Category Archives: TikTok

Albania Bans TikTok For A Year After Killing Of Teenager

TikTok

Albania on Saturday announced a one-year ban on TikTok, the popular short video app, following the killing of a teenager last month that raised fears over the influence of social media on children, Reuters reported.

The ban, part of a broader plan to make schools safer, will come into effect early next year, Prime Minister Edi Rama said after meeting with parents’ groups and teachers from across the country.

“For one year, we’ll be completing shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania.,” Rama said. 

Several European countries including France, Germany, and Belgium have enforced restrictions on social media use for children. In one of the world’s toughest regulations targeting Big Tech, Australia approved in November a complete social media ban for children under 16.

Rama has blamed social media, and TikTok in particular, for fueling violence among youth in and outside school.

His government’s decision come after a 14-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil. Local media had reported that the incident followed arguments between the two boys on social media. Videos had also amerced on TikTok of minors supporting the killing.

The Hill reported: Albania’s prime minister said the country will be banning TikTok for one year, citing violence and bullying among children after a teenager died.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said the app would be “fully closed for all,” and there will “be no TikTok in the Republic of Albania,” The shutdown will begin sometime in 2025.

The Hill has reached out for comment, but in a statement to the AP, the company said it was asking for “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” about the case involving an Albanian teenager.

A 14-year-old teenager was stabbed to death in November by a fellow schoolmate. Local media reported the incident happened after arguments on social media and other videos emerged supporting the murder.

The banning is part of a larger effort to make schools safer. Authorities have held more than 1,000 meetings with teachers and parents since the death.

BBC reported: Albania’s prime minister has announced the government intends to block access to TikTok for one year after the killing of a schoolboy last month raised fears about the influence of social media on children.

Speaking on Saturday Edi Rama declared the proposed ban would start in January.

TikTok said it is seeking urgent clarifications from the Albanian government about the proposed ban.

The social media platform told the BBC it had found no evidence the person who had allegedly stabbed the 14-year-old boy, or the victim himself, had TikTok accounts.

During a meeting in Albania’s capital Tirana with teachers, parents and psychologists Rama branded TikTok as “the thug of the neighborhood.”

In my opinion, I think that this violent incident is scary, especially for parents who don’t want TikTok to cause their teens harm.

SCOTUS Will Hear A Challenge That Could Lead To TikTok Ban

SCOTUS, TikTok

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court confirmed it would review whether a federal law that could ban or force a sale of TikTok is unconstitutional, ArsTechnica reported. 

The announcement came just one day after TikTok and its owner ByteDance petitioned SCOTUS for a temporary injunction to halt the ban until the high court could consider what TikTok claimed is “a massive and unprecedented speech restriction” ahead of a change in the US presidential administrations.

“We’re pleased with today’s Supreme Court order,” TikTok said in a statement. “We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights.”

But while SCOTUS agreed to review the key question that remains for TikTok — whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act violates the First Amendment — the court declined to order the injunction that TikTok sought.

“Considering the applications for an injunction pending review presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is deferring pending oral argument,” court’s announcement said.

TechCrunch reported: The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it will hear ByteDance and TikTok’s challenge to a law that would ban the social network in the U.S. unless the social network divests from Chinese ownership by January 19. 

On January 10, the Supreme Court justices will hear arguments about whether the sell-or-ban law violates the First Amendment. It is unknown how quickly the court will come to a decision.

The two companies asked the Supreme court on Monday to block the law. Last week, ByteDance and TikTok filed an emergency motion asking an appeals court to temporarily block the law in order to give the Supreme Court a chance to assess the case.

The social network may also get a lifeline from President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to save TikTok, it’s worth noting that TikTok CEO Shou Chew reportedly met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, according to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

The Verge reported:The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether a bill that could ban TikTok violates the First Amendment, The arguments will take place on January 10th, just over a week before a potential ban could take effect.

While the outcome is far from guaranteed, SCOTUS’ decision to take up the case is a small win for TikTok, which is barreling toward expulsion from the US unless the court throws out or pauses the law, or its China-based parent company ByteDance agrees to sell it in time.

The law at the center of the case, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, seeks to prohibit apps like TikTok from being owned by companies in a list of foreign adversary countries.

In my opinion, it sounds like SCOTUS is going to take a close look whether or not banning or forcing a sale of TikTok is unconstitutional.

Appeals Court Upholds Ban of TikTok

Security, TikTok

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that TikTok can be banned in the U.S. over national security concerns, upholding a federal law requiring the popular social media app to shed its Chinese ownership to keep operating, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said Congress has the power to take action against TikTok to protect U.S. interests.

The ruling rejected a First Amendment challenge brought by the app and several of its star users, who argued the ban was an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.

The sell-or-ban law — signed by President Biden in April— passed with bipartisan support after lawmakers reviewed classified briefings from the intelligence community about China’s ability to use TikTok to surveil Americans and spread Chinese propaganda.

“The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” Judge Douglas Ginsburg wrote for the court.

