• Latest
  • All
  • How To
Tiktok Accused of Creating Fake User Accounts

Tiktok Accused of Creating Fake User Accounts

April 7, 2022
Former Safaricom Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Cynthia Karuri-Kropac

Frankline Okata Takes Over as Cynthia Karuri-Kropac Exits Safaricom PLC

July 10, 2025
AI

OpenAI and Perplexity Launch Browsers to Rival Google Chrome

July 10, 2025
Vivo-Y29-4G

Vivo Y29 Launches in Kenya at KES 23,999

July 10, 2025
galaxy z fold7-galaxy z flip7-samsung

Samsung Unveils Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 with Bigger Screens

July 10, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
GTA VI

Rockstar May Be Testing 96-Player Servers for GTA 6

July 10, 2025
Former X CEO, Linda Yaccarino

Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years

July 9, 2025
Apple-WWDC25-iOS-26

iPhone Users Are Not Too Happy With the iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design

July 9, 2025
Official document handover by Bernard Mwonyonyo and Habib Lukaya from Roam.

E-Mobility in Kenya Gets a Lift with New Bike Financing Program

July 9, 2025
Samsung

This Samsung Security Update Could Change How You Use Your Phone

July 9, 2025
tecno ultimate g fold concept

TECNO Joins Tri-Fold Race With Ultimate G Fold Concept Phone

July 10, 2025
Microsoft Edge browser

Microsoft Makes Edge 40% Faster in a Bid to Lure Chrome Users

July 8, 2025
Weak Checks Make Kenyan Digital Lenders Easy Targets for Criminals

Weak Checks Make Kenyan Digital Lenders Easy Targets for Criminals

July 8, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

Tiktok Accused of Creating Fake User Accounts

Shadrack Matata by Shadrack Matata
April 7, 2022
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
255
0

Former employees of ByteDance Inc. have revealed that the company created fake user accounts.

ByteDance owns Tiktok, which hosts a variety of short-form user videos, from genres like pranks, stunts, tricks, jokes, dance, and entertainment with durations from 15 seconds to ten minutes.

In an interview with  BuzzFeed, four former employees claimed that ByteDance scrapped data from Instagram to create fake user accounts.

They described it as a growth hack adopted by the company to strengthen the prospects of the company’s products.

It is undoubtedly unethical practice disguised under false pretenses ostensibly invoked as growth strategy.

The malpractice began when ByteDance acquired Instagram’s former rival Flipagram in 2017.  

ByteDance started scrapping data from the Instagram accounts of thousands of creators. 

They would then re-upload the same content to test how well it resonated with the audience.

The data scrapped from Instagram also became the base for training its now mighty personalization algorithm used to recommend content.

Tiktok app owned by ByteDance. PHOTO: Digital Drew

ByteDance ended up with a product built without the consent of other creators and companies.

Moreover, it scrapped data from platforms like Instagram, which violate Meta policies.

The former employees also disclosed that the company manipulated content statistics. ByteDance inflated view counts in bid to woo content creators to make it their primary platform.

However, when media reached out to ByteDance for a comment on this, they denied the allegations and  dissociated from these two products.

“ByteDance acquired Flipagram in 2017 and operated it, and subsequently Vigo, for a short time. Flipagram and Vigo ceased operations years ago and aren’t connected to any current ByteDance products,” said Jennifer Banks.

History of ByteDance

March 2012: ByteDance is founded by Yiming Zhang in Beijing China.

August 2012: ByteDance launches Toutlao, an online mobile content discovery platform.

March 2015: ByteDance launches Ai Lab

August 2015: ByteDance launches TopBuzz

September 2016: ByteDance launches TikTok.

February 2017: ByteDance acquires Flipagram

November 2017: ByteDance acquires News Republic & Musical.ly

March 2019: ByteDance acquires Mokun Technology.

TikTok is Currently the most popular product from ByteDance. The platform has over 1 billion active users spread across 150 countries in the world.

The app has been downloaded over 200 million times in the United States alone.

Tags: ByteDanceInstagramTikTok
SendShare151Tweet94
Shadrack Matata

Shadrack Matata

Shadrack Matata is a Kenyan electrical engineer and senior software developer. He has vast knowledge in backend technologies, machine learning, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and cyber security.

Related Posts

Instagram threads

Meta Adds Direct Messages to Instagram Threads

July 7, 2025
Counterfeit Products Infiltrate Kenya's Online Market

Counterfeit Goods Flood Kenyan Online Shops Like Jumia and Facebook

June 29, 2025
Togo Cracks Down on Social Media as Protests Demand Leader's Resignation

Togo Shuts Down Social Media Access

June 29, 2025
Kenya's Government Censors X for Global Image

Abductions and Arrests! Kenyan Government’s Fear and Hate of X Users Makes No Sense

June 25, 2025
TikTok

TikTok Could Go Dark (Again) in the U.S. This Week

June 17, 2025
instagram-edits

Instagram Adds Teleprompter to Edits App in Bid to Rival CapCut

June 5, 2025

Latest

Former Safaricom Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Cynthia Karuri-Kropac

Frankline Okata Takes Over as Cynthia Karuri-Kropac Exits Safaricom PLC

July 10, 2025
AI

OpenAI and Perplexity Launch Browsers to Rival Google Chrome

July 10, 2025
Vivo-Y29-4G

Vivo Y29 Launches in Kenya at KES 23,999

July 10, 2025
galaxy z fold7-galaxy z flip7-samsung

Samsung Unveils Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 with Bigger Screens

July 10, 2025
GTA VI

Rockstar May Be Testing 96-Player Servers for GTA 6

July 10, 2025
Former X CEO, Linda Yaccarino

Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years

July 9, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

Frankline Okata Takes Over as Cynthia Karuri-Kropac Exits Safaricom PLC

July 10, 2025

OpenAI and Perplexity Launch Browsers to Rival Google Chrome

July 10, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Abductions and Arrests! Kenyan Government’s Fear and Hate of X Users Makes No Sense

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

More News

iPhone Users Are Not Too Happy With the iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design

E-Mobility in Kenya Gets a Lift with New Bike Financing Program

This Samsung Security Update Could Change How You Use Your Phone

TECNO Joins Tri-Fold Race With Ultimate G Fold Concept Phone

Microsoft Makes Edge 40% Faster in a Bid to Lure Chrome Users

Weak Checks Make Kenyan Digital Lenders Easy Targets for Criminals

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.