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☆ TikTok agrees deal with Universal Music Group, bringing back the world’s biggest artists
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Ariana Grande, Adele and Rihanna will soon be back on TikTok, joining Taylor Swift after a deal with Universal Music Group ended a feud that saw one of the world’s biggest record labels pull its music from the video platform. The licensing agreement, announced Wednesday, means that within one to two weeks TikTok’s 1 billion-plus users will be able to use music by UMG artists in their videos. All videos featuring Universal artists’ music that had previously been muted because of copyright violations will be unmuted. “We are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group,” TikTok CEO Shou Chew said in a joint statement. Universal pulled its music off TikTok in February after the two companies failed to reach an agreement on royalty fees for Universal’s artists, who also include Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Justin Bieber.

Persons: London CNN — Ariana Grande, Adele, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Michael Nash, Shou Chew, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, TikTok, ” Organizations: London CNN, Universal Music Group, ”, UBS, Universal, TikTok, Poets Department Locations: TikTok

☆ TikTok suspends TikTok Lite rewards program in the EU amid regulatory scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —TikTok said Wednesday it would suspend a controversial program in the European Union that has prompted growing alarm among EU regulators. The program at issue appears within TikTok Lite, a less data-intensive version of TikTok’s main app, and which contains a feature that rewards users with cash for engaging with TikTok content and app features. “TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators,” TikTok said in a post on X. “We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised.”The EU warnings to TikTok reflected an exercise of new oversight powers granted by the Digital Services Act, the trading bloc’s recently enacted law governing online platforms. TikTok also faces further, additional fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue if the TikTok Lite feature is determined to be in violation of the DSA.

Persons: Washington CNN — TikTok, TikTok, “, “ TikTok, ” TikTok, Joe Biden Organizations: Washington CNN, European Union, European Commission, EU Commission, Digital Services, TikTok, Commission, DSA, Wednesday Locations: European, Europe, United States, Israel, Ukraine

☆ How TikTok’s Chinese parent company will rely on an American right to keep the app alive
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In recent months, the company has foreshowed it plans to challenge the law on First Amendment grounds. Krishnan said even the national security argument will not withstand legal scrutiny because the Chinese government could easily purchase the same data on Americans through the open market. TikTok’s looming legal challenge will be one of several that could eventually reach the US Supreme Court that could completely redefine online speech. Other high-profile cases that will determine whether social media companies can moderate content on their platforms are also likely to be decided this year. “The rules for online speech are being written by the Supreme Court this year,” Persily said.

Persons: CNN —, Joe Biden, ”, Shou Chew, TikTok, Ramya Krishnan, Nate Persily, Persily, “, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, ” TikTok, ” Persily, Krishnan Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Columbia University, Stanford, Stanford Cyber Policy, American, FBI, NBC, Supreme Locations: China, Montana, TikTok, American

☆ House passes legislation that could ban TikTok in the US amid high-stakes vote on foreign aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

By attaching the TikTok bill to funding for Ukrainian military equipment and Israeli missile defense, House Republicans put the pressure on Senate lawmakers to consider the whole package in a single up-or-down vote. Policy analysts expect the Senate to take up the aid package quickly, giving it high odds of passage. And President Joe Biden has previously said he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk. And in the days leading up to the House vote on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasized the urgency of approving the foreign aid. On Saturday, Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor that there is a tentative agreement for the chamber to take up the foreign aid package on Tuesday.

Persons: TikTok, Joe Biden, ” TikTok, ”, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Paul Gallant, Cowen, Gallant, ” Gallant Organizations: Washington CNN, ByteDance, House Republicans, Cowen Inc Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Washington, U.S

☆ Why you can, and should, ignore that 9pm email from your boss
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Work is part of our identity here in a way that people from other countries find at turns fascinating and pathological. The bill would aim to ensure that people aren’t pinged with work emails, texts or calls outside their established work hours, with notable exceptions for emergencies or scheduling issues. If the boss intrudes on your non-work window three times, you can report them and the state could impose fines starting at $100. No one likes pausing Succession to respond to a 9pm request, but the guilt of ignoring it and wondering whether your boss will be mad at you is also, like, not fun. A historically tight labor market has given workers more leverage to negotiate their pay, hours and working conditions.

