TikTok users claim that the app “beautifies them” without consulting

Several TikTok users noticed that the popular video app automatically made changes to their faces, in what appeared to be a “beauty filter” they never requested or could not disable.

According to the review RT in Spanish, Tori Dawn is one of those affected, she realized the change when she opened the app and made a video at the end of May. The jaw reflected on the screen was thinner and more “feminine” than him, although he seemed to be back to normal when he waved his hand in front of the camera, blocking most of his face. Also, her skin was a little softer than it actually is.

The image seemed to have passed through a beautification filter, moreover, it was impossible to deactivate it: it subtly feminized Dawn’s face, which usually does not use these effects. He claimed in an interview with: “My face is totally androgynous and I love my jawline” MIT Technology ReviewAdding that it is precisely “one of the only things” he likes about his face.

Although beauty filters are now a part of life online, they are generally offered as an option, which is why Dawn and others who have spotted this strange effect are upset.

“I don’t feel comfortable making videos, because that’s not what I look like and I don’t know how to fix it,” she complained when telling her what’s happening to her in a video that has garnered more than 300,000 views and was shared by other users who see the same thing. “Is that the reason why I’ve looked like an alien lately?” One netizen commented, while another demanded: “Tik Tok: Fix this.”

according to MIT Technology ReviewVideos like this circulated for several days in late May, when many people wondered if the company was secretly testing a beauty filter on some users.

The author of the article himself verified the effect when trying to shoot a video: he asserts that the change in the shape of his jaw was “obvious”, and perhaps his skin is also “thin”. When consulting with his co-workers and Twitter followers about the matter, he concluded that the hack appears to only happen on Android phones.

Then he contacted TikTok and the effect stopped after two days. The company later admitted in a brief statement that there was an issue, but it was resolved, without providing further details.

Amy New, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin who studies the psychological impact of beauty filters, explains that having them in an app isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but she argues that designers have a responsibility to think about how and how to use them. . It will affect those who use it. Even if it’s a temporary bug, it could have an effect on the way people see themselves, he warns.

(With information from RT Spanish)