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☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday blocked a bid to fast-track a ban of popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies. Republican Senator Josh Hawley had sought unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. We're going to be just like China and ban speech we're afraid of?" Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video on Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Then President Donald Trump's attempts in 2020 to ban TikTok were blocked by U.S. courts.

☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul opposes TikTok ban push in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday opposed efforts in Congress to ban popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which is used by more than 150 million Americans. Republican Senator Josh Hawley said this week he hoped to get unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before Congress last week and faced tough questions about national security concerns over the ByteDance-owned app. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Last week, three Democrats in the House of Representatives opposed a TikTok ban, as do free speech groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.

☆ Morgan Stanley on who wins the most if TikTok is banned or blocked
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Companies that already have short-form video platforms in place should benefit the most from any TikTok ban, according to Morgan Stanley. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress last week , when all three stocks highlighted by Morgan Stanley as potential beneficiaries closed the week higher. Nowak's $250 price target implies Meta could rally 24.6% from where it closed Tuesday. Still, the stock could see upside ahead as Nowak's price target implies shares could rally about 34% over the next year from where they ended Tuesday. His $7 target price implies Snap will drop about 37% over the next 12 months from Tuesday's close.

☆ U.S.-China tech rivalry will continue to put Chinese firms under intense scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowChinese companies will continue to face intense scrutiny as U.S.-China tensions and competition won't be easing anytime soon, one analyst told CNBC. Chinese companies are getting a ton of scrutiny in part because of their ties to the Chinese Communist Party," said Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow for emerging tech at the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy, on CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" Tuesday. It's really intense competition [between the U.S. and China]. That really speaks to just how intertwined the U.S. and Chinese technological ecosystems are and have been. We can't let undersea cables become another example of that trend," said U.S.

☆ Sen. Rand Paul says the GOP would 'permanently lose elections for a generation' if TikTok is banned
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Rand Paul is speaking out against a possible ban on TikTok, contradicting much of his own party. He said a ban amounts to a "national strategy to permanently lose elections for a generation" for the GOP. "Before banning TikTok, these censors might want to discover that China's government already bans TikTok," wrote Paul. In recent weeks, calls to ban TikTok over concerns over Chinese government surveillance have only grown in Washington. Marco Rubio of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri, who have both introduced nationwide TikTok ban bills.

☆ Fact Check-Satirical edit of TikTok hearing asks if TikTok can talk to the plane on airplane mode
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip from TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew’s testimony before the U.S. Congress has been edited to include satirical audio. this entire hearing was hilariously humiliating for those asking the questions.” Another example can be seen (here). The video has a TikTok watermark with the username “@barneyplease” and was shared on TikTok (here) on March 25, 2023. The word “airplane” does not appear in transcripts of the hearing (here) and (here). Reports on how social media users shared videos on TikTok critical of Congress members after the hearing can be seen (here), (here) and (here).

☆ 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.

☆ TikTok wants its advertisers to know the 'myths vs. facts' after its CEO's day in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Now, it seems, TikTok wants to clear up some facts that lawmakers may have gotten wrong. TikTok wants to clear up "Myth vs Fact." After the TikTok CEO's 5-hour hearing at Congress last Thursday, the company wants to reassure advertisers that it'll be fine. The document states: "TikTok does not permit any government to influence or change its recommendation model." Advertisers make up a large chunk of TikTok's user base, which the company says is now at 150 million monthly active users in the US.

☆ Read the full 'Myth vs. Fact' document TikTok sent to advertisers after US lawmakers grilled its CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

TikTok sent advertisers a document titled 'Myth vs. TikTok is seeking to reassure advertisers over national security concerns raised by lawmakers. On Friday and over the weekend, TikTok emailed advertisers and their agencies a document entitled "Myth vs. Many TikTok advertisers have simply adopted a wait and see approach to the potential for a TikTok ban in the US, as The Wall Street Journal and other outlets have previously reported. Fact" document TikTok sent to advertisers below:Source-providedSource-providedSource-providedSource-provided

☆ TikTok represents 'strategic' challenge, says top US cyber official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RUTHERFORD, California, March 27 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. National Security Agency's cybersecurity directorate on Monday said TikTok represents a "strategic issue" rather than an immediate "tactical" threat to the United States. Joyce said China could use its influence on TikTok to suppress information that might make the nation look bad to Americans. His remarks echo earlier warnings by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone, who told U.S. lawmakers that TikTok could be used to carry out sweeping influence campaigns. U.S. President Joe Biden has signaled his support for legislation introduced by a dozen Senators that would give him the power to ban TikTok and other foreign technologies if they pose a national security risk. Reporting by Stephen Nellis in Rutherford, California; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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."

☆ Red alert recession signals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Matt Turner | Dave Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On the agenda today:But first: Everyone is back to talking about a recession. This week's dispatchFed Chair Jerome Powell Joshua Roberts/Reuters2023 started with fresh hope that the US could avoid a recession. That has big name investors and market signals predicting a recession, and soon. "Red alert recession signals," Gundlach said. Even Powell's preferred bond-market indicator says a recession is on the way this year.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rejected banning TikTok in her first TikTok video, saying it 'just doesn't feel right to me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discussed calls to ban TikTok in her debut on the app. The New York Democrat said the bipartisan push to ban TikTok in the US "doesn't feel right to me." AOC said America needed stronger data and privacy protection laws rather than a TikTok ban. The New York Democrat started her video by saying: "This is not only my first TikTok, but it is a TikTok about TikTok. She pointed out that the US doesn't have "significant data or privacy protection laws," before mentioning the European Union's data privacy law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation.

