Supreme Court Upholds Law That Threatens TikTok Ban

TikTok

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld a law that threatens to shut down the widely popular TikTok social media platform in the US as soon as Sunday, ruling that free speech rights must yield to concerns that the Chinese control of the app creates a national-security risk, Bloomberg reported.

The high court said Friday Congress’ “well-supported” concerns about Chinese data collection justified a law that singled out TikTok. The measure requirers ByteDance Ltd. to sell the American version of the video-sharing app by Jan. 19 or face a ban.

“TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the government’s national-security concerns,” the court said in an unsigned opinion.

The decision opens an uncertain chapter for TikTok and its 170 million US users. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to save TikTok and could choose to suspend enforcement of the new law once he takes office in Monday.

But the impact of that move would depend on the response of tech companies that host and distribute TikTok, including Apple Inc. and Alphabet’s Google. Under the law, those companies would face the prospect of massive fines for continuing to support TikTok, and they would have to decide whether assurances from the Trump administration provide sufficient legal cover.

CNBC reported: The Supreme Court Friday upheld the law requiring China-based ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok by Sunday or face an effective ban of the popular social video app in the U.S.

ByteDance has so far refused to sell TikTok, meaning many U.S. users could lose access to the app this weekend. The app may still work for those who already have TikTok on their phones, although ByteDance has also threatened to shut the app down.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration, upholding the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Controlled Applications Act, which President Joe Biden signed in April.

“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” The Supreme Court’s opinion said. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.

TechCrunch reported: Just ahead of today’s Supreme Court ruling — which saw the nation’s highest court uphold the law banning TikTok in the U.S. as of January 19 – Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he had a “very good” phone call with China’s President Xi Jinping, which included discussion of TikTok. In addition, the president-elect said that he would make a decision on TikTok in the “not to distant” future, but did not say what he will do.

Trump earlier signaled that he is no longer in favor of the ban, after urging the Supreme Court to block the law requiring the app to be shut down or sold by January 19, but in his message today he said he would make a decision in the future, but first needed “time to review the situation.” He also said the Supreme Court’s decision was “expected.”

In my opinion, it sounds like Americans who use TikTok may want to download their videos from the platform.

Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date Likely Not Before June

Nintendo

Nintendo has now revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 and, though it tired to remain coy with a vague 2025 window, may have subtly suggested it won’t arrive until at least June, ING reported.

A short trailer from Nintendo confirmed the new hardware alongside a brand new Mario Kart game, and though there are plenty of details to be gleaned from this alone, some more can be found by reading between the lines.

The expectation of a June 2025 release date at the earliest comes via the series of Nintendo Switch 2 hands on events announced by Nintendo. North American locations include New York from April 4 to 6, Los Angeles, from April 11 to 13, Dallas from April 25 to 27, and Toronto from April 25 to 27.

European locations include Paris from April 4 to 6, London from April 11 to 13, Milan from April 25 to 27, Berlin from April 25 to 27, Madrid from May 9 to May 11, and Amsterdam from May 9 to 11. Nintendo is also visiting Melbourne from May 10 to 11, Tokyo from April 26 to 27, Seoul from May 31 to June 1, and Hong Kong and Taipei at later dates.

The Verge reported: Nintendo shared the first details about the Nintendo Switch 2 in a video published Thursday. Nintendo doesn’t give a specific release date for the console besides “2025.”

The console looks a lot like the original, but its bigger. In the video, the Joy-Con controllers are black with colored accents, and they attack to the side of the console instead of sliding on and off. The Joy-Cons appear snap on quite easily — leaks have suggested they could be attached via magnets.

There’s a new button under the home button on the right Joy-Con, which has shown up in leaks. The video also appears to show the Joy-Cons being used similarly to a mouse. And the SL and SR buttons on the Joy-Cons are bigger than they are on the original Switch’s Joy-Cons.

On top of the Switch 2, there’s a new USB-C port next to the 3.5mm headphone jack. The kickstand has a new design — it’s shaped more like a U. The doc for the Switch 2 has a more rounded design. And, like with the original Switch, there will also be a separate controller grip that you can snap the Joy-Cons into. 

The New York Times reported:bNintendo on Thursday announced a successor to its popular Switch console in a short video that showcased the new hardware. The Switch 2 will arrive sometime this year with a larger hand-held display, magnetic controllers and backward compatibility that allows people to play original Switch games.

Although the reveal was short on details, the video showed a few seconds form what appeared to be a new game in the Mario Kart franchise. Citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom raced on a new track with 24 drivers on a dusty desert course. Nintendo declined to respond to questions about the game.

