Tag: tiktok

US judge halts pending TikTok ban in Montana

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a ban on TikTok set to come into effect next year in Montana, saying the popular video sharing app was likely to win its pending legal challenge. US District Court Judge Donald Molloy placed the injunction on the ban until the case, originally filed by TikTok in May, has been ruled on its merits. Molloy deemed it likely TikTok and its […]

TikTok owner ByteDance cuts hundreds of jobs in gaming division

BEIJING, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Chinese tech giant and TikTok owner ByteDance is slashing hundreds of jobs in its gaming unit, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Monday. The move marks a retreat from the competitive video gaming sector. Nuverse, a video game publisher that is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, is currently conducting a round of layoffs that will affect “several hundred people”, said the source. “We regularly review our […]

Nepal to ban TikTok as it ‘disturbs social harmony’

KATHMANDU, Nov 13, 2023 (AFP) – Nepal said Monday it will ban TikTok, citing the app’s negative effects on the country’s social harmony. The popular video-sharing platform, which has around one billion monthly users, has faced restrictions in many countries for allegedly breaking data rules and for its potential harmful impact on youth. “The decision to ban was made today, and relevant authorities are currently addressing the technical issues,” Minister for Communications and Information Technology […]

EU opens disinformation probes into Meta, TikTok

By Raziye AKKOC BRUSSELS, Oct 19, 2023 (AFP) – The EU announced probes Thursday into Facebook owner Meta and TikTok, seeking more details on the measures they have taken to stop the spread of “illegal content and disinformation” after the Hamas attack on Israel. The European Commission said it had sent formal requests for information to Meta and TikTok respectively in what is a first procedure launched under the EU’s new law on digital content. […]

TikTok moms nurture ‘detox for kids’ misinformation

By Anuj Chopra and Marisha Goldhamer WASHINGTON, Oct 18, 2023 (AFP) – A TikTok army of American moms claiming to be “detox” specialists is pushing unproven treatments for childhood behavioral disorders — while hiding that their misinformation is actually a marketing campaign aimed at making money. Influencers with a large following, these mothers typically cite personal testimonies to passionately endorse detox sprays or bath treatments, claiming without evidence that they help rid children of toxins […]

Social media giants removed ‘anti-state’ posts in Vietnam: state media

  HANOI, Oct 6, 2023 (AFP) – Social media giants YouTube, TikTok and Facebook removed nearly 800 “anti-state” or “false” posts in Vietnam over the course of a month at the request of the communist government, state media said Friday. Around 380 YouTube videos, 364 Facebook posts and 33 TikTok links were taken down or blocked between mid-August and mid-September, state-controlled Thanh Nien newspaper said in a report, quoting the Ministry of Information and Communications […]

TikTok to stop sales in Indonesia after social media transaction ban

JAKARTA, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – Short video app TikTok said it will stop transactions on its app in Indonesia from Wednesday after Southeast Asia’s biggest economy banned direct sales on social media platforms last week to protect millions of small businesses. The new regulation is yet another setback for TikTok, which has faced intense scrutiny in the United States and other nations in recent months over users’ data security and the company’s alleged ties […]

Indonesia to regulate social media sales soon: leader

JAKARTA, Sept 25, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo said new regulation on social media commerce could be passed as soon as Tuesday, as Jakarta aims to rein in sales on tech platforms it says are harming local businesses. Indonesian users spent more money on TikTok than anywhere else in Southeast Asia over the past year, as the app’s e-commerce arm rapidly grew to gain a substantial regional market share and millions of sellers […]

Influencers overtaking journalists as news source: report

By Paul RICARD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France — TikTok influencers and celebrities are increasingly taking over from journalists as the main source of news for young people, according to a report published Wednesday by the Britain-based Reuters Institute. The report found that 55 percent of TikTok and Snapchat users and 52 percent of Instagram users get their news from “personalities” — compared to 33-42 percent who get it from mainstream media and journalists on those […]

TikTok sues to stop ban in US state of Montana

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — TikTok on Monday filed suit in US federal court to stop the state of Montana from implementing an overall ban on the video sharing app. The unprecedented ban, set to start in 2024, violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech, TikTok argued in the suit. “We believe our legal challenge will prevail based on an exceedingly strong set of precedents and facts,” a TikTok spokesperson told AFP. Montana […]

Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Montana on Wednesday became the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year as debate escalates over the impact and security of the popular video app. The prohibition signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte will serve as a legal test for a national ban of the Chinese-owned platform, something that lawmakers in Washington are increasingly calling for. “TikTok may not operate […]

Former exec at TikTok parent firm sues, citing ‘lawlessness’

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2023 (AFP) – A former US-based executive of ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has sued it for wrongful dismissal, saying he was fired for sounding the alarm over what he called its “culture of lawlessness.” The suit, filed by Yintao Yu in a San Francisco court, comes as political pressure has been growing in the US to ban TikTok. Critics say the popular platform allows Beijing to covertly collect […]