Persons: CNN Business ’, they’re, ”, Matt Haney, “ Workers shouldn’t, intrudes, Mike Solana, Ashley Herd, Herd, Haney, FDR, “, there’s, she’s, ” Herd, —, Jeanne Sahadi Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Lawmakers, State Assembly, “ Workers, Nanny, Fund, Pew, Fair Labor, Act Locations: New York, France, California, Australia, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, “ california

☆ ‘Polio Paul,’ who spent most of the past 70 years in an iron lung, dies at 78
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Paul Alexander, who spent the vast majority of the past 70 years in an iron lung and defied expectations by becoming a lawyer and author, died Monday afternoon at the age of 78, according to his brother Philip Alexander. He was placed in an iron lung, a large metal cylinder that varies air pressure to stimulate breathing, according to his autobiography. Our neighbors would run over and help us pump it.”Paul spent the next seven decades in an iron lung. In March 2023, he was declared the longest surviving iron lung patient in the world by the Guinness World Records. He learned breathing techniques that allowed him to leave the iron lung for a few hours at a time.

Persons: Paul Alexander, Philip Alexander, Paul, ” Philip, Philip said, “ Paul, ” Christopher Ulmer, ” Doris Alexander, Paul’s, ” Paul, “, ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “ I’ve, I’m, Paul ” Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Guinness World Records, CNN Health Locations: United States

☆ Wait, is America actually banning TikTok now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —House lawmakers are moving with dizzying speed with a plan that could ban TikTok from the United States. But could a TikTok ban really happen? A man walks past the headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, in Beijing. They allege TikTok poses a national security threat because the Chinese government could use its intelligence laws against ByteDance, forcing it to hand over the data of US TikTok users. By that precedent, it would be unconstitutional for the government to ban TikTok even if it were blatantly a direct mouthpiece for the Chinese government, Jaffer said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Greg Baker, Biden, —, “, ” TikTok, Donald Trump, Trump, ByteDance, Mark Zuckerberg, TikTok, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, ” Biden, Joint Base Andrews, it’s, Washington Sen, Maria Cantwell, ” Cantwell, ”, Jenna Leventoff, Ken White, Brown White, Osborn, White, It’s, Jameel Jaffer, Jaffer Organizations: Washington CNN —, White, Biden —, Apple, Google, House Energy, Commerce, Trump, Facebook, Republican, Biden, Wisconsin Republican, Joint Base, Senate, CNN, American Civil Liberties Union, Columbia University Locations: United States, China, ByteDance, Beijing, AFP, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Washington

As of early Thursday, a vast roster of popular songs were disappearing from the social media platform's library. The complete removal of UMG-licensed music will likely take a few days — but chances are, avid TikTokers are already seeing the effects. Artists will also not be able to post the audio of their UMG-licensed songs on TikTok. “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” TikTok said. Mall stressed the overall consequences of pulling music from social media platforms like TikTok — particularly for younger developing artists.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Bunny, Drake —, TikTok, UMG, ”, Andrew Mall, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, ” UMG, ” TikTok, we're, “, UMG's Virgin EMI Records Ted Cockle, Cockle, Alexandra J, Roberts, SZA, Drake, Billie Eilish —, Jessica Henig, it's, Henig, Michelle Chapman Organizations: Universal, Group, Associated Press, “ Universal, Northeastern University, UMG, Universal Music, UMG's Virgin EMI Records, Music Management, ”, Associated, Virgin EMI, AP Locations: UMG, New York

☆ Taylor Swift songs pulled from TikTok in payment dispute
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Universal Music Group has pulled its music off TikTok in a dispute over royalties, a move that prevents more than 1 billion users of the platform from streaming a vast catalog of songs by Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and other artists. Many TikTok videos featuring Universal artists’ music went silent Thursday, with notices saying the sound had been removed because of copyright violation. For people making new videos, Universal music was unavailable in TikTok’s catalog. Like other music companies, Netherlands-based Universal charges royalty fees when its songs are played on social media platforms. Universal also said it had been pressing TikTok to better protect musicians from “the harmful effects” of artificial intelligence and to ensure online safety for TikTok’s users.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, J Balvin, Amy Winehouse, TikTok, Universal, ”, ” TikTok, ” Elizabeth Wagmeister Organizations: London CNN — Universal, ’, Universal, CNN Locations: Netherlands