In my opinion, I think there will be a lot of gamers who want to try out the Nintendo Switch 2, whenever it becomes available.

TikTok Plans To Shut Off Its App In the US on January 19

TikTok

TikTok reportedly plans to shut down its app for U.S. users on Sunday, so long as Biden administration law forcing the company to sell itself is not stopped by the Supreme Court or Congress, Gizmodo reported.

Technically speaking, TikTok could continue to function for users who already have the app installed. Using TikTok would not be illegal, but service providers in the United States will not be allowed to work with the with the social media company.  That means Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their respective app stores, and cloud hosting providers like Oracle —which tried helping TikTok isolate its U.S. data from China-based employees—will have to stop operating its servers.

TikTok is not being banned in other parts of the world, and the company told U.S. employees in a recent memo that following the ban they will still have jobs. TikTok is, after all, hugely popular around the world, not just in America, and will continue running as normal outside the country. It could theoretically keep running the app for U.S. users from foreign infrastructure. But, again, it would be difficult for TikTok to continue on in the United States when it will not be accessible for download.

The New York Times reported: Feeling the sudden need to save your TikTok videos in case the site abruptly goes away? Here are a few methods for nontechnical users who want copies of the videos they personally uploaded or made on TikTok. You can download a copy of your TikTok data right from your account, which doesn’t get you the video files themselves but will give other items including your direct messages and followers list. 

If you just want to save a few favorite videos you made on the flu, snagging them one by one is fairly straightforward. To download a video on an Android or iPhone, go to you TikTok profile page, select a clip, tap the three-dot menu icon on the right side of your screen and tap Save Video. 

You can then email it to yourself, upload it to Google Drive (or another cloud service) or save it to your phone’s Files app or designated downloads area. Repeat as needed until you have all the videos you want.

You can also download videos on a computer by logging into your account on the TikTok site and right-clicking on a video. You should see a pop-up menu with the Download Video option. Note that when you download directly from the web browser, the clips typically have the TikTok watermark embedded.

NBC News reported: Americans who have joined Chinese social media platform RedNote in protest of the U.S. government’s ban on TikTok have found themselves building new connections across international borders.

Because of tensions in China between the Chinese and U.S. governments, their digital ecosystems haven’t overlapped. Many popular U.S. apps like Instagram are banned in China, and some companies like ByteDance, which owns TikTok, have built separate apps for the Chinese market and other markets because of rules and regulations.

In my opinion, if you currently use TikTok, it might be time to download the videos you made on that app before January 19.

Joe Biden Signs Executive Order To Speed Up AI Data Center Construction

AI

President Biden issued an executive order today aimed at speeding the development of AI data centers in the U.S, The Verge reported.

It directs the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) to lease federal sites to private companies building gigawatt-scale AI data centers and clean power facilities. It also tells federal agencies to “prioritize” and speed up permitting of AI infrastructure. The measure could create “categorical exclusions” to speed environmental review under the National Environmental Protection Act.

Developing new AI tools is an increasingly energy-hungry endeavor. Nevertheless, the Biden Administration seems to think it’s worth the risk of further derailing US climate goals and putting additional pressure on already stressed power grids.

“We will not let America be out-built when it come to the technology that will define the future,” Joe Biden said in a statement today.

Prior to the announcement today — in response to reports that the White House was considering measures to fast track data center development — environmental and consumer advocacy groups as well as Democratic lawmakers had urged the White House to avoid exempting AI from typical permitting procedures and environmental standards.

CNBC reported President Joe Biden issued an executive order Thursday aimed at speeding up domestic construction of artificial intelligence infrastructure and shoring up the national security risk involved in the technology.

The move empowers the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy to lease federal sites for gigawatt-scale AI data centers.

“AI is poised to have large effects across our economy, including in health care, transportation, education, and beyond, and it’s too important to be offshored,” the White House said in a release.

The order also issued guidelines for AI developers using sites to not only build, operate and painting the leased centers at full cost, but also to deliver clean energy resources to match their capacity needs to prevent increases in electricity costs.

Companies leasing the federal lands will also be required to purchase an “appropriate share” of U.S.-manufactured semiconductors and to pay workers “prevailing wages,” according to the release. After the agencies select the sites, developers can submit lease proposals. 

The Mercury News reported President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and new clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the United States.

The executive order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities.

Biden’s “AI Diffusion Rule” Targets Export Limits on AI GPUs #1791

Podcast

The Biden administration’s “AI diffusion rule” restricts the export of GPUs crucial for AI, primarily to curb China’s AI advancements. The rule establishes three licensing tiers, with China and other adversarial nations effectively barred from accessing top-tier GPUs. Critics, including the Semiconductor Industry Association and NVIDIA, argue the policy risks harming U.S. competitiveness and fostering alliances with China. A 120-day comment period leaves its fate uncertain.

