DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Trump vs. Harris: The 2024 Election Has Taken Over TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | Madison Malone Kircher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Austin Nasso, a 29-year-old comedian in New York City, regularly posts impressions of both Mr. Trump and President Biden. Eight of the 10 most viewed TikTok videos about the September debate were from mainstream news sources, according to Zelf data. But Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump take decidedly different approaches to their content. @realdonaldtrump Mr. Trump also finds moments for levity, often on his separate campaign account, @TeamTrump, to keep viewers paying attention. @teamtrumpLike Mr. Trump, Ms. Harris and her campaign also have two distinct accounts, one with a more formal feel and a second, @KamalaHQ, where her campaign lets loose.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, she’ll, Harris, Republican Swifties, “, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Trump's, Swift, Austin Nasso, Biden, “ I’m, Mr, Nasso, ” Sam Wiles, Vance, hadn’t, Wiles, ”, Allison Reese, Ms, she’s, Reese, Hamilton ”, David Chalian, TikTok, “ Harris, Phil Harvey, Link Lauren, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, ’, Spehar, Ross, Jake, Logan Paul, Bryce Hall, Bryson DeChambeau, DeChambeau, “ Bro, Cori Bush, Vivek Ramaswamy, Lindsay Gorman Organizations: New York Times, Republican, Trump, Times, Hamilton Liberals, Broadway, The Daily Mail, CNN, NBC, cnn, Daily Mail, Obama, MSNBC, Fox News, YouTube, Missouri Democrat, German Marshall Fund Locations: New York City, Los Angeles, United States, TikTok, Plenty, San Francisco, ”, Missouri

Authorities in India have summoned executives of a ticketing platform after furious Coldplay fans failed to secure tickets for the British rock band’s upcoming concerts in Mumbai and complained of unchecked scalping. Many of them are directing their anger at the platforms selling tickets — and calling on officials to take action. On Monday, the website Viagogo showed the lowest-tier tickets available for $1,500 and the highest-tier tickets for as much as $4,000. A third show for Jan. 21 was added the day tickets went on sale due to “unprecedented demand,” BookMyShow said. “These websites are selling tickets for 20, 30, 40 times more,” she said.

Persons: Coldplay, Taylor Swift’s, scalpers, Lavanya Maheshwari, ”, “, Maheshwari, Ashish Hemrajani, “ We’ve, BookMyShow, ” BookMyShow Organizations: American, Ticketmaster, Oasis, Justice Department, Coldplay, Mumbai Police, NBC Locations: India, Mumbai, United States, Gurugram, New Delhi

☆ Brands Love Influencers (Until Politics Get Involved)
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Brands love when social media stars take to Instagram or TikTok to advertise their soap, probiotic sodas, makeup and more. But many of those same brands are eager to avoid influencers who discuss politics. Making sure the two don’t mix has become a fraught exercise in the growing, and often unpredictable, influencer industry. With the presidential election looming, some marketing agencies have started to pitch advertisers on new tools that grade the so-called brand safety of social media personalities. Some of the tools even use artificial intelligence to predict the likelihood that a particular influencer will discuss politics in the future.

Persons: influencers

☆ U.S. Sues TikTok Over Child Privacy Violations
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( David Mccabe | Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department sued TikTok on Friday, accusing it of illegally collecting children’s data and escalating a long-running battle between the U.S. government and the Chinese-owned app. TikTok broke the law by gathering personal information from users under the age of 13 without their parents’ permission, according to the government’s complaint. The company knowingly allowed children under the age of 13 to create and use TikTok accounts, the government said, and frequently failed to honor parents’ requests to delete their children’s accounts. The lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Southern California, said those practices violated both the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a law that restricts the online tracking of children, and a 2019 agreement between TikTok and the government in which the company pledged to notify parents before collecting children’s data and remove videos from users under 13 years old. The suit, which also names TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, asks for the court to fine the companies over the violations.

