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☆ Who could buy TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Still, the company is under such close scrutiny that it would be a poor candidate to buy TikTok, experts say. If you were to tell me it’s Verizon, or AT&T, maybe it’s not as big of a problem.”Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Emarketer, highlighted a paradox: Only the largest, most dominant tech giants may have the resources to buy TikTok. Microsoft had been one of the handful of contenders to buy TikTok in 2020 when President Donald Trump first pushed for a sale. A former Trump Cabinet official enters the frayIn a move that caught many by surprise, former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that he is putting together a team of investors to buy TikTok. As with Mnuchin, O’Leary has said a potential acquisition of TikTok may have to exclude TikTok’s algorithm.

Persons: Joe Biden, There’s, ”, Gene Kimmelman, Jasmine Enberg, ” Enberg, TikTok’s, Donald Trump, TikTok, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, ” Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Trump, who’ve, Kevin O’Leary, O’Leary Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Google, Meta, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Department, YouTube, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Verizon, Emarketer, Activision Blizzard, Walmart, Oracle, Project Texas, Texas, Trump Cabinet, Trump Treasury, Trump, ” Oregon Democratic, Washington Post, O’Leary Ventures Locations: United States, TikTok, ” Oregon

☆ TikTok is in the hot seat once again in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

An earlier version of the TikTok bill sailed through the House in March, but it has become bogged down in the Senate. Opponents, including TikTok and a range of civil society groups, have argued the bill risks violating TikTok users’ First Amendment rights. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the House TikTok bill if it reaches his desk. The latest version of the TikTok bill contains some updates. One key senator who was doubtful of the initial House TikTok bill appeared satisfied.

Persons: TikTok, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, there’s, “, Johnson, ”, Washington Democratic Sen, Maria Cantwell, I’ve, Cantwell, Cathy McMorris Rodgers Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Senate, House Republicans, Washington Democratic, Oracle, Republican, Washington Rep Locations: Israel, Ukraine, China, India, Texas

☆ Congress may be going after the wrong social network
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Chew, meanwhile, clapped back, “American social companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security. But if lawmakers were serious about protecting the digital data of millions of American social media users, targeting TikTok alone is a limited way to achieve this goal. Separately, US intelligence authorities have said that Russian operatives were able to exploit US-based social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter as part of an election meddling campaign in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential vote. Sherman said he thinks some lawmakers are raising important national security concerns regarding TikTok. Ultimately, Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, called the bill a “missed opportunity” for Congress to take real action regarding their concerns about US user data.

☆ Analysis: Trump on Social Security cuts and a possible TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But Trump’s comments on TikTok and Social Security, both in an unfettered interview on CNBC, suggest not calculation, but confusion about Social Security and ambivalence about TikTok. Social Security was a top issue during the Republican presidential primary, when Trump attacked his GOP opponents, accusing them of wanting to take social security benefits away from older Americans. In an ad-libbed and meandering answer during a telephone interview broadcast on CNBC, Trump seemed to suggest that he was open to cutting Social Security. Have you changed your, your outlook on how to handle entitlements Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Mr. President? His answer also did nothing to address Kernen’s larger question, about Social Security and Medicare’s insolvency crisis.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, It’s, CNBC’s Joe Kernen, we’ve, Joe Biden’s, Karoline Leavitt, ” It’s, Abby Phillip, Nikki Haley, ByteDance, ” Trump, ” Biden, Brian Fung, Jeff Yass, Steve Bannon, “ Organizations: CNN, Social Security, Trump, CNBC, Social, Republicans, Republican, GOP, ISIS, Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, South Carolina Gov, House Republicans Locations: Trump, TikTok’s China, China, TikTok, Yass

☆ 3 theories to explain Trump's TikTok flip-flop
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For instance: In 2020, when he was president, Trump said he wanted to ban TikTok from the US. While we are here, let's be even-handed, and note that Trump is not the only politician who has inconsistent and contradictory approaches to TikTok. So that's a lot of TikTok Ban news to consume over a short period. But I'm still sticking with the argument I made Thursday:It's easy to vote for a TikTok ban if you don't really think it's going to result in a TikTok ban. But it's a lot harder to actually ban TikTok for real — particularly during a very close presidential campaign, where the risk of blowback from angry users is a real thing.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, Jeff Yass, — we're, Republican Sen, Rand Paul, Paul, Biden, — Rand Paul, I'm, …, TikTok, let's, Joe Biden, ByteDance Organizations: Service, Facebook, Business, Club, Growth, Trump, Republican, Texas, Project Texas, GOP, Street Locations: Yass, Project, China

☆ White House says no change to official TikTok policy after Biden campaign joins platform amid security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Donald Judd | Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The White House on Monday said there are no changes regarding the administration’s long-standing security concerns over TikTok after the President Joe Biden made his campaign debut on the platform Sunday night. In a follow-up exchange with Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary said she was not aware the campaign planned to launch a TikTok account ahead of Sunday. But there are security concerns around the popular video app, which is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company. To date, the US government has provided no specific evidence that the Chinese government has accessed US TikTok user data. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have been somewhat aligned on their national security concerns pertaining to TikTok.