Universal Music Group, which represents artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, says that it will no longer allow its music on TikTok now that a licensing deal between the two parties has expired. The licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok is expired as of Wednesday. Political Cartoons View All 253 Images“Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music,” UMG said. “Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans,” TikTok said. Yet Universal Music also called new technology a potential threat to artists and said that TikTok is developing tools to enable, promote and encourage AI music creation.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, UMG, ” UMG, TikTok, ” TikTok, ” Organizations: Universal Music Group, ByteDance, Universal Locations: UMG

☆ Universal Music Group pulls Taylor Swift’s songs off TikTok in dispute over payments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Universal Music Group has pulled its music off TikTok, preventing more than 1 billion users of the platform from streaming a vast catalog of songs by Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and other artists. TikTok allows its users to add music to their videos. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, had proposed paying a “fraction” of the rate that similarly-sized social media platforms pay, Universal said. Like other music companies, Netherlands-based Universal charges royalty fees when its songs are played on social media platforms. TikTok is allowing its platform to be “flooded” with AI-generated music, and provides users with tools to create their own AI-generated recordings, Universal said.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Universal, TikTok, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, J Balvin, Amy Winehouse, ”, ” TikTok, ” Elizabeth Wagmeister Organizations: London CNN — Universal, TikTok, Universal Locations: Netherlands

☆ ‘Anything can happen.’ Inside the ‘real-life reality show’ of the nine-month cruise
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

Welcome aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise, which set sail a month ago and has unexpectedly captured the internet’s imagination. It all started when Fletcher, a 39-year-old photographer from the UK, happened upon a TikTok video from a world cruise passenger. Anthony AntoineIt’s possible to join the Ultimate World Cruise at several points along the journey – there’s no requirement to sign up for the whole nine months. He understands.”So far, while his world cruise dispatches have racked up millions of views, Sebastian has yet to uncover the “hot goss” he promised. Passenger Angie Linderman, 38, also had an emotional path to boarding the world cruise.

Persons: Michael Bayley, –, Beth Anne Fletcher, “ It’s, Fletcher, Fletcher isn’t, she’s, Brooklyn Schwetje, “, ’ ”, Madison’s TikToks, She’d, I’d, ”, I’ve, I’m, We’ve, She’s, Oosthuizen, she’d, TikTokers, Madison Schwetje, ” Fletcher, it’s, Renske Lammerding, ‘, Dad ’ Joe Martucci, Audrey, Joe, Audrey Martucci Joe Martucci, Martucci, Martucci’s, ’, ‘ Dad, Dad ”, “ Hey, ” –, Hunnicut, Jenny Hunnicutt, Anthony McWilliams, Angie Linderman, Jenny Hunnicut, Shannon Marie Lake, boomer, Lake, Julian Mendoza, @cooljul1, Daniele Salvatore Arbisi, @singing.sailor, Stig Nilsen, Salvatore Arbisi soundtracked, Nilsen, seafarer, they’d, Anthony Antoine It’s, influencer Marc Sebastian, Simon & Schuster, Jean, Francois Monier, McWilliams, Marc Sebastian, Sebastian, goss, Anthony Antoine The, “ We’re, “ I’ve, ” McWilliams, ‘ Lean, ” McWilliams ’, he’s, Linderman, ” Linderman, Taj Organizations: CNN, Royal Caribbean, Caribbean, Royal Caribbean International, CNN Travel, Royal, ’, Madison, Housewives, Seas, “ Pirates, Royal Caribbean Cruise, Simon &, Getty, British, Antarctica Locations: Brooklyn, Royal Caribbean, TikTok, Pretoria ”, @iambrandeelake, Lake, Norwegian, Caribbean, Shannon, AFP, Antarctica, “, Machu Picchu, China

☆ TikTok is pushing longer videos. Some creators worry about the vibe shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-16 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But now, the short-form video pioneer is changing course and pushing users to make and consume longer videos. “I think TikTok is now [thinking], ‘We need to show [advertisers] that we can keep people staying on one video longer,’” Stein said. Consumers are also more likely to sit through a pre-roll ad for a video longer than one-minute than a video that’s nearly the same length as the ad itself. The company also says it recommends longer videos the same way it does shorter ones, based on user preferences rather than video length. She said that even when making relatively simple “storytime” videos, where she’s just sitting and talking to the camera, making videos longer than 1-minute means investing significant time and effort.