Persons: TikTok Organizations: Justice Department, U.S Locations: Southern California, TikTok

☆ Justice Dept. Defends TikTok Law That Forces App’s Sale or Ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( David Mccabe | Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department argued in a court filing on Friday that TikTok should be required to sell its American operations to resolve national security concerns about its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. In the government’s first detailed response to TikTok’s lawsuit challenging a new U.S. law that could ban the social media app, the Justice Department said measures that TikTok previously offered to address those security concerns — including walling off U.S. user data domestically — were insufficient. The Chinese government could still collect sensitive data on Americans or spread propaganda, the agency argued, and it has incentive to misuse the app because of larger geopolitical goals. And while TikTok argued in its suit that the law violated the First Amendment rights of its 170 million U.S. users, the Justice Department contended that those users were free to turn to other social media sites if TikTok was banned or sold. Under the law, any challenges must begin in that court.

Persons: walling, TikTok Organizations: Justice Department, Department, U.S ., Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit Locations: United States, China

☆ A One-Man Telemundo on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | Ken Bensinger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Oh, I need to make a video, actually, in the car,” Mr. Espina, 25, said apologetically as he pulled his Honda crossover S.U.V. He skimmed a Honduran newspaper’s Instagram post about the news and then opened TikTok, where he has 9.4 million followers. He turned the camera on himself while his girlfriend, who was sitting behind him, crouched out of the frame, clearly used to this sort of drill. His hazel eyes widened, and he boomed, “Importante noticia de última hora” — Spanish for “important breaking news” — then shared a one-minute recap. The video racked up more than 100,000 views during lunch, which Mr. Espina received for free because the restaurant owner was thrilled to recognize him from TikTok.

Persons: Carlos Eduardo Espina, Mr, Espina, apologetically, crouched, ” — Locations: Nicaraguan, Puerto Rican, Honduras, U.S, Honduran, TikTok

☆ TikTok Lays Out Past Efforts to Address U.S. Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

TikTok, the popular video app facing a new law that could lead it to being banned in the United States, released details Thursday about numerous confidential meetings with top federal officials as it tried to address concerns about the company’s Chinese ownership. The details of those interactions, TikTok said in a court filing, show that the federal government “ceased substantive engagement” with the company on its efforts in September 2022. TikTok said that a ban would violate the First Amendment. The new documents include a 90-page proposal from TikTok about how it planned to address concerns among American national security officials about the app, including worries that the Chinese government could use it to spread propaganda or collect sensitive user data. The Biden administration never blessed TikTok’s proposal, known as Project Texas, despite much back and forth about it with the company.

Persons: TikTok, “, Biden Organizations: Texas Locations: United States

☆ Abortion Groups Say Tech Companies Suppress Posts and Accounts
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Emily Schmall | Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

TikTok has briefly suspended the account of Hey Jane, a prominent telemedicine abortion service, four times without explanation. The groups and women’s health advocates say these examples, all from recent months, show why they are increasingly confused and frustrated by how major technology platforms moderate posts about abortion services. They say the companies’ policies on abortion-related content, including advertisements, have long been opaque. And when the platforms do restrict the accounts, the companies can be difficult to contact to learn why. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an organization dedicated to abolishing abortion, said big technology companies had routinely limited its and other groups’ pro-life speech, suspending accounts and blocking ads with little explanation.

Persons: TikTok, Hey Jane, Instagram, Bing, Susan B, Anthony Pro Organizations: America

☆ TikTok Moves to Limit Russian and Chinese Media’s Reach in Big Election Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

TikTok said on Thursday that it was introducing new measures to limit the spread of videos from state-affiliated media accounts, including Russian and Chinese outlets, as the company deflects criticism that it could be used as a propaganda tool in a major election year. The company in 2022 started labeling state-affiliated media accounts — like those from RT, the global Russian television network, and People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. Social media platforms, including Meta, YouTube and X, are grappling with misinformation in a year when as much as half the global population will vote in major elections. Political news on TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, is under particular scrutiny after the passage of a law that would force ByteDance to sell the company or face a ban in the United States. Lawmakers and intelligence officials have said TikTok is a threat to national security, partly because of how the Chinese government could use it to spread propaganda.

