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TikTok ban: ByteDance says app is run and controlled in US, not China

TikTok ban – ByteDance says app is run and controlled in US | App on smartphone in front of Chinese flag

ByteDance’s appeal against a US TikTok ban is underway, and the company has accused the Department of Justice of factual errors in presenting its case – intended to force the sale of the app to an American company.

The DOJ says the app’s feed can be manipulated by the Chinese government for propaganda purposes, but Bytedance said that recommendations are actually generated in the US …

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TikTok ban: Fast-track appeal granted as company sues US government [U]

TikTok is suing the US | Modified logo with prohibition sign

Update: A US court has fast-tracked the appeal, which will be heard in September. TikTok owner Bytedance has just three weeks to file its arguments for the ban to be overturned.

Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is suing the US government, arguing that the threatened ban is unconstitutional. The company had previously said it would do so, though it had been unclear whether it would follow through.

The company is fighting a law which forces it to either sell the app to an American company, or be banned from operating in the US …

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TikTok buyout could cost $100B – and won’t include the algorithm

TikTok buyout | 3D logo on colorful background

A TikTok buyout by an American company appears to be the only way for the app to survive in the US, and potentially in Europe too. But potential buyers could find themselves paying a lot of money and not getting the one thing they really want: the algorithm.

Real-estate billionaire Frank McCourt and former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin are among those who have confirmed they are planning bids for the app …

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Some TikTok users can now upload 60-minute videos, introducing long-form content to the home of video shorts

Federal TikTok ban | App on two phones

TikTok is weighing major changes to the type of content it serves up, as evidenced by a new test rolling out today.

Per Aisha Malik at TechCrunch, the test enables some users to upload videos up to a duration of 60 minutes in length. This is a massive increase over the current 3-minute limitation and may carry big implications for TikTok’s future ambitions.

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Teen Instagram addiction under investigation; TikTokers sue US government

Teen Instagram addiction under investigation | Close-up of teenager using smartphone

An EU investigation has been opened into growing concerns about teen Instagram addiction, to determine whether parent company Meta is breaking the law by deliberately seeking to make its apps addictive.

The investigation will also look into whether the company’s age-verification procedures are sufficiently robust, and the phenomenon of sending users down potentially harmful ‘rabbit holes’ …

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TikTok is about to start labeling your AI-generated content automatically

TikTok under investigation | 3D representation of the logo

The accessibility of AI is on the rise, and with it, content platforms now have to grapple with how to handle the potential issues AI can introduce.

A new report indicates that TikTok is about to ramp up its efforts in AI transparency. It will do this by automatically labeling all AI-generated content. Or at least, the content it knows about.

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Coldplay, Drake, Ariana Grande and other UMG artists return to TikTok

UMG artists return to TikTok | Crowd at concert

Songs from UMG artists are now again available to TikTok creators, after a dispute over royalty payments and AI policies was resolved.

This has seen the return of a lengthy list of artists, including Bad Bunny, Sting, The Weeknd, Alicia Keys, Drake, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, Bob Dylan, and Post Malone …

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Is TikTok bypassing Apple’s App Store in-app purchase commission?

TikTok ban

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A new report from TechCrunch today claims that TikTok might be bypassing Apple’s App Store in-app purchase system. The report says that TikTok is “presenting some of its users with a link to a website” to purchase coins, instead of using Apple’s in-app purchase flow.

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