If nothing changes, TikTok will be banned in the United States on January 19, 2025. TikTok reveals its addictive algorithm of the platform.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, firmly refuses to sell the social media platform despite U.S. demands. Meanwhile, as the fateful day approaches, the company is doing everything it can to save itself.
After appealing to the Supreme Court and a dinner between TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and re-elected President Donald Trump, the platform uploaded its video recommendation algorithm to GitHub.
Monolith: TikTok’s recommendation algorithm
“Monolith” is the nickname for TikTok’s real-time recommendation algorithm, which can even be modified and tested by anyone interested.
AI researcher François Chollet noted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Monolith uses Keras—an open-source library that facilitates interaction with neural networks and machine learning.
“We also know that TikTok uses TensorFlow, a machine learning tool developed and published by Google as open source,” he stated.
However, Monolith is more than just a modified TensorFlow operating with static parameters; TikTok constantly reviews its recommendation settings in real-time. This dynamic capability is what Monolith enables.
By unveiling Monolith, ByteDance aims to demonstrate to U.S. lawmakers that it uses American technology, proving it is not a product controlled by China.
“It’s hard to fully understand everything from the files TikTok published on GitHub. However, what’s clear is that the algorithm is highly flexible. It analyzes user interactions with videos to tailor recommendations, understanding their preferences.
The algorithm also relies on video watch time: the longer a video is viewed, the more prominently it’s featured, and adjustments take only minutes. Importantly, it stores user information in a structured way to prevent confusion. The idea is for the algorithm to be personalized for each user,” François Chollet explained.
This flexibility also allows it to quickly integrate new trends and popular content, encouraging users to stay on the app.
These practices are fairly standard and similar to what’s found on other social media platforms. However, TikTok has discovered a “magic formula” that adapts to any user within minutes, almost in real-time.
Of course, even with this algorithm made public, ByteDance is far from revealing all its secrets. Moreover, the last modified version published on GitHub dates back to November 2023, while the platform has likely implemented more advanced updates since then.
Is TikTok transparent?
In March 2023, the U.S. enacted the RESTRICT Act, allowing sanctions on foreign companies, especially those from adversarial nations.
In 2024, Congress and the Senate voted to ban TikTok, and incumbent President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company by January 19, 2025, or face a ban.
Lawmakers cited intelligence reports about the app’s potential threats to national security. However, these threats and risks have never been disclosed to the public.
One month before the deadline, ByteDance still refuses to sell its “crown jewel.” If the company continues to hold its ground, the platform will be removed from app stores and inaccessible in the U.S.
January 20 is also the inauguration day for President Donald Trump, and TikTok is banking on its budding friendship with the American billionaire to save itself.
As a candidate, Trump expressed support for TikTok to prevent Meta from monopolizing social media. At the same time, ByteDance filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on December 16, citing the First Amendment related to free speech rights in the U.S.
This appeal is expected to have little chance of success.
Clearly, TikTok’s publication of its recommendation algorithm is also a way for ByteDance to prove to the U.S. government that it operates transparently, countering the accusations leveled against it.
Challenges in the European Union
In Europe, TikTok faces scrutiny and several investigations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In October, the European Commission asked YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to explain how their recommendation algorithms work, even though TikTok had already made changes to comply with the DSA.
On December 17, the European Commission launched an investigation into election manipulation in Romania.
As part of this, the outgoing Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that he had evidence suggesting a foreign country was attempting to manipulate influencers in European nations.
