TikTok's Future in the US Is Unclear. We Check Back in With the Billionaire Who Wants to Save It
1 week, 4 days ago

TikTok's Future in the US Is Unclear. We Check Back in With the Billionaire Who Wants to Save It

Wired  

TikTok is officially on the chopping block, friends. Through his Project Liberty initiative, he has made what he’s called a “people’s bid,” bringing together a variety of investors and groups that share in his vision of a more open web. To achieve this, he’d apply Project Liberty’s Decentralized Social Networking Protocol, or DSNP, to TikTok. McCourt has had conversations with potential investors totaling at least a $20 billion potential bid for the app’s brand, its user base, and the existing content in order to scale his vision of an interoperable, more privacy-friendly internet that competes with companies like Meta and Google. When asked if Project Liberty could maintain TikTok’s existing userbase without the beloved algorithm, McCourt said, “People don’t know what they don’t have until you show them.”

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History of this topic

TikTok is inching closer to a potential ban in the US
Top News
2 weeks, 2 days ago

TikTok is inching closer to a potential ban in the US

The Hindu  

TikTok's future in the U.S. appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. Here are some details on the ruling and what could happen next: In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance, which is …

L.A. influencers, businesses live or die on TikTok’s algorithm. Now they fear for the future
7 months, 2 weeks ago

L.A. influencers, businesses live or die on TikTok’s algorithm. Now they fear for the future

LA Times  

Brandon Hurst is known as Brandon the Plant Guy on TikTok. “What makes TikTok special is the algorithm,” Hurst said, noting that if TikTok’s owners sell the app, the algorithm could change. “A lot of people have scaled probably beyond their wildest dreams.” Influencers don’t need to own a business to make money on TikTok, one creator said. For small-business …

The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What’s coming next?
7 months, 4 weeks ago

The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What’s coming next?

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young people in America to connect online. Beijing has …

What is TikTok worth? Anywhere between $20 billion to over $100 billion
7 months, 4 weeks ago

What is TikTok worth? Anywhere between $20 billion to over $100 billion

Hindustan Times  

US president Joe Biden signed the legislation after US Congress approved the bill to sell Tiktok’s US operations in recent days. A measure set to force TikTok's parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the US received president Joe Biden's official sign-off. People familiar with the subject claimed as per Wall Street Journal that executives …

U.S. President Biden signs bill that will see TikTok sold or banned next year
7 months, 4 weeks ago

U.S. President Biden signs bill that will see TikTok sold or banned next year

The Hindu  

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a bill forcing TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance to divest ownership of the app or see it banned in the next nine months, extendable by another three months if needed. Last year, several U.S. states began banning TikTok in government employees’ work devices, though sweeping bans on private usage were not successful in court. …

TikTok star urges US to force sale after witnessing 'terrifying' algorithm amid Israel-Palestine war
8 months ago

TikTok star urges US to force sale after witnessing 'terrifying' algorithm amid Israel-Palestine war

Hindustan Times  

Imagine speaking out against the platform that enables you to earn a living. This comes on the heels of White House representatives passing a bill that could lead to a permanent TikTok ban in America. White House passes the bill, threatens to ban TikTok The world’s most popular musical video service, which has been accused of spreading ‘Hamas hate speech …

Former Trump-advisor Steve Mnuchin plans to buy TikTok from ByteDance, China furious at ‘Robber’s Logic’
9 months, 1 week ago

Former Trump-advisor Steve Mnuchin plans to buy TikTok from ByteDance, China furious at ‘Robber’s Logic’

Firstpost  

Steve Mnuchin’s bid is not the first attempt to transfer TikTok’s control to American entities. In 2020, then-President Trump supported a proposed deal involving Oracle and Walmart to create a US-based enterprise that would take ownership of TikTok If the Senate approves the bill and President Biden signs it into law, ByteDance will have six months to sell TikTok to …

‘Over Time the Trust Will Come’: An Exclusive Interview With TikTok’s CEO
10 months, 3 weeks ago