Persons: Joe Biden, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Karine Jean, Pierre, …, ”, Biden, Kelce ”, Travis Kelce, Jason, “, Travis Kelce’s, Taylor Swift, “ Trump, Biden’s, Brandon, Swift, TikTok, it’s, Trump Organizations: Washington CNN, National Security, White House, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Biden, ByteDance, Texas, Trump, Foreign Investment Locations: Biden’s, Chinese, China, United States

☆ Federal judge blocks Montana's TikTok ban, which would have been the first of its kind
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok Music has launched on Wednesday in Australia, Singapore and Mexico to a small group of users. A federal judge in Montana has blocked a law that would have resulted in a state-wide ban of TikTok starting on Jan. 1, 2024. Before the judge's preliminary ruling, Montana was set to become the first U.S. state to ban the popular video and social media app, which is owned by the China-based tech giant ByteDance. ByteDance sued Montana in May to "prevent the state of Montana from unlawfully banning TikTok," the company said at the time. The lawmakers were concerned that the Chinese Communist Party may be able to access the data of U.S. citizens, and have considered implementing a nation-wide ban on TikTok.

Persons: Donald Molloy, Greg Gianforte, Molloy, General, ByteDance, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok Organizations: Communist Party, Montana, State, Chinese Communist Party, Oracle Locations: Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Montana, TikTok, U.S, China, Texas

☆ TikTok acknowledges some US creator data may be stored in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Other exceptions include “public data, business metrics, [and] interoperability data,” TikTok told the senators, describing how some of the data it collects is meant to assist with its legal compliance obligations. The creator data is distinct from what TikTok refers to as “protected data” involving app-based information — including users’ behavioral data — that the US government deems more sensitive, TikTok told US lawmakers. In the document, TikTok does not explicitly say that creator data is stored in China. But TikTok’s disclosure drawing the distinction between protected user data and creator data comes after Blackburn and Blumenthal challenged the truthfulness of TikTok’s testimony in light of a Forbes report finding that TikTok was storing some US financial data in China. “TikTok has been clear that there are certain, limited exceptions to the definition of protected data,” the company wrote.

Persons: CNN — TikTok, Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Richard Blumenthal, TikTok, Shou Chew, “, ” TikTok, Chew, Blumenthal, “ TikTok, Blackburn, ” Blackburn Organizations: CNN, TikTok, Foreign Investment, Texas, Blackburn, Forbes Locations: China, Washington, Texas, United States

☆ TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bipartisan bill reintroduced this week would regulate how companies including TikTok share US data. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny around its ties to China, as well as calls for a US sale or ban. TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny from US lawmakers around its ties to China, where its parent company, ByteDance, is based. At the core of the issue are concerns that TikTok's Beijing-based parent company could be compelled to give the Chinese Community Party access to US user data.

Persons: TikTok, Sen, Ron Wyden, Cynthia Lummis, Biden, ByteDance, walling, It's, Wyden Organizations: Republican, CNN, Street, Foreign Investment, Congress, Wall, Chinese Community Party, CCP, Oracle Locations: China, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, TikTok, Beijing, Texas, Russia

☆ New bipartisan bill in Senate could address TikTok security concerns without a ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Much of the existing legislation addressing TikTok at the federal and state level has focused on bans of the app. Wednesday’s legislation, known as the Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Surveillance Act, does not identify TikTok by name. TikTok has faced criticism from US officials who say the company’s links to China pose a national security risk. Congress has made several attempts in recent months to address data transfers to foreign adversaries. In February, House lawmakers advanced a bill that would all but require the Biden administration to ban TikTok over national security concerns about the app.

Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyoming Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis, —, ” Wyden, Wyden, TikTok, ByteDance, Biden, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Rhode Island Democratic Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican Sen, Bill Hagerty, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Florida Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Warren Davidson, Anna Eshoo Organizations: CNN, Oregon Democratic, Wyoming Republican, ByteDance, Commerce Department, Oracle, Texas, Commerce, Duke University’s Sanford School of Public, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican, New Mexico Democratic, Florida Republican, Ohio Republican, California Democratic Locations: China, United States, Russia, Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee, New Mexico, Florida

☆ TikTok Shop, a rising threat to Shopee and Lazada in Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesTikTok Shop is a rising threat to major e-commerce players such as Shopee and Lazada in Southeast Asia. TikTok Shop is the e-commerce marketplace of short video app TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance. In 2022, TikTok Shop expanded to six Southeast Asian countries — Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. TikTok is "focused on the continued development of TikTok Shop in Southeast Asia," said the spokesperson. To incentivize sellers to join the platform, TikTok Shop waived commission fees when it launched in Singapore in August.

Persons: TikTok, Shopee, Shawn Yang, Shop's, Sachin Mittal, Lazada's GMV, Jonathan Woo, Lazada, Shou Zi, Woo, bode Organizations: Blue Lotus Research Institute, Sea Group, DBS Bank, CNBC, Intelligence, Phillip Securities Research, TikTok, U.S, Merchants, SG, Phillip Securities Locations: Southeast Asia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Southeast, GMV, U.S, Statista, Brazil, China, U.S ., Montana, Texas, Nomieo

☆ Meta warned that its record $1.3 billion fine sets a 'dangerous precedent' when the internet is already 'fracturing under pressure from authoritarian regimes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta was handed a record $1.3 billion fine by the European Union on Monday. That was over concerns that Facebook data transferred to the US could be used to spy on European citizens. Meta warned that its record $1.3 billion fine "sets a dangerous precedent" related to online freedoms in a statement released Monday. "At a time where the internet is fracturing under pressure from authoritarian regimes, like-minded democracies should work together to promote and defend the idea of the open internet," the statement added. Meta has been given a five-month grace period to stop transferring Facebook users' data to the US.

☆ Montana to become first US state to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok from operating in the state, making it the first U.S. state to ban the popular short video app. Montana will make it unlawful for Google and Apple's app stores to offer the TikTok app within its borders. TikTok, which has over 150 million American users, is facing growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, said in a statement the bill "infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok," adding that they "will defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana." Montana, which has a population of just over 1 million people, said TikTok could face fines for each violation and additional fines $10,000 per day if they violate the ban.

☆ Temu accused of data risks after sister app was suspended for malware
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Stefani Reynolds | Afp | Getty ImagesThe U.S. has accused discount shopping site Temu of possible data risks after its Chinese sister app was pulled from Google's app store over "malware" — but analysts say they're not that worried. Google called it an "identified malicious app" and urged users to uninstall the Pinduoduo app, but the Chinese online retailer denied those claims. Kevin Reed chief information security officer, Acronis"There should be no need for biometric data to be stored on an e-commerce website or app. Data risksIn a report on Chinese "fast fashion" platforms published in April, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission accused Temu and Shein of posing possible data risks. Shein and Temu "primarily rely on U.S. consumers downloading and using Chinese apps to curate and deliver products," said the report.

☆ An explosive new lawsuit claims TikTok's owner built a 'backdoor' the CCP could exploit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Dan Whateley | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

ByteDance allowed a Chinese Communist Party unit to censor content and access data, a new lawsuit alleges. ByteDance built a "backdoor channel" to enable CCP access to US user data, the suit alleges. An explosive new lawsuit claims TikTok owner ByteDance built a "backdoor channel" in its code that allowed Chinese Communist Party members access to user data hosted in the US. Yu is a former engineering lead for ByteDance in the US who worked at the company between 2017 and 2018. The complaint alleges the "Committee continued to have access" to US user data even after ByteDance walled off access for individual engineers in China.

☆ An explosive new lawsuit claims TikTok's owner built a 'backdoor' that allowed the CCP to access US user data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Dan Whateley | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ TikTok has tens of thousands of moderators in Ireland looking for offensive content, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. To spot and remove offensive posts, TikTok has tens of thousands of Ireland-based workers tasked with content moderation, CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Thursday. Speaking at the TED2023 Possibility conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Chew said TikTok has "clear community guidelines" and that executives do not "make any ad-hoc decisions" when dealing with "bad actors" on the internet who post offensive content on the app. "Based on that, we have built a team that is tens of thousands of people plus machines in order to identify content that is bad, and actively, proactively remove it from the platform," Chew said. "I can say that we are building all the tools to prevent any of these actions from happening," Chew said.