Persons: TikTok, — it’s, ”, Nikki Apostolou, ” TikTok, Zachary Kizer, Krysten Stein, “, ” Stein, Scott Kessler, ’ ” Kessler, TikTok —, Aly Tabizon, “ I’m, I’ve, ” Tabizon, it’s, Tabizon, Aly Tabizon TikTok, Laura Riegle, Riegle, she’s, ” Riegle, ” Apostolou Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, YouTube, University of Illinois, CNN Locations: New York, University of Illinois Chicago, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany

☆ TikTok Pushes Back Against Claims It Fuels Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | More About Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok pushed back on Thursday against growing claims in recent weeks that it had failed to to protect Jewish users and had pushed pro-Palestinian content in the United States. Many social networks have come under criticism for spreading misinformation and hate speech during the Israel-Hamas war. TikTok has the added scrutiny of being owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. While Beijing has pitched itself as a neutral broker in the dispute, a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment is proliferating across the Chinese internet and state media. The company said it started offering such data to academic researchers and will include other groups in the future.

Persons: TikTok, Jeff Morris Jr, Israel hashtags, Israel, “, Marco Rubio, Rubio, Morris’s, ” TikTok, standwithisrael, Morris didn’t, Amy Schumer, Michael Rapaport, Debra Messing, Yaël, Eisenstat Organizations: Twitter, Jewish, Defamation, Defamation League Locations: United States, Israel, Beijing, Florida, China

LONDON (AP) — European regulators slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children's privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules. And it nudged teen users into more “privacy intrusive” options when signing up and posting videos, the watchdog said. The Irish regulator has been criticized for not moving fast enough in its investigations into Big Tech companies since EU privacy laws took effect in 2018. For TikTok, German and Italian regulators disagreed with parts of a draft decision issued a year ago, delaying it further. Instagram, WhatsApp and their owner Meta are among other tech giants that have been hit with big fines by the Irish regulator over the past year.

Persons: they're, TikTok, “, ”, Elaine Fox Organizations: —, Protection, Big Tech, Data, Meta Locations: Dublin, Europe, Brussels, China, Irish

☆ ‘Girl dinner’? It’s a trend that’s for everyone and it’s perfect for summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Casey Barber | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Although the so-called “girl dinner” is being popularized by young women promoting throw-together meals on TikTok, it’s in fact an inclusive meal. I’m a middle-aged girl, and this is the style of meal I’ve been calling “snack dinner” for years. The original “girl dinner” TikTok video, posted by Olivia Maher, featured a countertop spread of grapes, cornichons, bread and cheese. There are really no rules for preparing the perfect "girl dinner" — start with your favorite snack elements and expand from there. Your solo snack plate dinner doesn’t have to include bread, cheese or charcuterie if that’s not your personal preference.

Persons: Olivia Maher, Curly Courland, that’s, I’d, it’s, you’ve Organizations: CNN, Getty Locations: snacking

☆ McDonald’s bet on viral success with its Grimace shake. TikTok users are pretending it killed them
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Since the debut of the Grimace shake earlier this month, TikTok users have been excitedly ordering the shake, released in honor of McDonald’s character Grimace’s “birthday,” and then pretending to die on camera after consuming the purple beverage. They often dump the shake over their convulsing bodies, apparently signaling that Grimace, that bumbling bestie of Ronald McDonald, killed them. The Grimace shake, though, has become more infamous than beloved. In a typical “Grimace Shake” TikTok, an enthusiastic young person, Grimace shake in hand, will wish the big purple mascot a happy birthday before taking their first sip. When reached for comment, McDonald’s referred CNN to a tweet from Grimace: “meee pretending i don’t see the grimace shake trendd,” along with a photo of the purple one himself, eyebrows raised.

Persons: McDonald’s, Grimace’s, ”, Ronald McDonald, Matthew Prince, “ It’s, it’s, Grimace, J Balvin, Travis Scott, they’ve, Grimace wasn’t, execs, Ronald McDonald’s, Hamburglar, Bell’s, grimace, “ Organizations: CNN, Chapman University, buzzy, Wine, Wednesday Locations: California, ”

☆ 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 to invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia amid growing scrutiny over data security
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Short video app TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, said on Thursday it would invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years, as it doubles down on the region amid intensifying global scrutiny over its data security. TikTok did not provide a detailed breakdown of the spending plan but said it would invest in training, advertising and supporting small vendors looking to join its e-commerce platform TikTok Shop. TikTok has 8,000 employees in Southeast Asia and 2 million small vendors selling their wares on its platform in Indonesia, the region’s biggest economy, he added. E-commerce transactions across the region reached nearly $100 billion last year, with Indonesia accounting for $52 billion, according to data from consultancy Momentum Works. The app has not faced major bans on government devices in Southeast Asia, but it has been under scrutiny over its content.