‘Over Time the Trust Will Come’: An Exclusive Interview With TikTok’s CEO

Wired  

Before I sit down to talk to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, he apologizes for the noise. This isn’t where I imagined I’d be talking to the head of the most influential social media app on the planet, but the only way I could get on Chew’s calendar was by meeting him at TikTok’s first-ever music festival—a sold-out, two-stage program …

TikTok returns to the campaign trail but not everyone thinks it's a good idea
1 year, 1 month ago

TikTok returns to the campaign trail but not everyone thinks it's a good idea

NPR  

TikTok returns to the campaign trail but not everyone thinks it's a good idea Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Cheyenne Hunt is running for Congress as a 26-year-old, first-time candidate. "Whether or not we have a TikTok account for the campaign doesn't actually have much bearing on the strategy that …

TikTok CEO grilled by skeptical U.S. lawmakers on safety, content
1 year, 8 months ago

TikTok CEO grilled by skeptical U.S. lawmakers on safety, content

The Hindu  

A nearly six-hour grilling of TikTok’s CEO by lawmakers brought the platform’s 150 million U.S. users no closer to an answer as to whether the app will be wiped from their devices. U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, March 23, 2023 pressed Shou Zi Chew over data security and harmful content, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that …

March 23, 2023 - TikTok CEO Shou Chew testifies before Congress
1 year, 9 months ago

March 23, 2023 - TikTok CEO Shou Chew testifies before Congress

CNN  

A TikTok booth at the 2021 Hangzhou International E-commerce Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, in October 2021. TikTok acknowledged to CNN that federal officials are demanding the app’s Chinese owners sell their stake in the social media platform, or risk facing a US ban of the app. Some in Washington have expressed concerns that the app could be …

TikTok CEO to tell legislators app ‘never shared’ data with China
1 year, 9 months ago

TikTok CEO to tell legislators app ‘never shared’ data with China

Al Jazeera  

Shou Zi Chew will testify that app is not an ‘agent of China or any other country’ amid national security risk claims. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will tell United States legislators that the Chinese-owned video app would never share users’ data with Beijing amid a growing push in the US to ban the platform outright. TikTok has said it …

TikTok to tell U.S. Congress it has 150 million monthly active U.S. users
1 year, 9 months ago

TikTok to tell U.S. Congress it has 150 million monthly active U.S. users

The Hindu  

TikTok said on Monday the short-video sharing app now has 150 million monthly active users in the United States, up from the 100 million it said it had in 2020. The app faces growing pressure from the President Joe Biden's administration and lawmakers including calls to ban the app by many in Congress who fear its U.S. user data could …

TikTok creators contemplate life after possible ban: ‘It all can be taken away’
1 year, 9 months ago

TikTok creators contemplate life after possible ban: ‘It all can be taken away’

Live Mint  

A TikTok ban wouldn’t put Carrie Deming’s bookstore out of business, she said, “but it would make paying the bills a lot harder." Ms. Deming heads to TikTok daily, posting videos of book reviews and highlighting new titles at the store she owns, The Dog Eared Book in Palmyra, N.Y. People have stopped in from as far away as Norway …

TikTok CEO to testify before US Congress over security concerns
1 year, 10 months ago

TikTok CEO to testify before US Congress over security concerns

Live Mint  

WASHINGTON :TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew will appear before the US Energy and Commerce Committee in March, as lawmakers scrutinize the Chinese-owned video-sharing app. The news comes as the House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of TikTok in the United States over national security concerns. "ByteDance-owned …

TikTok actively recruiting lobbyist as government begins security crackdowns
1 year, 11 months ago

TikTok actively recruiting lobbyist as government begins security crackdowns

Raw Story  

Video-sharing social network TikTok is actively recruiting a new lobbyist on Capitol Hill amidst a series of controversies and government action cracking down on the platform, according to a new job posting on LinkedIn. The company is looking for a person with at least 8 years of experience in "Public Policy or Government," "Knowledge of the legislative process and tech …

TikTok going big on US e-commerce? Job listings offer clues
2 years, 2 months ago

TikTok going big on US e-commerce? Job listings offer clues

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — TikTok appears to be deepening its foray into e-commerce with plans to operate its own U.S. warehouses, the kind of packing and shipping facilities more associated with Amazon or Walmart than the social media platform best known for addictive short videos. “The e-commerce industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years and has become a hotly contested …