Persons: TikTok, ” TikTok, ByteDance Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Social, Meta, YouTube, United States, Lawmakers Locations: Russian, United

☆ The Billionaire Frank McCourt Mounts Bid to Buy TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The billionaire Frank McCourt has put up his hand. Mr. McCourt said Wednesday he was working to put together a group of bidders to buy the social media app. His goal in doing so is to rethink how TikTok, and the internet overall, use data and consider privacy. “This seemed like a great opportunity to actually create the alternative to the current internet, which has been colonized by large platforms and including TikTok,” Mr. McCourt said in an interview. He said the deal could help users “control their identity, own and control their data.”

Persons: Frank McCourt, McCourt, Jonathan Haidt, Mr, ” Organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers, Facebook, Liberty

☆ TikTok Creators Sue to Block U.S. Law Requiring Sale or Ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A group of TikTok creators, including a rancher, a skin care entrepreneur and a promoter of biblical literacy, sued the federal government on Tuesday over a new law that would force the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the company or face a ban in the United States. They said it violated their First Amendment rights. TikTok said it was paying the legal fees for the creators’ lawsuit. TikTok pursued a similar legal strategy in 2020, when creators successfully challenged a federal ban, as well as last year in Montana, when creators sued the state after it tried to ban the app. Davis Wright Tremaine, the law firm representing the creators, also represented the app’s creators in Montana last year.

Persons: “, TikTok, Davis Wright Tremaine Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit Locations: United States, U.S, Montana

☆ The ‘Betches’ Got Rich. So What’s Next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“There’s no Torah reading,” Jordana Abraham, the chief comedy officer, deadpanned. As far as coming-of-age tales go, Betches has an upbeat one in a digital media landscape without many. The company, which was early to the phenomenon of viral content as a foundation for digital media companies, never took on outside investment, unlike most of its peers. They started an anonymous humor blog, called “Betches Love This Site,” while they were seniors, roommates and sorority sisters at Cornell University in 2011. (A guide to drinking recommended shots, preferably of vodka, with the aim of blacking out; recommended diets included anorexia.)

Persons: Sami Sage, “, ” Jordana Abraham, Betches, Abraham, Sage, Aleen Dreksler Organizations: Betches Media, Cornell University Locations: Flatiron, Long, Roslyn

The company argues that the law violates the First Amendment by effectively killing an app in the U.S. that millions of Americans use to share their views. Another problem: a divestiture within 270 days is practically impossible, Sapna Maheshwari and David McCabe report for The Times. DealBook spoke with Maheshwari about the lawsuit filed yesterday and what happens next. Do legal experts think TikTok has a chance at winning? Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, says that a victory is possible based on the “very, very substantial First Amendment challenge” involved.

Persons: TikTok, Sapna Maheshwari, David McCabe, DealBook, Maheshwari, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Organizations: U.S, The Times, University of Minnesota Law School Locations: Washington, ByteDance, U.S

☆ TikTok sues U.S. government over ban: Here's what's to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTikTok sues U.S. government over ban: Here's what's to knowSapna Maheshwari, The New York Times business reporter, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss news of TikTok suing the U.S. government over a new law that would force its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the app or face a nationwide ban, how the legal challenge will likely play out, and more.

Persons: TikTok, Sapna Organizations: The New York Times Locations: The

☆ TikTok Sues U.S. Government Over Law Forcing Sale or Ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Less than two weeks after President Biden signed a bill that will force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the popular social media app or face a ban in the United States, TikTok said it sued the federal government on Tuesday, arguing the law was unconstitutional. TikTok said that the law violated the First Amendment by effectively removing an app that millions of Americans use to share their views and communicate freely. It also argued that a divestiture was “simply not possible,” especially within the law’s 270-day timeline, pointing to difficulties such as Beijing’s refusal to sell a key feature that powers TikTok in the United States. “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than one billion people worldwide,” the company said in the 67-page petition it provided, which initiates the lawsuit. “There is no question: The act will force a shutdown of TikTok by Jan. 19, 2025.”TikTok is battling for its survival in the United States, with the fight set to play out primarily in courts over the next few months.