Persons: China’s ByteDance, Alibaba’s, “ We’re, ”, Shou Zi Chew, Chew, TikTok, Matt McClain Organizations: Momentum Works, Shopee’s, Washington Post Locations: Southeast Asia, Sea’s, Indonesia, Jakarta, TikTok, Washington ,, Beijing, Britain, New Zealand, Vietnam

☆ News enthusiasts turn to TikTok to chart new paths in media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Magali Druscovich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

To make sense of the unprecedented events of Jan. 6, 2021, Vitus “V” Spehar did what no traditional journalist would do - crawl under a desk and begin recording a video for TikTok. Like others who watched on TV as the storming of the U.S. Capitol unfolded, Spehar, who uses the pronoun they, felt the need to talk about it. However, “I didn’t want to make people think that I was an expert,” said Spehar, who filmed the TikTok video from their home in Rochester, New York. The show avoids true crime, while focusing on subjects in which people can take action. Spehar tries to end each video on a lighter note.

Persons: Vitus “, Spehar, “, ” Organizations: U.S, Capitol Locations: Rochester , New York

☆ These Ukrainian veterinarians are risking their lives to care for dogs and cats in the war zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Gabriel Kinder | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It wasn’t long before Ukrainian veterinarians Valentina and Leonid Stoyanov learned that many pets were locked in nearby homes. “After one, two weeks … neighbors just start hear (sic) how a lot of different animals around them screaming,” Valentina told CNN. The Stoyanovs began working with local police to access homes to rescue dogs and cats. “Each animal for us, it’s like members of our family,” Valentina said. “All our family – mother, father – have to leave Ukraine,” Leonid said.

☆ How TikTok’s CEO prepared for his first grilling on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Shou Zi Chew is getting ready for his inaugural trip to Congress. In prep sessions, which have taken place in Washington, D.C. ahead of the high-stakes hearing, TikTok personnel have worked to sharpen and polish Chew’s presentation. The Biden administration demanded earlier this month that the company’s Chinese owners divest from the company or be exiled from the country. The app has raised bipartisan national security concerns and growing worries that its sophisticated algorithm poses a danger to young people. “Americans deserve to know the extent to which their privacy is jeopardized and their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China,” McMorris Rodgers said.

☆ TikTok CEO to tell lawmakers its parent company is ‘not an agent of China’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —TikTok CEO Shou Chew plans to tell US lawmakers that the app’s parent company, ByteDance, does not work for the Chinese government as he seeks to avert a US ban and reassure policymakers TikTok poses no national security threat. “Let me state this unequivocally,” Chew will say, according to a copy of his remarks released by a key House panel. New TikTok data created by US users is already being stored on cloud-based servers operated by the US tech giant Oracle, a change that took effect last month, according to the testimony. USDS already has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and the company plans to hire more. Chew plans to describe the incident as a “misguided attempt to trace the source of a leak of confidential TikTok information.” TikTok informed the Energy and Commerce Committee about the spying “within moments of informing our employees,” Chew will add.

CNN —Nearly two-and-a-half years after the Trump administration threatened to ban TikTok in the United States if it didn’t divest from its Chinese owners, the Biden administration is now doing the same. The new directive comes from the multiagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), following years of negotiations between TikTok and the government body. “If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem,” TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan said in a statement. TikTok is really only a national security risk insofar as the Chinese government may have leverage over TikTok or its parent company. China has national security laws that require companies under its jurisdiction to cooperate with a broad range of security activities.

☆ New Zealand to become the latest country to ban TikTok in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —New Zealand will ban TikTok on all devices with access to its parliament by the end of this month, becoming the latest country to impose an official bar on the popular social media platform owned by a Beijing-based tech conglomerate. Led by the United States, a growing number of Western nations are imposing restrictions on the use of TikTok on government devices citing national security concerns. The United States, UK and Canada have ordered the removal of the app from all government phones, citing cybersecurity concerns. The short video sharing app has more than 100 million users in the United States alone. China has accused the United States of “unreasonably suppressing” TikTok and spreading “false information” about data security.

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