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Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals sounded unconvinced Monday that the TikTok “sale or ban” law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was unconstitutional. TikTok and ByteDance have since condemned the practice and said that three employees involved were terminated, with an additional employee resigning. Pincus also said that the data TikTok collects from American users is anonymized and is comparable to other Chinese companies, like major e-commerce platforms. TikTok creators and users in the U.S. have responded overwhelmingly negatively to the proposed ban. Trump then expressed support for TikTok following Biden’s passage of the national security package that included the provision to ban TikTok.
Persons: Joe Biden, TikTok, , Andrew Pincus, , it’s, Pincus, Pincus didn’t, Judge Neomi Rao, ” Rao, Biden, Kamala Harris, Kamala, Donald Trump’s, TAYLOR SWIFT, ” Trump, Trump Organizations: Circuit U.S, Chinese Communist Party, Oracle, Forbes, Palestine Information Office, ByteDance, Justice Department, “ Biden Locations: U.S, Texas, Oracle’s U.S, China, Palestine, Tibet
TikTok has 15 minutes to fight for its life
  + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +10 min
The law Biden signed seeks to ban TikTok on Americans’ personal devices unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, quickly sells TikTok to someone else — which may effectively end the app as we currently know it. TikTok will not get the luxury of a full trial to argue for its continued existence in its current form. But it won’t be alone: A group of TikTok creators also suing the Biden administration will go next, with 10 minutes to speak. Court filings show that TikTok and US national security officials had hammered out a draft proposal to address the security concerns. The question is whether all that amounts to enough influence over ByteDance and TikTok to gain access to US TikTok users’ data, in spite of the guardrails promised by Project Texas.
Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, TikTok, Sri Srinivasan, Judge Neomi Rao, Donald Trump, Douglas Ginsburg, Reagan, ’ TikTok, , , Chris Inglis Organizations: CNN, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Oracle, Justice Department, Independent, Project Texas, Federal Communications Commission Locations: China, United States, ByteDance, U.S, Beijing
In a fresh broadside against one of the world's most popular technology companies, the Justice Department is accusing TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion. The Justice Department warned, in stark terms, of the potential for what it called "covert content manipulation" by the Chinese government, saying the algorithm could be designed to shape content that users receive. In the redacted version of the court documents, the Justice Department said another tool triggered the suppression of content based on the use of certain words. Certain policies of the tool applied to ByteDance users in China, where the company operates a similar app called Douyin that follows Beijing's strict censorship rules. But Justice Department officials said other policies may have been applied to TikTok users outside of China.
Persons: ByteDance, TikTok, Joe Biden, Alex Haurek, Haurek, we've Organizations: Justice, Wall Street, Department, Justice Department, U.S Locations: Washington, Beijing, China, U.S, Texas, Israel, Gaza
Oracle warns that a TikTok ban would hurt business
  + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: +3 min
A U.S. ban of TikTok might hurt Oracle 's business, the software company acknowledged in its annual report on Monday. TikTok said Oracle would also be responsible for compiling the app and delivering it to third-party app stores. "The one thing I can tell you is we have an excellent relationship with the folks at TikTok," Oracle CEO Safra Catz said on a 2022 conference call with analysts. Following the bipartisan legislation this year targeted at TikTok, and Biden's signing of the bill mandating its sale, TikTok filed a lawsuit arguing that the law violates First Amendment free speech protections. Oracle's cloud infrastructure revenue for the fiscal year came to $6.9 billion.
Persons: Safra, Oracle, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Weeks, TikTok, Safra Catz, Frank McCourt, Steven Mnuchin, Oracle hasn't, TikTok didn't, Carnegie's Peter Harrell Organizations: Oracle, Capitol, Palantir Technologies, Oracle Corp, Hamas, Microsoft, U.S . Treasury Department Locations: Washington, Israel, Gaza, U.S, China, TikTok, Texas
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
Whether the Biden administration overlooked a less restrictive alternative could become a factor in a potential test of the law’s constitutionality. In Thursday’s filing, TikTok said the agreement was never signed despite years of negotiations and dozens of meetings and phone calls with US government officials. The Trump administration tried to ban TikTok by executive action, but that was quickly stymied by legal challenges. US officials have not publicly presented evidence that China has accessed US users’ TikTok data. On Thursday, TikTok’s filing said the company has so far spent $2 billion voluntarily implementing Project Texas.
Persons: TikTok, Biden, Joe Biden, , CFIUS, , Trump, Christopher Simkins, Simkins Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Foreign Investment, Meta, Independent, Texas Locations: United States, TikTok, China
Former President Donald Trump attempted to ban the platform through an executive order in 2020, laying out the path to a potential ban. Prior to the passage of the law, TikTok spent more than $2 billion on an initiative called "Project Texas" to better protect U.S. user data from foreign influence. It's also different from past attempts to ban TikTok since the bill has bipartisan support, which can influence the courts, Hans said. Regardless of what happens in the circuit court, Hans said there's a real possibility the case ends up getting elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court. WATCH: Here's what to know about TikTok lawsuit
Persons: Shou Zi Chew, Online Harms, Evelyn Hockstein, Joe Biden, TikTok, Donald Trump, Gus Hurwitz, Hurwitz, ByteDance, Gautam Hans, Hans, It's, Hans said, there's, Shou Chew, Steven Mnuchin, CNBC's David Faber, Mnuchin Organizations: Energy, Commerce, Safeguard, Online, Capitol, Reuters, U.S, U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, Center for Technology, Innovation, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law, CNBC, Cornell Law School, Supreme Locations: Washington, Texas, U.S, TikTok, China
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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