Persons: Biden, TikTok, Jan, ” TikTok Locations: United States, China

Although the Met Gala serves as a branding event for Vogue, it has long accepted sponsorships from the tech giants that have threatened the very survival of legacy media publications. Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, appeared as the ball’s honorary chair in 2012. Four years later, when Apple was a Met Gala sponsor, its chief executive, Tim Cook, showed up in tux and tails. And Instagram supplied cash in 2022. In the wake of that political firestorm, Shou Chew, the 41-year-old chief executive of TikTok, is expected to join dozens of celebrity guests at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan on Monday evening.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Apple, Tim Cook, TikTok, goliath, Condé Nast, Biden, Shou Chew Organizations: Vogue, Amazon, Metropolitan Museum of Art Locations: United States, Manhattan

☆ TikTok Tells Advertisers: ‘We Are Not Backing Down’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hundreds of advertisers, including major brands like L’Oreal and Victoria’s Secret, flocked to the Lower East Side on Thursday night for TikTok’s annual spring pitch to marketers. It had been about a week since President Biden signed a law that says TikTok must be sold from its Chinese parent company or face a potential ban, and marketers were champing at the bit to hear TikTok’s thoughts. Blake Chandlee, TikTok’s president of global business solutions, kicked off the evening by thanking advertisers for their “tremendous support and trust” and said that the company considered the law unconstitutional and would challenge it in court. “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side and that we will ultimately prevail,” Mr. Chandlee told more than 300 attendees, some of whom couldn’t find chairs in the crowd. “I want you to know we are not backing down.”But for the rest of the roughly 45-minute presentation, which took place in a large gallery with the fuchsia and light blue lights of TikTok’s logo, it was business as usual.

Persons: Biden, Blake Chandlee, ”, “, Mr, Chandlee, couldn’t, Madison Locations: Washington

Just over a year ago, lawmakers displayed a rare show of bipartisanship when they grilled Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, about the video app’s ties to China. Their harsh questioning suggested that Washington was gearing up to force the company to sever ties with its Chinese owner — or even ban the app. But behind the scenes, a tiny group of lawmakers began plotting a secretive effort that culminated on Tuesday, when the Senate passed a bill that forces TikTok to be sold by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or risk getting banned. For nearly a year, lawmakers and some of their aides worked to write a version of the bill, concealing their efforts to avoid setting off TikTok’s lobbying might. To bulletproof the bill from expected legal challenges and persuade uncertain lawmakers, the group worked with the Justice Department and White House.

Persons: Shou, Little, TikTok Organizations: Senate, Justice Department, White Locations: China, Washington, United States

☆ Congress Passed a Bill That Could Ban TikTok. Now Comes the Hard Part.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A bill that would force a sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance — or ban it outright — was passed by the Senate on Tuesday and is expected to be signed quickly into law by President Biden. Now the process is likely to get even more complicated. Congress passed the measure citing national security concerns because of TikTok’s Chinese ties. The measure is likely to face legal challenges, as well as possible resistance from Beijing, which could block the sale or export of the technology. It’s also unclear who has the resources to buy TikTok, since it will carry a hefty price tag.

Persons: ByteDance, —, Biden, TikTok, It’s Locations: United States, Beijing

☆ How TikTok Changed Us
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In the coming days, Congress may advance a bill to ban TikTok or force its sale to an American company. A few schools have removed bathroom mirrors because so many students were leaving class to film TikTok videos there. For 14 percent of American adults, TikTok is a regular news source, up from 3 percent in 2020. People who don’t have traditional backgrounds in journalism, akin to bloggers for the TikTok era, aggregate and share information in snappy videos. Organizations including The New York Times are also making short-form videos in which reporters talk to the camera about their stories, the TikTok way.

Persons: who’ve, It’s, ”, Brooks Barnes, Natasha Singer, Becky Hughes, TikTok, Taylor, mocktails, you’ve Organizations: Sony, Hollywood, The New York Times Locations: American, United States, Hollywood

Within days, millions of TikTok videos using music from Universal artists went mute, and since then guessing which side would blink first has become a media-business parlor game. Backing this up, one study found that TikTok users reported experiencing higher levels of flow than Instagram users. Corey Basch, who analyzed 100 popular TikTok videos with the hashtag mentalhealth for a 2022 study, emerged concerned about the looping effect of the algorithm. Cerave Sales increased by more than 60 percent in 2020 after skin care became a lockdown pastime and TikTok users discovered the drugstore mainstay. Cat Crack Catnip It briefly sold out in 2021 after TikTok users posted videos of their cats going crazy for it.

