CNET: Trump administration gives TikTok new extension in forced sale saga. “TikTok is getting more time to finalize a deal to sell the short-form video app. On Wednesday, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, received an extra week to sell its US operations. The short-video app also faced a potential US ban, but federal judges have blocked that from happening.”
TikTok
New York Times: TikTok Mansions Are Publicly Traded Now
New York Times: TikTok Mansions Are Publicly Traded Now. “A business trying to make money off mansions full of TikTok influencers has gone public on the stock market through an unusual deal. It involves a former Chinese health care company, and if that sounds confusing, well, we can explain.”
CNET: TikTok boosts parental controls with new additions to its Family Pairing tools
CNET: TikTok boosts parental controls with new additions to its Family Pairing tools. “The Chinese company, which has been under constant pressure from the Trump administration and US government officials over the past year, is boosting its Family Pairing controls. It will allow parents greater control on what their teens can search for, who can comment on their videos (everyone, friends or no one), and whether their kids’ page is private (where the teen choose who can see the content) or public for the world to see.”
CNN: TikTok granted two more weeks to reach a deal for US business
CNN: TikTok granted two more weeks to reach a deal for US business. “After seemingly blowing past the Trump administration’s deadline for TikTok to find a new owner, the US government has quietly given the embattled social media platform a reprieve. TikTok will now have another 15 days, until Nov. 27, to persuade US national security officials that its proposed deal with Oracle (ORCL) and Walmart should be approved, according to a court filing.”
CNN: TikTok exec says she ‘misspoke’ in hearing about the app censoring Xinjiang content
CNN: TikTok exec says she ‘misspoke’ in hearing about the app censoring Xinjiang content. “TikTok censored videos related to incidents in Xinjiang to avoid promoting conflict, an executive at the short-form video app told UK lawmakers this week. [This is the statement referred to when Ms. Kanter says she misspoke.] The statement came during a hearing held Thursday by the United Kingdom’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, which grilled Elizabeth Kanter, the company’s director of government relations and public policy for UK, Ireland and Israel, over TikTok’s links to China.”
The Verge: TikTok says the Trump administration has forgotten about trying to ban it, would like to know what’s up
The Verge: TikTok says the Trump administration has forgotten about trying to ban it, would like to know what’s up. “TikTok has filed a petition in a US Court of Appeals calling for a review of actions by the Trump administration’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The reason, according to the company, is that it hasn’t heard from the committee in weeks about an imminent deadline for parent company ByteDance to sell off US assets over national security concerns.”
TechCrunch: TikTok tests a Learn tab to showcase education and how-to videos
TechCrunch: TikTok tests a Learn tab to showcase education and how-to videos. “How-to videos have been some of the most popular content on YouTube over the years, and now, to grow engagement and the pool of users that it appeals to, the upstart video app TikTok is getting in on the action, too. After launching a dedicated ‘Learn On TikTok’ hashtag (#LearnOnTikTok) earlier this summer with a slate of premium creators producing videos for it, multiple users and social media watchers (thanks Matt) are reporting sightings of a new menu item called ‘Learn.'”
Mashable: See every major platform’s misinformation policies in this handy chart
Mashable: See every major platform’s misinformation policies in this handy chart. “From coronavirus to the election, preventing misinformation from spreading on social media is more important than ever. Even if many of the policies leave something to be desired, at least companies are attempting to take action. But just what those companies are doing can be tough to wrap your head around. Luckily, Mozilla has created a new resource that clearly lays out in a chart the misinformation policies of Facebook, Instagram, Google Search, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.”
NPR: Trump’s Ban On TikTok Suffers Another Legal Setback
NPR: Trump’s Ban On TikTok Suffers Another Legal Setback. “A federal judge in Pennsylvania has blocked the Trump administration from outlawing U.S. transactions with TikTok, which was set to take effect Nov. 12, the latest setback in the administration’s push to ban the Chinese-owned hit video app.”
BuzzFeed News: Watching TikToks Makes Me Hopeful About The Future
BuzzFeed News: Watching TikToks Makes Me Hopeful About The Future. “I’ve interviewed dozens of teens and young adults who fall within the Gen Z cohort, born between the late ‘90s and the early ‘00s. And every time, I’m consistently and pleasantly surprised by the maturity, authority, and care they speak with, oftentimes with more empathy and insight than the adults I talk to. Their TikToks cover political extremism, and racial justice, and the nuances of anti-trans prejudice. They’re never thrown off when I ask for their pronouns and embrace a fluidity in their identities that stems not from uncertainty, but from a very grounded confidence that it’s OK to change and grow.”
ABC News: Pakistan lifts brief ban on Chinese social media app TikTok
ABC News: Pakistan lifts brief ban on Chinese social media app TikTok. “Pakistan’s media regulatory agency said Monday it lifted a temporary ban on the Chinese social media app TikTok ‘with some conditions.’ However, it gave no further details.”
CNN: Pakistan’s TikTok ban is about censorship, not China
CNN: Pakistan’s TikTok ban is about censorship, not China. “The ban is notable because, unlike countries such as India and the United States that have already gone after TikTok, Pakistan doesn’t have a tense political relationship with China. The two share close economic, diplomatic and military ties, and Pakistan is an integral part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.”
Move over, Instagram influencers: The magic of TikTok is authenticity (CNET)
CNET: Move over, Instagram influencers: The magic of TikTok is authenticity. “With people spending more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic, there’s been a noticeable shift in the kinds of content posted online. These days, you won’t see many photos of sunny Hawaiian vacations or over-the-top parties. Instead, platforms like TikTok have flooded social media feeds with pajama-clad, makeup-free creators trying to stay entertained by posting everything from simple skits to rants to candid moments.”
CNET: TikTok launches US elections guide to combat misinformation
CNET: TikTok launches US elections guide to combat misinformation. “TikTok said Tuesday that it’s rolling out a guide within the short-form video app that will show users trustworthy information about the upcoming US elections. The release of TikTok’s US elections guide is in line with how other social networks are trying to combat political misinformation ahead of the US elections in November. Other social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, also created an online hub for election content to direct people to authoritative sources.”
Mic: Now Claudia Conway’s TikTok is a source for tracing the White House coronavirus outbreak
Mic: Now Claudia Conway’s TikTok is a source for tracing the White House coronavirus outbreak. “The circle of people infected with coronavirus with ties to the White House keeps growing. Late Friday, former aide Kellyanne Conway confirmed her positive diagnosis. A couple days later, her daughter, Claudia Conway, indicated she’d caught the virus from her mother. These coronavirus cases weren’t reported by official sources, however. Claudia broke the news on TikTok.”