> TikTok says it will ensure that ads are placed in front of users who are “truly paying attention” and that brands will only pay for ads if a user has “volunta

> TikTok says it will ensure that ads are placed in front of users who are “truly paying attention” and that brands will only pay for ads if a user has “voluntarily” watched it for at least six seconds, or has interacted with it within the first six seconds. So that's interesting. What are advertisers going to do to lure me into watching ads for longer than 6 seconds? Tiktok makes it extremely easy to flip through videos instantly and I'll often (not always) judge I don't like a video in under two seconds. > With this pay-if-they-engage feature, TikTok is making bold claims that are either dubious and unscientific or selling an invasion of privacy – or both. In claiming that ads will be delivered to “emotionally” and “tangibly” engaged users, TikTok is suggesting it could read people’s emotions. However, it fails to provide details on how the feature would actually work. To date the only technologies that purport to gather such precise, highly sensitive data are what are called “emotion recognition” technologies. > Experts have repeatedly criticized “emotion recognition” as unverified pseudo-science that, even if it were possible, would result in highly intrusive forms of surveillance. Yet, TikTok has commissioned various projects on emotion recognition, even delving into contentious neurotechnology / neuromarketing approaches. For instance, TikTok conducted a study in partnership with MediaScience which creepily resembles what Focused View claims to be able to do. I have fun with Tiktok but it will never get camera, microphone, or contacts access on my iPhone. Could it be measuring the gesture used to swipe? Angry swipes might be different than non-angry swipes, for example.