The US and China might finally have a TikTok deal
The US and China might finally have a TikTok deal The US and China have reached a “framework” deal to divest TikTok from its Chinese parent company, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters during trade talks in Madrid on Monday. As noted by Reuters, Bessent confirmed that “the framework is for a switch to a […]
The influencer in this Vodafone ad isn’t real
The influencer in this Vodafone ad isn't real Anyone familiar with the AI slop on Pinterest should recognize how unnatural that hair is. I opened TikTok while visiting Germany last week and stumbled across a Vodafone ad being presented by a woman who probably doesn’t exist. The ad includes several “tells” that suggest the presenter […]
TikTok is now letting everyone DM each other with voice memos and pictures
TikTok is now letting everyone DM each other with voice memos and pictures Every platform wants to be the place you hang with friends — even Spotify as of this week — so it’s apparently time for TikTok to shore up its direct messaging feature! It told TechCrunch that over the next few weeks, all […]
Palestine was the problem with TikTok
Palestine was the problem with TikTok In the last month, the war in Gaza has become an inescapable facet of the public consciousness as a new surge of images of Palestinian children – their faces impossibly sunken, their limbs reduced to skin and bone – flooded the internet. As the pictures became ubiquitous, the outcry […]
TikTok videos are about to get crowdsourced fact checks on them
TikTok videos are about to get crowdsourced fact checks on them TikTok will start giving contributors the option to write Footnotes. TikTok is officially rolling out Footnotes, a community fact-checking program that’s supposed to add helpful context to videos. With this update, US-based users will start seeing Footnotes on videos in the coming weeks, and […]
TikTok is putting the spotlight on songwriters
TikTok is putting the spotlight on songwriters TikTok will now let songwriters highlight tracks they’ve written or co-written directly on their profiles. The list of songs will live within the “Music” tab on their profile, similar to the one TikTok already offers for artists on the platform. Users who register as songwriters will also get […]
TikTok’s ‘ban’ problem could end soon with a new app and a sale
TikTok's 'ban' problem could end soon with a new app and a sale TikTok’s ‘ban’ problem could end soon with a new app and a sale Even with the TikTok divest-or-ban law officially in effect since January, the app has only shut down service in the US for one day. Now, The Information reports that […]
Here are the letters that convinced Google and Apple to keep TikTok online
Here are the letters that convinced Google and Apple to keep TikTok online A Freedom of Information Act request has produced letters that the US Department of Justice sent to Google, Apple, Amazon, and several other companies in order to assuage their concerns about breaking a law that banned US web services from working with […]
Racist videos made with AI are going viral on TikTok
Racist videos made with AI are going viral on TikTok Racist videos that appear to be created with Google’s AI video generation tool Veo 3 have raked in millions of views across TikTok, according to findings from the nonprofit media watchdog Media Matters. The AI-generated videos uncovered by the organization are filled with racist tropes, […]
Trump gives TikTok another ban extension
Trump gives TikTok another ban extension For the third time, President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok to spin out from its Chinese parent company or face a US ban. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a statement Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order on Thursday extending the deadline another […]