TikTok, a U.S. entity owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has claimed that American security fears are speculative and overblown. The ban’s terms are set to take effect in mid-January, but that doesn’t mean that TikTok will necessarily disappear from app stores by that time.

CNBC reported: A federal appeals court on Friday cited national security concerns as it upheld a law requiring China-based ByteDance to sell the popular social media app TikTok next month or face an effective ban in the United States.

The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., rejected TikTok’s argument that the law is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans who use the app.

TikTok said later Friday that it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court decision.

If ByteDance fails to sell TikTok by Jan. 19, the law would require app store companies, such as Apple, and Google, and internet hosting providers to stop supporting TikTok, which would effectively ban the app.

The Hill reported: A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the popular app or face a U.S. ban.

A three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that the law does not violate the First Amendment, as TikTok argued. The decision brings a ban one step closer to reality, with about a month until the law goes into effect.

The divest-or-ban law moved rapidly through Congress earlier this year amid widespread bipartisan national security concerns over the app’s China-based parent company ByteDance. It was signed by President Biden in April.

 In my opinion, it appears that lawmakers want make sure that TikTok is banned from the U.S., and are giving ByteDance short notice on when that should happen. 

ByteDance’s TikTok Cuts Hundreds Of Jobs In Shift Towards AI Content Moderation

TikTok

Social media platform TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees from its global workforce, including a large number of staff in Malaysia, the company said on Friday, as it shifts focus towards a greater use of AI in content moderation, Reuters reported.

Two sources familiar with the matter earlier told Reuters that more than 700 jobs were slashed in Malaysia. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, later clarified that less than 500 employees in the country were affected.

The employees, most of whom were involved in the firm’s content moderation operations, were informed of their dismissal by email late Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak.

In response to Reuter’s queries, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and said that several hundred employees were expected to be impacted globally as part of a wider plan to improve its moderation operations.

TikTok employs a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site.

TechCrunch reported ByteDance’s TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees, mainly in Malaysia, according to Reuters. The cuts come as the social media network is increasingly turning to AI for content moderation. The cuts do not impact employees in the U.S.

Although TikTok did not provide the exact number, it said that less than 500 people were affected. 

“We’re making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation,” a TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We expect to invest $2bn globally in trust and safety in 2024 alone and are continuing to improve the efficacy of our efforts, with 80% of violative content now removed by automated technologies.”

PCMag reported an estimated 500 TikTok employees in Malaysia are being laid off, according to the video platform’s parent company ByteDance.

Laid-off staff were notified of their terminations by email on Wednesday, according to some of the employees. TikTok is also looking to further consolidate some of its regional operations in the coming months — and previously laid off staff in marketing and operations earlier this year.

TikTok already uses a mix of human and automated content moderation, where AI scans uploaded videos for potential nudity, violence, or other material that could violate TikTok’s rules. If a user appeals a ruling that restricts or flags their content, a human moderator may review it.

TikTok moderators told the outlet that any psychological support is just for show, that moderators are heavily surveilled. If they don’t renew a minimum number of videos a month, they may lose up to a quarter of their salary as deducted bonus pay.

One moderator explained that they have to review 900 videos a day, and only watching 700 videos a day is considered “work avoidance.”

In my opinion, it seems impossible for individual TikTok workers to review 900 videos a day. My best guess is that TikTok is leaning towards AI moderation instead of human workers.

TikTok Is About To Get Its Day In Court

TikTok

Next week, a court will hear arguments about whether the US government can ban TikTok, based on evidence it doesn’t want anyone — including the social media company — to see, The Verge reported.

On September 16th, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear oral arguments for TikTok v. Garland, TikTok’s First Amendment challenges to legislation that it claims amounts to a ban. It’s a fight not just about free speech but whether the Department of Justice can make a case using classified material that its opponent can’t review or argue against. The government argues TikTok is a clear national security threat, but says that revealing why would be a threat, too.

According to The Verge, TikTok’s suit stems from a law signed by President Joe Biden back in April. The law requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest it within nine months to a non-Chinese company; if it fails, the app would be effectively banned in the US – unless the president grants it a few months to get a deal done.

TikTok has argued the law would unconstitutionally “force a shutdown,” accusing the government of taking “the unprecedented step of expressly angling out and banning TikTok.

The Hill reported bipartisan efforts to ban TikTok nationwide will be scrutinized Monday by a federal appeals court tasked with weighing whether axing the social media giant’s U.S. presence runs afoul of the First Amendment.

The social media platform and a group of content creators have sued over a new law that could ban the app, placing free speech concerns front and center but also raising a handful of other issues.

On Monday morning, the three-judge federal appeals court panel in the nation’s capital will hear their challenges and decide whether to block the law from going into effect as scheduled on Jan. 19.

President Biden signed the legislation in April after quickly passed Congress with bipartisan support, kicking into place the timeline for TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a ban from U.S. app stores and networks.

