TikTok and Universal have reached a settlement over music royalties, allowing artists like Ariana Grande and Drake to have their songs used on the platform once more.
Once more, TikTok finds itself under congressional scrutiny, with House Republicans introducing a contentious bill into a foreign aid package aimed at assisting Israel and Ukraine. If passed, this legislation could potentially result in a nationwide ban on TikTok.
On Wednesday, the House passed a bipartisan bill with a vote of 352-65, mandating ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to either divest the social media platform or face a prohibition on its use in U.S. devices. The bill's prospects in the Senate remain uncertain. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA), the leading figures on the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a joint statement commending the House's initiative and calling for Senate action, though the timing remains ambiguous. Several senators have proposed that the Senate should conduct hearings on the bill before advancing further.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, expressed reservations on Monday about the proposed ban of the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok in the United States. He suggested that such a ban would only strengthen Meta.
A bill passed by a US congressional panel mandates that TikTok's China-based parent company must sell the app within six months or potentially face a ban.
Music artists and writers from Universal label are leaving TikTok due to ongoing disputes. Initially, artists were removed, and now writers are also being taken off the platform.
On Wednesday, TikTok, the social media platform owned by ByteDance, announced its intensified efforts to combat fake news and covert influence campaigns leading up to the European Parliament elections in June. This initiative involves launching local language apps across all 27 countries. TikTok noted that these dedicated "election centers" in individual languages expand upon its initiatives initiated in 2021, which gained momentum during last year's elections in Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain.
From the slightest creak of a floorboard to the gentle sway of a curtain in the breeze, the mind can easily conjure up fears, even when rationality suggests there's no cause for concern.
Shini Muthukrishnan, a TikTok star, joins Blue Peter as the 43rd presenter, adding fresh energy to the long-standing children's program.
The TikTok trends of 2023 have been unveiled in the platform's annual report, Year on TikTok, showcasing the most popular and influential themes that captivated users throughout the year. Among the highlights, Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi emerged as the most-viewed UK artist on TikTok, amassing 8.4 million followers and nearly 182 million likes for his content. Other notable trends include the Wes Anderson aesthetic, discussions about the Roman Empire, and the "girl dinner" phenomenon.