TikTok is an enticing target for hackers
2 years, 3 months ago

TikTok is an enticing target for hackers

LA Times  

With more than a billion monthly users, TikTok is an appealing target for hackers who may seek to hijack popular accounts or resell sensitive information. Only days earlier, Microsoft Corp. said it had found a “high-severity vulnerability” in TikTok’s Android application, “which would have allowed attackers to compromise users’ accounts with a single click.” ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok surpassed a billion …

How TikTok came back to life after Trump’s threats
3 years, 10 months ago

How TikTok came back to life after Trump’s threats

LA Times  

Last summer, TikTok appeared to be on the ropes. On Thursday, the Department of Justice asked to pause the appeal process until new agency officials can become familiar with the issues in the case, adding such a review “may narrow the issues presented or eliminate the need for judicial review entirely.” Although it’s uncertain how the Biden administration will ultimately …

Report: TikTok sale pushed by Trump is shelved
3 years, 10 months ago

Report: TikTok sale pushed by Trump is shelved

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Biden administration has “indefinitely” shelved a proposed U.S. takeover …

Donald Trump Legacy And Big Tech: Constantly Needling Tech Companies But No Clear Policy In Place
3 years, 11 months ago

Donald Trump Legacy And Big Tech: Constantly Needling Tech Companies But No Clear Policy In Place

News 18  

The Donald Trump administration has been at it for a while now. Trump’s Action Against Xiaomi: While Trump vs Huawei is something that we are all pretty much abreast with, just a few days ago, the administration blacklisted Chinese tech company Xiaomi as well for alleged military links with the China National Offshore Oil Corp. over the drilling in the …

Trump says ByteDance can’t keep control of TikTok in Oracle deal
4 years, 3 months ago

Trump says ByteDance can’t keep control of TikTok in Oracle deal

Live Mint  

President Donald Trump said he would rescind his tentative blessing for a deal between Oracle Corp. and ByteDance to create a new US-based TikTok service if the Chinese company retains control of the operation. “They will have nothing to do with it, and if they do, we just won’t make the deal,” Trump said, referring to ByteDance, which owns TikTok. …

China's ByteDance says TikTok will be its subsidiary under deal with Trump
4 years, 3 months ago

China's ByteDance says TikTok will be its subsidiary under deal with Trump

The Hindu  

China's ByteDance said on Monday that TikTok's global business will become its subsidiary, even as Oracle Corp and Walmart Inc said over the weekend that they and U.S. investors would own the majority of the video app following a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. ByteDance in its statement on Monday said it was a “rumor” that U.S. investors …

TikTok: Trump approves Oracle deal but big questions remain
4 years, 3 months ago

TikTok: Trump approves Oracle deal but big questions remain

CNN  

London CNN Business — Who controls TikTok? President Donald Trump’s attempts to force a quick sale of popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok produced a tentative deal over the weekend that would see Oracle and Walmart take a minority stake in a new US company that will operate TikTok. Deal confusion Trump has for weeks threatened to ban TikTok, which is …

TikTok: Trump approves Oracle deal but big questions remain
4 years, 3 months ago

TikTok: Trump approves Oracle deal but big questions remain

CNN  

London CNN Business — Who controls TikTok? President Donald Trump’s attempts to force a quick sale of popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok produced a tentative deal over the weekend that would see Oracle and Walmart take a minority stake in a new US company that will operate TikTok. Deal confusion Trump has for weeks threatened to ban TikTok, which is …

The TikTok Deal Stinks
54 years, 11 months ago

The TikTok Deal Stinks

Slate  

This summer, President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok, the astronomically popular app mostly known for teenage nonsense videos, over “national security” concerns related to its Chinese ownership. The database corporation Oracle and Walmart will be “trusted technology partners” in a new TikTok Global, of which they’ll own 20 percent, and other American investors will supposedly make TikTok’s Chinese parent …

TikTok’s US chief says video site will stay despite Trump ban
4 years, 4 months ago

