Last summer and fall, the Trump administration was pushing TikTok hard on selling all or part of its business to US companies. But that faded as the deadline was extended twice, then lapsed. Now that Biden has taken office, the efforts to make TikTok sell will remain on pause as his administration looks toward a more “comprehensive approach” to data security.
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TikTok fact checks have been strengthened, the company has announced. The social network already asks third-party organizations to carry out fact checks on widely forwarded videos, removing ones found to be making false claims. It will now take things up a notch.
Where videos fall into a gray area – claims which can neither be verified nor debunked – it will flag them, taking steps to limit visibility…
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TikTok privacy protections for teenage users are being significantly enhanced, as the company belatedly responds to concerns that have been expressed ever since the app took off in the US.
The strongest protections apply to accounts held by those in the 13-15 year old range …
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TikTok announced today a new augmented reality effect that is the first to use the LiDAR scanner of iPhone 12 Pro models. The effect celebrates the New Year with AR golden balloons and confetti that interact with the environment thanks to the new iPhone sensor. The announcement was made through TikTok’s official Twitter account.
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After first going after TikTok, a new executive order signed by outgoing President Trump prohibits transactions in eight Chinese payment apps – but it seems unlikely to take effect …
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TikTok has become the latest social network to add a year-in-review feature. The company is rolling out a new “Year on TikTok” recap that lets you “revisit some of your defining TikTok memories in true TikTok style.” Here’s how it works in the TikTok app on iOS.
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After being available as a private beta, Facebook’s new ‘Collab’ app that lets musicians remotely record video and combine their parts is available to the public. The iOS app is a hybrid between short-form video like TikTok and social collaboration with a focus on music creation and allows users to create their own “Collabs” or join in with others on existing ones.
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Online discussion platform Reddit has confirmed reports that it has bought the lip-syncing video company Dubsmash. The move comes as multiple tech companies seek ways to compete with Chinese video platform TikTok …
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A new report from App Annie today highlights some of the mobile app trends of 2020. TikTok has booted Facebook from its reign as the most-downloaded app while iOS and Android downloads are expected to hit 130 billion with global spending forecasted to hit $112 billion this year.
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The White House has quietly allowed Friday’s TikTok deadline to lapse, without taking any action against the app. A US ban on the app was supposed to take effect on September 28, but was twice extended before … nothing.
Trump made unsubstantiated claims that the highly popular video-sharing app posed a risk to US national security, and said it would be banned in the US unless it were sold to an American company …
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The deadline for the TikTok sale ordered by the Trump administration has slipped again. It was earlier extended until November 27, and has now been further extended until December 4 …
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Apple is now using TikTok, more than six months after creating an official account for the company on the short-form video platform.
It has apparently commissioned promotional videos from existing TikTok influencers …
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Snap has announced Snapchat Spotlight, a TikTok-like stream of content which the company says will feature ‘the most entertaining Snaps from the Snapchat community all in one place.’
To entice content creators to use the platform, Snap has announced a $1M fund which will be divided among those who post the most popular Snaps …
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A new update to the viral short-form video app TikTok this week brings support for iOS 14 home screen widgets. There are three different TikTok widgets from which you can choose, allowing quick access to trending videos and sounds from your home screen.
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A federal judge granted TikTok this Sunday a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration regarding the social network ban in the United States. As reported by the New York Times, TikTok would be banned this Monday, September 28, but now the app can remain available until a later date.
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Just as we thought the TikTok saga might finally be coming to an end, ByteDance has contradicted two claims made by Trump about the Oracle deal …
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TikTok has successfully skirted an App Store ban in the United States, with President Trump giving preliminary approval to a deal involving Walmart and Oracle late on Saturday evening. Meanwhile, a US judge issued a ruling early on Sunday morning to block the Commerce Department from forcing Apple and Google to remove WeChat from their respective app stores.
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Update: This has now been confirmed by the US Department of Commerce. See additional update at the bottom.
Two reports say that Trump will block downloads of TikTok and WeChat as of Sunday. The order is reportedly being signed this morning.
The move comes despite the planned partnership between TikTok owner ByteDance and US tech firm Oracle …
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When Donald Trump announced that he was banning TikTok unless it was sold to a US company, he made a bizarre claim that the US Treasury would get a substantial cut…
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The long-running saga of the TikTok sale may be finally coming to an end – without an actual sale.
Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it was out of the running, in a statement that made it clear this was not of the US company’s own choosing …
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With the TikTok US ban deadline around the corner, things are heating up as the Chinese government has reportedly taken the stance that it would rather see the app’s US operations shut down than sold to an American company.
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As the timer continues to count down to President Trump’s ban of TikTok in the US, the social media service’s owner, ByteDance has reportedly increased the urgency of talks with the Trump administration about avoiding the ban without having to sell all of its US operations.
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The TikTok saga continues today, as the Chinese government has changed its rules on tech exports in a way that could outlaw the proposed TikTok sale to a US company.
China previously had rules banning the export of certain categories of technology to foreign countries, and it has now added to these in a way which seems intended to include TikTok …
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Microsoft originally emerged as the front runner looking to acquire TikTok before the Trump administration ban goes into effect (now November). Other companies like Google and Apple were rumored to have shown interest as well but now in a surprising turn of events, Walmart has announced that it is working with Microsoft on the acquisition.
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