Persons: randos, TikTok, you’ve, Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, ”, “ Wonka, Barbie, “ Oppenheimer, —, goofing, cavorting, Sue Fleishman, Z’s Walter Cronkite, Spehar, Donald J, Trump, he’s, Caitlin Clark’s, Joe Biden, Justin Bieber, Abbie Richards, Richards, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Fleetwood Mac, Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Drake, Swift, ByteDance, can’t, Mark Warner, hasn’t, Al, ear on, Li Organizations: Fleetwood Mac, Facebook, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, White, Pew Research Center, YouTube, The New York Times, Kansas City Chiefs, Media, Colgate, Universal Music Group, ByteDance, Intelligence Committee, e Locations: United States, Beijing, Biden’s, TikTok, Singapore, View, Calif, China, American

☆ TikTok Bill Is Bundled With Aid to Ukraine and Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( David Mccabe | Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The measure, a modified version of a stand-alone bill that the House passed last month, will be considered alongside a package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, according to text of the legislation released by House leadership. The president could extend the deadline by another 90 days if progress toward a sale was being made. House lawmakers are expected to vote Saturday on a package of legislation that includes the TikTok ban and other bills popular with Republicans, a maneuver intended to induce lawmakers to vote for the foreign aid. If the package passes, the measures will be sent as a single bill to the Senate, which could vote soon after. President Biden has said he’ll sign TikTok legislation into law if it reaches his desk.

Persons: Biden Organizations: House, Republicans, Senate Locations: United States, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

☆ Ready for a Chatbot Version of Your Favorite Instagram Influencers?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | Mike Isaac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Being an influencer can be a lot of work. Instagram is pitching popular influencers on a program that relies on artificial intelligence to interact with fans, the latest example of how Meta, Instagram’s parent company, is trying to expand the technology across its products. The program will essentially be a chatbot that mimics the “voice” of the Instagram influencer to respond to fans, the people said. Most of the messages would be sent automatically and would at least initially disclose that they were A.I.-generated, according to two of the people. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of the program.

Persons: Instagram, A.I

☆ TikTok Turns to Nuns, Veterans and Ranchers in Marketing Blitz
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In a TV commercial, Sister Monica Clare, a nun in northern New Jersey, walks through a church that’s bathed in sunlight and sits in a pew, crossing herself. “Because of TikTok, I’ve created a community where people can feel safe asking questions about spirituality,” she says in the advertisement. Sister Monica Clare is one of several fans of TikTok — along with drawling ranchers, a Navy veteran known as Patriotic Kenny and entrepreneurs — whom the company is highlighting in commercials as it faces intense scrutiny in Washington. “TikTok definitely has a branding issue in the United States,” Sister Monica Clare, 58, said in an interview. They don’t understand what the content is.

Persons: Monica Clare, I’ve, ”, TikTok, Kenny, —, “ TikTok, “ Organizations: Navy Locations: New Jersey, Washington, United States

☆ How the Israel-Hamas War Has Roiled TikTok Internally
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Barak Herscowitz joined TikTok two years ago in the company’s Tel Aviv office, his role was to recruit Israeli government agencies and other public-sector groups to join the video service and take advantage of its popularity. His pitch: TikTok was a powerful communication tool and getting more influential in the country by the day. And he was not satisfied with the response from the company when he raised those concerns. TikTok has been dogged for months by accusations that its app has shown a disproportionate amount of pro-Palestinian and antisemitic content to users of its hugely popular video platform. TikTok has strongly rejected those arguments, and its executives have met multiple times with Jewish groups to discuss those concerns.

Persons: Barak Herscowitz, TikTok, Herscowitz, Naftali Bennett Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel

Search resuls for: "Maheshwari"

25 mentions found