TikTok’s US chief says video site will stay despite Trump ban

Live Mint  

TikTok will continue to operate its hit music video app in the U.S., whatever comes of the threatened Trump administration ban on its business, senior executive Vanessa Pappas said. “We believe we have multiple paths forward to ensure that we continue to provide this amazing app experience to the millions of Americans who come to rely on it every day,' …

Trump Directs TikTok Parent ByteDance to Sell Its US Assets Within 90 Days, Delete User Data
4 years, 4 months ago

Trump Directs TikTok Parent ByteDance to Sell Its US Assets Within 90 Days, Delete User Data

News 18  

President Donald Trump on Friday gave the Chinese company ByteDance 90 days to divest itself of any assets used to support the popular TikTok app in the United States. Trump’s executive order said there is “credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance … might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.” Trump …

Trump orders Chinese owner of TikTok to sell U.S. assets
4 years, 4 months ago

Trump orders Chinese owner of TikTok to sell U.S. assets

The Hindu  

President Donald Trump on Friday gave the Chinese company ByteDance 90 days to divest itself of any assets used to support the popular TikTok app in the United States. Mr. Trump last week ordered sweeping but vague bans on dealings with the Chinese owners of TikTok and the messaging app WeChat, saying they are a threat to U.S. national security, …

Trump orders Chinese owner of TikTok to sell US assets
4 years, 4 months ago

Trump orders Chinese owner of TikTok to sell US assets

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday gave the Chinese company ByteDance 90 days to divest itself of any assets used to support the popular TikTok app in the United States. Trump’s executive order said there is “credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance … might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United …

Trump tells TikTok to find US owner within 90 days, or close its business
4 years, 4 months ago

Trump tells TikTok to find US owner within 90 days, or close its business

India Today  

A new executive order issued by the President of the United States Donald Trump has given some relief to TikTok by extending the deadline to sell its US operations. On Friday, US President Donald Trump issued a new executive order extending the timeline for ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sell its US business or wrap up its American …

TikTok runners and riders: who is in the race to buy the Chinese app?
4 years, 4 months ago

TikTok runners and riders: who is in the race to buy the Chinese app?

The Telegraph  

Before there was TikTok, there was Vine. The American-founded, short-form video app was used at the height of its popularity by more than 200 million people, letting them create seven second looping videos featuring music and comedy. Three years on from its failed Vine venture, Twitter has found itself in the running to buy TikTok, an app seen by many …

Twitter expressed interest in buying TikTok's U.S. operations, says media
4 years, 4 months ago

Twitter expressed interest in buying TikTok's U.S. operations, says media

The Hindu  

Twitter Inc has approached TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to express interest in acquiring the U.S. operations of the video-sharing app, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as experts raised doubts over Twitter's ability to put together financing for a potential deal. The news of Twitter and TikTok being in preliminary talks and Microsoft still being seen as the …

TikTok prepares advertisers for possible app ban
4 years, 4 months ago

TikTok prepares advertisers for possible app ban

Live Mint  

TikTok is preparing advertisers for a possible ban of its app in the United States, ad buyers said, offering refunds for ad campaigns that are unable to run. TikTok said it will continue to honor planned ad campaigns, refund any that it can't fulfill and would also work with major influencers to migrate to other platforms in the event of …

Donald Trump says he will bar TikTok from U.S.
4 years, 4 months ago

Donald Trump says he will bar TikTok from U.S.

The Hindu  

President Donald Trump said on Friday he will bar fast-growing social media app TikTok from the U.S. as American authorities have raised concerns the service could be a tool for Chinese intelligence. Media reports circulated earlier Friday saying that Mr. Trump would require the U.S. operations of the app be divested from its Chinese parent firm ByteDance, but the President …

TikTok draws interest from bidders other than Microsoft
4 years, 4 months ago

TikTok draws interest from bidders other than Microsoft

Live Mint  

Microsoft Corp. isn’t the only company interested in buying TikTok’s U.S. operations, according to people familiar with the matter. U.S. government officials probing national-security concerns around the Chinese-owned video-sharing app have had talks with at least one other large company as well as investors in TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. who are interested in taking a stake in TikTok, according to …

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