☆ A GOP congresswoman says TikTok CEO's testimony made it clear to her that the app is 'an immediate threat' from China and that she supports a ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers called TikTok "an immediate threat" and wants it banned in the US. McMorris Rodgers said she's deeply concerned about the user data of millions of US TikTok users. "I would say there's an immediate threat via TikTok from the Chinese Communist Party. "What the hearing made clear to me was that TikTok should be banned in the United States of America to address the immediate threat and we also need a national data privacy law," she added. McMorris Rodgers pointed to Tiktok and parent company ByteDance as having ties to the Chinese government, which she said is a major risk to Americans.

☆ 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.

☆ Asian Americans are anxious about hate crimes. TikTok ban rhetoric isn’t helping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And the Chinese government’s authoritarian approach to numerous other issues clashes with important American values, said many Asian Americans interviewed for this article. Concerns about China have gone mainstream as US national security officials and lawmakers have publicly grappled with state-backed ransomware attacks and other hacking attempts. People rallied during a "Stop Asian Hate" march to protest against anti-Asian hate crimes on Foley Square in New York, on April 4, 2021. But to Chu, the incident was an example of the way politics surrounding China, technology and national security have fueled anti-Asian sentiment. “Asian American issues are American issues, and all Americans deserve to be treated with respect.

☆ TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew got his start in tech at Facebook—now his app is its biggest competitor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Prior to running the most popular social media app in the world, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was an intern for one of his largest competitors. On Thursday, Chew sat before Congress to defend TikTok against spying claims as Congress and President Biden weigh a potential U.S. ban. "We are committed to [being] very transparent with our users about what we collect," Chew told the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Today, Facebook has 2.9 billion active users, according to Meta's 2022 Q4 earnings presentation. "The potential security, privacy, content manipulation concerns raised about TikTok are really not unique to us.

The last time Cook visited China was in 2019. We also have a thriving App Store,” the Apple chief was quoted as saying in state-run China Daily. On Friday, Cook had posted a picture of himself smiling with customers and staff at the Apple store in the shopping district of Sanlitun on China’s Twitter-like social media site Weibo. “TikTok CEO was under siege at the US hearing, while Apple CEO was enthusiastically welcomed by people at its flagship Chinese store. China’s commerce ministry said Thursday that a forced sale of TikTok would “seriously damage” global investors’ confidence in the United States.

☆ TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has the internet eating out of his hand
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Well, court filings have laid bare the company's excessive spending habits on luxury estate, hotels and, of course, a yacht. Shou Zi Chew said the average TikTok user was "an adult well past college age." Wall Street says TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew had a "disaster" day in Congress. Wall Street may have dubbed Chew's testimony a "disaster," but by the end of it, Chew had the internet eating out of his hand. Google Bard is already behind in the AI wars.

☆ TikTok users are making fun of Congress members for their questions to app CEO Shou Chew
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Meanwhile, TikTok creators are leading the way ridiculing members of Congress. “There needs to be an age limit in Congress,” one caption by user @rachelhannahh said about a clip of US Rep. Many of the TikTok video clips suggested Congress members don’t know how modern technology works. They believe members of Congress are detached from technology and unaware of how tech companies within their own country operate, resulting in easily mockable questions. “What color is the algorithm?” said user Christian Divyne in a video mocking some of the questions Congress members asked Chew.

☆ In the Hot Seat, TikTok CEO Channels a Silicon Valley Style Icon: Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Jacob Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before House lawmakers on Thursday to face questions about potential Chinese government influence on the popular social-media app. Mr. Chew’s armor for this inquest? A staid navy suit, pressed white shirt and finely patterned blue tie. The conservative, don’t-buck-the-boardroom combination made Mr. Chew look like so many execs recently grilled by Congress about security and safety, in business attire meant to engender trust—or at the very least express innocuity.

☆ Lawmakers’ Drive to Rein In TikTok Intensifies After CEO’s Testimony
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Momentum in Congress to crack down on TikTok is growing after the chief executive of the social-media company failed to win over lawmakers in a marathon hearing, though lawmakers are divided on what path to take. Republicans and Democrats pounced on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, his company and its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance Ltd., in the hearing Thursday. Over five hours, lawmakers seemed dissatisfied with Mr. Chew’s answers on Beijing’s potential influence over the video-sharing app, as well as concerns about the effect that the app’s algorithm has on teens and young adults.

☆ Wall Street says TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew had a 'disaster' day in Congress — but the internet is loving him
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reena Koh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Wall Street slammed Chew's testimony, dubbing it a "disaster moment" for TikTok. The video has over 1.2 million views, over 215,000 likes, and a range of comments expressing their approval for Chew. Two days before the Congressional hearing, TikTok's official account shared a rare video of Chew casually introducing himself to people. In the video, Chew gave context about the hearing and asked viewers to tell him what they enjoyed about the app.

☆ Where TikTok users may go if the app gets banned
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —On the eve of a high-profile TikTok hearing this week, the company shared that it now has more than 150 million US monthly active users. “This uncertainty could push some TikTok content creators to focus more on, and possibly begin, pushing their audiences to other social network platforms,” Mogharabi said. Snap’s stock rose in the days leading up to TikTok’s appearance before Congress amid renewed talks among federal officials of a TikTok ban. Alex Brandon/APIf that happens, Lian Jye Su, an analyst with ABI Search, believes users will follow their favorite TikTok influencers and content creators wherever they go. For now, talk of a TikTok ban may still be premature.

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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