ByteDance has contends divestment is practically impossible, meaning that the law effectively amounts to a nationwide ban of the video-sharing platform. 

Voice of America reported attorney’s representing the social media application TikTok and it’s China-based parent company ByteDance, are poised to clash with lawyers from the Department of Justice on Monday in a case that could decide the fate of the service in the United States.

The case, which will be heard at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, consolidate several lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of a law enacted earlier this year. The measure, which had broad bipartisan support in Congress, demands that ByteDance sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner before January 19, 2025, or be forced to shut down its service within the U.S.

The law’s challengers claim that it represents an unconstitutional suppression of free speech, violating the First Amendment rights of TikTok’s estimated 170 million U.S. users.

In my opinion, the situation with TikTok (and ByteDance) just keeps going around and around. Ideally, TikTok and ByteDance might have to face consequences for collecting data from American citizens.

TikTok To Automatically Label AI-Generated Content In Global First

TikTok,

TikTok will become the first social media platform to automatically label some artificial intelligence-generated content, as rapid advances in generative AI deepen concerns about the spread of online disinformation and deepfakes, Financial Times reported.

Online groups, such as Facebook owner Meta and TikTok, already require users to disclose if realistic images, audio or videos are made through AI software.

The visual video app, owned by China’s ByteDance, went a step further on Thursday, announcing its own features to ensure that videos it can identify as AI-generated will be labeled as such. This will include content made in Adobe’s Firefly tool, TikTok’s own AI image generators and OpenAI’s Dall-E.

“The challenge is, we know from many experts that we work with, that there is a rise in … harmful AI-generated content,” said Adam Presser, TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety.

“This is really important for our community because authenticity is really one of the elements that has made TikTok such a vibrant and joyful community … they want to be able to understand what has been made by a human and what has been enhanced or generated with AI.”

TikTok posted on its newsroom “Partnering with our industry to advance AI transparency and literacy”

Today, we’re sharing updates on our continued efforts to help creators safely and responsibility express their creativity with AI-generated content (AIGC). TikTok is starting to automatically label AI-generated content (AIGC) when it’s uploaded from certain other platforms.

To do this, we’re partnering with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) and becoming the first video sharing platform to implement their Content Credentials technology. To help our community navigate AIGC and misinformation online, we’re also launching new media literacy resources, which we developed with guidance from experts including MediaWise and WITNESS.

NBC News reported TikTok said it will begin automatically labeling artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) uploaded from other platforms in an effort to combat misinformation on the app.

The app, which first announced the news on “Good Morning America” on Thursday, said it is partnering with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a project that aims to provide the right tools and resources needed for people to identify AI-generated content.

TikTok will use C2PA’s “content credential” technology, which attaches metadata to a piece of content that indicates it was created with AI. It will be attaching content credentials to AI-generated content created on the app in the coming months.

In my opinion, TikTok is doing something good by labeling AI-content on its platform. Ideally, I’d like to see more social media companies label AI-generated content as such – especially if the post contained misinformation.

Biden Signs Israel, Ukraine, TikTok Bill Into Law

TikTok

President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed into law measures to provide aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as to compel Chinese TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell the social media platform or face a national ban, CNBC reported.

Biden’s official approval ends a six-month saga of tense political battles on Capitol Hill that led to a deadlock on the issue of foreign aid.

“The path to my desk was a difficult path. It should have been easier and it should’ve gotten there sooner,” Biden said Wednesday after signing the bill. “But in the end we did what America always does, we rose to the moment.”

The law earmarks roughly $60 billion in aide for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel and $8 billion for security in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific. It also requires ByteDance to sell TikTok within nine months – or a year, if Biden invokes a 90-day extension — or else face a nationwide ban in the U.S.

TikTok has already vowed to fight the measure.

Engadget reported the bill that will force a sale of TikTok in the United States is now law. President Joe Biden signed a package of foreign aide bills that included the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” one day after the legislation was approved by the Senate.

In a statement, TikTok said it would challenge the law in court, which could delay an eventual sale or ban. “This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court,” the company said. “We believe the facts and that law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans.”

The law gives TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which is based in China, up to a year to sell the app to a new owner. If the company fails to divest, then TikTok will be banned from US apps stores and web hosting services.

The Verge reported President Joe Biden signed a foreign aid package that includes a bill that would ban TikTok if China-based parent company ByteDance fails to divest the app within a year.

The divest-or-ban bill is now law, starting the clock for ByteDance to make its move. The company has an initial nine months to sort out a deal, though the president could extend that another three months if he sees progress.

While just recently the legislation seemed like it would stall out in the Senate after being passed as a standalone bill in the House, political maneuvering helped usher it through to Biden’s desk. The House packaged the TikTok bill — which upped the timeline for divestment from the six months allowed in the earlier version – with foreign aid to US allies, which effectively forced the Senate to consider the measures together.

In my opinion, it makes sense for President Biden to give ByteDance time to sell TikTok to find a new buyer for the app. If ByteDance fails to divest, it will likely lose access to US apps stores.