| Today's top tech stories: TikTok, the app where dance videos vault regular folks into internet fame, is propelling itself into the job market through a feature that lets users submit video resumes to employers. But making job applications more visual runs the risk of hindering equity in the job search—and may have legal consequences. TikTok Resumes, a test program that ran through July 31, was used by the likes of musician Big Sean to identify talent for the Detroit Pistons along with Alo, Sweetgreen, and a host of other companies. Some TikTok users saw it as an exciting opportunity to leverage their social media skills in a challenging job market. But while creating a TikTok resume gives Gen Z-ers a novel way to stand out to employers, some lawyers and recruiters say the feature could adversely affect older generations who aren't as adept at making short-form cellphone videos, those who can't afford smartphones, and job candidates in communities vulnerable to appearance-based discrimination. Critics also believe that video resumes may become problematic for employers striving to implement more inclusive hiring processes. "In recruiting/hiring, so much time and effort has been spent on removing bias, trying to ensure a level playing field," recruiter Adam Karpiak told me. "Video resumes are basically the opposite of that." Freddy Tran Nager, who teaches advertising and digital media at the University of Southern California, also took issue with the legal implications of video resumes, citing the fact that in most cases it's illegal to ask a job applicant to provide a photo in the U.S. A TikTok resume isn't a formal job application. It functions as a way for employers to look at potential candidates. Still, by launching this program, TikTok may be "opening the doors" to discrimination, since it takes expensive equipment and an appealing backdrop to make a video that looks professional, Tran Nager said. "I'm thinking about all the low-income people who would love to apply to these jobs that are being posted on TikTok, but they don't have the means to do so," he said. Of course, many of the potential biases that applicants face from a TikTok video could just as easily surface during a face-to-face interview or video chat, recruiter Balazs Paroczay said, especially when many people's photos are readily available on social media. Recruiters are able to search applicants' LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, where they uncover the same information that a video resume would reveal, he said. But one issue with the TikTok resume is that biases may weed out candidates before they ever get a serious look. "These revelations are not taking place at a later level, they're taking place at a screening level," said Paul McGrady, a partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister. There's also the question of the TikTok algorithm itself. The app has been criticized for moderating content on the basis of race, which TikTok denies. J. Randall Coffey, a partner at law firm Fisher Phillips, said that any built-in bias in TikTok's algorithm could end up being problematic for employers, depending on how it's used with TikTok resumes. "There's always a concern in my mind when you're allowing a third-party provider to utilize algorithms, that you don't really know all of the data that the algorithm is accessing," he said. By moving the process to social media, employers and job seekers could be ceding that much more control over the process. —Isabella Simonetti in New York Marc Andreessen explains why he's bullish on the crypto world, his biggest mistakes, and what he'd do with $100,000 right now (index funds). Here's the interview. Amazon's Whole Foods stores are tacking on a delivery fee in some markets, a possible sign of the tough economics for grocery distribution. Shares of Grand Theft Auto maker Take-Two Interactive fell on Monday in extended trading after the company said key titles would be delayed. Pro-Trump social network Gettr has an Islamic State propaganda problem, Politico reports. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates are officially divorced. | 
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