TikTok's Shop marketplace is allegedly endorsing cheap goods from China after some US-based users noticed the featured items.
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Counterfeit Items Found on TikTok's Shop
Bloomberg reported that the social media has been recommending random products that seem to be counterfeit items such as a Nike sweatshirt for $2.99. Other listings were said to be items that says shipped from China. The news agency also raised that this might trigger US regulatory concerns if user data will be placed on the hands of Chinese sellers.
TikTok Shop is targeting to sell $20 billion of merchandise this year, making it a strong competitor against the e-commerce giant, Amazon. Similarly, Amazon is also bombarded of problems such as misspelled brand names and unjustifiable prices which may give red flags for potential counterfeit sales.
In addition, products are often listed with long descriptive names rather than brand names which makes it more tailored to search engines rather than human shoppers. TikTok also adds countdown clocks and number of sold items that can make the users feel pressured to buy.
TikTok Questioned Over Data Privacy Practices
TikTok has been under pressure from the federal, state, and local government due to its data privacy practices, Bloomberg says. Concerned over the access to users' data have been the center of the issue.
TikTok previously stated that the company does not have control on over the content. In addition, the current TikTok Buyer Policy states that the company is not responsible for the sellers' compliance with the applicable law since they are independent controllers.
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