BEIJING, China (AFP) – Employees of Chinese tech giant ByteDance improperly accessed data from social media platform TikTok to track journalists in a bid to identify the source of leaks to the media, the company admitted Friday. TikTok has gone to great lengths to convince customers and governments of major markets like the United States that users’ data privacy is protected and that it poses no threat to national security. But parent company ByteDance told AFP […]
Tag: tiktok
Five ways TikTok is seen as threat to US national security
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Many in the United States see TikTok, the highly popular video-sharing app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, as a threat to national security. The following is a look at five reasons why: – Data sharing – TikTok — like its rivals Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube — thrives on data and there seems to be no limit to how much young users are willing to share about themselves on the super addictive […]
TikTok under pressure as US lawmakers push government ban
by Thomas URBAIN Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The US Congress is on the cusp of approving a nationwide ban on using TikTok on government devices because of perceived security risks — thrusting the hugely popular video-sharing platform into a delicate position over Washington’s ties to China. After a Senate vote last week, the US House of Representatives could this week adopt a law prohibiting the use of TikTok on the professional […]
TikTok denies setting up ‘illegal operations’ in Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – TikTok’s Chinese owner denied on Monday setting up a subsidiary company in Taiwan after the island’s authorities said they were investigating the social media app for running “illegal operations”. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top China policy-making body, said the cabinet had requested a multi-agency investigation during a meeting on security issues posed by TikTok earlier this month. The case was also forwarded to prosecutors for investigation after a local company […]
TikTok hit by US lawsuits over child safety, security fears
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — TikTok was hit Wednesday with a pair of lawsuits from the US state of Indiana, which accused it of making false claims about the Chinese-owned app’s safety for children. The legal salvo came as problems are mounting for TikTok in the United States, with multiple accusations that the extremely popular app is a national security threat and a conduit for spying by China. “The TikTok app is a malicious and […]
TikTok a hotbed of US election misinformation, analysts say
Washington, United States | AFP | by Natalie WADE Election misinformation is spreading on TikTok ahead of the US midterms despite the company’s policies — and watchdogs are concerned about its effect on young voters as more Americans use the platform as a source of news. Posts spreading unfounded claims of voter fraud, falsehoods about mail-in ballots and misleading videos about different state laws have found a home on the immensely popular app. Perhaps […]
TikTok search results rife with misinformation: report
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – TikTok is serving up misinformation to users searching for news about politics, climate change, Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and more, according to a report released Wednesday. Toxicity and false claims are a “significant threat” at TikTok, which is becoming a go-to online venue for young people to search for information, according to a study by NewsGuard, a media watchdog. NewsGuard describes itself as a “journalism and technology tool” […]
Facebook’s Meta takes on bond debt, in a first
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Facebook-owner Meta is ending a run as one of the few major firms without debt, launching its first bond sale as the company battles uncertainty and bets heavily on its metaverse vision. Worries over the social media giant’s future and fierce competition from TikTok have sent its stock plummeting, while the firm spends billions on its plan for the internet’s next iteration. Meta reported to the US markets watchdog […]
TikTok sued in US after girls die in ‘Blackout Challenge’
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Video-sharing sensation TikTok is being sued in California after children died while taking part in a “Blackout Challenge” that makes a sport of choking oneself until passing out. The lawsuit filed in state court in Los Angeles last week accuses TikTok software of “intentionally and repeatedly” pushing the Blackout Challenge that led to the deaths of an eight-year-old girl in Texas and a nine-year-old girl in Wisconsin last […]
TikTok releases first album of viral hits
PARIS, France (AFP) — Some of the biggest viral hits on TikTok have been given the full orchestral treatment and will get a traditional release on CD and vinyl this summer, the platform announced Friday. The tie-up with Warner Classics is the first time TikTok has ventured into the traditional music market and will see the 18 songs released on streaming platforms as well as in record stores. Anyone who has spent any significant […]
YouTube Shorts touts 1.5 bn users, taking on TikTok
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube on Wednesday said that more than 1.5 billion people monthly tune into its Shorts video service, which competes with global sensation TikTok. Alphabet-owned YouTube and Facebook-parent Meta both added short-form video sharing formats to their services after TikTok — which late last year said it topped a billion users — became the rage. YouTube Shorts went live less than two years ago, adding videos of no longer than […]
TikTok lets creators charge monthly subscriptions
San Francisco, UNITED STATES (AFP) — TikTok on Monday said it will start letting some popular accounts at the video-snippet streaming star charge subscriptions for live streams. Similar money-making tools have been added to rivals such as Instagram and Facebook as the social media platforms compete for online personalities that attract audiences. “LIVE Subscription is an extension of our efforts to build diversified creator monetization opportunities that suit a range of creator needs,” […]