☆ Montana lawmakers vote to completely ban TikTok in the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —Montana became the first US state on Friday to pass legislation banning TikTok on all personal devices, sending a bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte prohibiting TikTok from operating within state lines and barring app stores from offering TikTok for downloads. The legislation marks the furthest step yet by a state government to restrict TikTok over perceived security concerns and comes as some federal lawmakers have called for a national ban of TikTok. Individual users of TikTok, meanwhile, would not be penalized for accessing TikTok. In December, Gianforte banned TikTok from state government devices and the following month urged the Montana University System to follow suit, which it did.

The lobbying comes amid a sustained effort by TikTok to play down fears raised by lawmakers who want to ban the app, which has 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. She defended the work of TikTok's team in Washington and said the company is trying to address lawmakers' privacy and safety concerns. At the furthest end of the extreme is the legislation from Hawley and Buck that simply seeks to ban TikTok outright by directing the president to block transactions with ByteDance. Hawley has not eased his campaign to ban TikTok. But after, "our phones were ringing off the hook," with the majority of callers voicing opposition to a TikTok ban.

☆ TikTok's CEO got coached by ex-Obama and Disney advisers for a month before his viral Congress hearing, which saw his followers on the app increase 16,000%
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok hired former Obama and Disney advisers to coach its CEO before his congressional hearing, per WSJ. Shou Zi Chew has seen his follower count on TikTok rise from 18,700 to 3 million in 8 days. Chew was largely unknown before the hearing last Thursday, with just under 19,000 followers on the app, per Reuters. Two days before the hearing, Chew posted an informal introduction on the app – he was dressed in a hoodie and jeans – which has since amassed 4.7 million likes. A spokesperson for the app previously told Insider it believed the bans "have been based on misplaced fears and seemingly driven by wider geopolitics."

☆ Tesla rival Lucid plans layoffs, as manufacturing and production challenges mount for EV startups
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Lucid, a Tesla rival, is planning layoffs. The EV startup is planning to lay off hundreds of employees, my colleague Alexa St. John reported. Lucid has had a challenging few months, as it works to nail down manufacturing and production and get cars on the roads. It's not the only EV company that's struggling. Insider's Tim Levin tested out charging a KIA EV at a former Tesla supercharger that's open to all EVs.

☆ Why TikTok is taking months to delete personal US user data from servers outside its Project Texas firewalls, even as its political standing sours
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Under attack from Congress, TikTok has used its data-gating program Project Texas as a defense. But after 2 years and $1.5 billion spent to-date, Project Texas is still not complete. But after two years and $1.5 billion spent to-date, Project Texas is far from complete. Among those industry standards are state laws around data retention and requirements for safeguarding user data so that it's not lost accidentally, Zweifel-Keegan said. The company also announced on March 8 details for a European version of Project Texas that it's calling Project Clover.

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday lawmakers will move forward with legislation to address national security worries about TikTok, alleging China's government had access to the short video app's user data. "The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party," McCarthy said on Twitter. In Thursday's hearing, the TikTok CEO was asked if of the app, has spied on Americans at Beijing's request. Republican Representative Neal Dunn then referenced the company's disclosure in December that some China-based employees at ByteDance improperly accessed TikTok user data of two journalists and were no longer employed by the company. McCarthy, a Republican, said in a tweet on Sunday, "It's very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true — China has access to TikTok user data."

☆ U.S. House speaker McCarthy says lawmakers to move forward with TikTok bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), joined by fellow Republican lawmakers, holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday lawmakers will move forward with legislation to address national security worries about TikTok, alleging China's government had access to the short video app's user data. "The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party," McCarthy said on Twitter. McCarthy, a Republican, said in a tweet on Sunday, "It's very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true — China has access to TikTok user data." Former U.S. President Donald Trump lost a series of court rulings in 2020 when he sought to ban TikTok and another Chinese-owned app, WeChat, a unit of Tencent.

China and U.S. flags are seen near a TikTok logo in this illustration picture taken July 16, 2020. Florence Lo | ReutersBEIJING — China says it would "strongly oppose" a forced sale of TikTok, making clear the government's involvement with the social media giant that's trying hard to distance itself from Beijing authorities. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Chinese Commerce Ministry's remarks. But the commerce ministry's claim of control over a TikTok sale or spinoff indicates Beijing wants to be involved. When asked about the commerce ministry's remarks Thursday, TikTok's CEO said the app isn't available in mainland China and is based in Los Angeles.

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