTok audit in @icsjournal.bsky.social shows how that very transparency can obscure reality. Makes me wonder if API access is sometimes worse than no access - false confidence vs known limitations.

Interesting timing detail: Study found major improvements in API data quality after July 2024. But changes weren't announced - researchers using API data from before/after this period might see dramatic shifts in metrics and mistake them for organic platform changes.

Writing up TikTok-related work & this validates why research shouldn't depend on API access. Beyond access being contingent (Reddit/Twitter), data quality itself can't be assumed. More manual collection via @digitalmethods.net tools @icsjournal.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Great list from my pal @tomdivon.bsky.social !

Really smart. Maybe I’m naive, but this feels like the first platform in a long time with genuinely novel characteristics. The decentralization part is fascinating of course - but I’m more compelled by the custom feeds and starter packs (though Twitter had lists).