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US Imposes Export Controls On Chips For AI To Counter China

chips

The US is imposing expansive export controls on chips used for artificial intelligence in an effort to make it harder for China and other adversaries to get access to advanced technology with military applications, Financial Times reported. 

Joe Biden’s administration on Monday unveiled an export control regime that gives 20 close allies and partners uninhibited access to AI-related chips while placing licensing requirements on most other countries. The move faced immediate pushback from the US semiconductor industry.

The policy aims to make it harder for China to use other countries to circumvent existing US restrictions and get technology that can be used for everything from nuclear weapons to hypersonic missiles.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “The rule both provides greater clarity to our international partners and to industry and counters the serious circumvention and related national security risks posed by countries of concern and malicious actors who may seek to use the advanced American technologies agains us.”

The regime creates a three-tier licensing system for chips used to power data centres that process AI computation. The top tier, which includes G7 members in addition to countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Ireland will face no restrictions.

The White House posted: FACT CHECK: Ensuring U.S. Security and Economic Strength In the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming central to both security and economic strength. The United States must act decisively to lead this transition by ensuring that U.S. technology undergirds global AI use and that adversaries cannot easily abuse advanced AI. 

In the wrong hands, powerful AI systems have the potential to exacerbate significant national security risks, including by enabling the development of weapons of mass destruction, supporting powerful offensive cyber operations, and aiding human rights abuses, such as mass surveillance. Today countries of concern actively employ AI — including U.S.-made AI – in this way, and to seek to undermine US. AI leadership.

To enhance U.S. national security and economic strength, it is essential that we do not offshore this critical technology and that the world’s AI runs on American rails. It is important to work with AI companies and foreign governments to put in place security and trust standards as they build out their AI ecosystems….

TechCrunch reported: Within a week left in office, President Joe Biden introduced a newest set of guidelines and restrictions for exporting U.S. made chips.

On Monday, the administration its Interim Final Rule on AI diffusion. This ruling is meant to “provide clarity to allied and partner nations about how they can benefit from AI.” and streamline licensing hurdles for chip orders, according to a White House press release. But these rules also introduce new chip sale restrictions on the majority of the countries in the world.

In my opinion, I hope that the intent of the White House is going to benefit the United States while also preventing some other countries from using AI.

Zuckerberg Makes Amends With Trump

Facebook, Meta

Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement this week that Meta would pivot its moderation policies to allow for more “free expression” was widely viewed as the company’s latest effort to appease President-elect Donald Trump, CNBC News reported.

More than any of its Silicon Valley peers, Meta has taken numerous public steps to make amends with Trump since his election victory in November.

That follows a highly contentious four years between the two during Trump’s first term in office, which ended with Facebook — similar to other social media companies — banning Trump from it’s platform.

With Meta now positioning itself to be a key player in artificial intelligence, Zuckerberg recognizes the need for White House support as his company builds data center and pursues policies that will allow it to fulfill its lofty ambitions, according to people familiar with the company’s plans who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak on the matter.

Meta declined to comment for this article.

New York Post reported: Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg parked his private jet right next to Trump Force One on Friday during a visit to Palm Beach, Florida, to meet with the incoming 47th president.

Zuckerberg, 40, was dressed up in a fitted suit and tie when he was spotted boarding his Gulfstream G650 jet at Palm Beach International Airport.

The tech titan’s jet was parked in the shadows of President-elect Donald Trump’s much larger, custom Boeing 757 aircraft, which he’ll trade in for Air Force One in less than two weeks.

Earlier in the day, the billionaire Facebook founder met with Trump at his nearby Mar-a-Lago estate, a source told the Post.

It’s at least the second time Zuckerberg has convened with Trump, 78, at Mar-a-Lago since the president-elect’s landslide victory in the 2024 presidential election.

Zuckerberg, who also held at least two private phone conversations with Trump over the summer, has sought to rehabilitate his relationship with the incoming president after his social media platforms banned him in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Benzinga reported: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has much bigger fences to mend with President-elect Donald Trump than the Silicon Valley tech giants and other billionaires who have been making the trek to Mar-a-Lago since the November elections. 

Friday’s visit, reported by The New York Post, was Zuckerberg’s second meeting with Trump since the 2024 election.

The Facebook founder’s relationship with Trump profoundly soured after Meta Platforms banned outgoing President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Meta lifted the remaining restrictions on Trump’s accounts in July.