Page 14 - Social Media Apps

TikTok may be dragged into US addiction lawsuits against social media firms

TikTok's Beijing-based parent, ByteDance Ltd, is refusing to share information with the US lawyers about its platforms in China and other countries, saying it's not relevant to the ongoing litigation

The Koo story: Bottlenecks in building, sustaining Indian competitor of X

Homegrown microblogging platform Koo has, however, been India's most successful attempt at recreating the X model

Lawsuit asks if Facebook users can control their feeds using external tools

Do social media users have the right to control what they see or don't see on their feeds? A lawsuit filed against Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. is arguing that a federal law often used to shield internet companies from liability also allows people to use external tools to take control of their feed even if that means shutting it off entirely. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Meta Platforms on behalf of an Amherst professor who wants to release a tool that enables users to unfollow all the content fed to them by Facebook's algorithm. The tool, called Unfollow Everything 2.0, is a browser extension that would let Facebook users unfollow friends, groups and pages and empty their newsfeed the stream of posts, photos and videos that can keep them scrolling endlessly. The idea is that without this constant, addicting stream of content, people might use it less. If the past is any indication, Meta will not be keen on t

TikTok's US-based general counsel Erich Andersen to step down from role

Erich Andersen, the US-based general counsel for TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd, is stepping down from that role, the social media app said

TikTok faces ban in US: Which countries have banned the app and why?

National security, data privacy and 'protecting youth from being misled' are among reasons cited

Senate passes bill forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok's US ops or face ban

TikTok, which says it has not shared and would not share US user data with the Chinese government, has argued the law amounts to a ban that would violate the US free speech rights of its users

US banning TikTok? Everything you need to know about the controversy

No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you go to jail if you continue using it after it is banned. After years of attempts to ban the Chinese-owned app, including by former President Donald Trump, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn't, TikTok will be banned. So what does this mean for you, a TikTok user, or perhaps the parent of a TikTok user? Here are some key questions and answers. WHEN DOES THE BAN GO INTO EFFECT? The original proposal gave ByteDance just six months to divest from its U.S. subsidiary, negotiations lengthened it to nine. Then, if the sale is already in progress, the company will get another three months to complete it. So it would be at least a year before a ban goes into

TikTok promises to sue over potential US ban. What's the legal outlook?

Legislation forcing TikTok's parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. received President Joe Biden's official signoff Wednesday. But the newly minted law could be in for an uphill battle in court. Critics of the sell-or-be-banned ultimatum argue it violates TikTok users' First Amendment rights. The app's China-based owner, ByteDance, has already promised to sue, calling the measure unconstitutional. But a court challenge's success is not is not guaranteed. The law's opponents, which include advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, maintain that the government hasn't come close to justifying banning TikTok, while others say national-security claims could still prevail. For years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok. The U.S. has yet to provide public .

US ban on TikTok looms with Biden poised to start 270-day countdown

Under the bill, Biden has the option to extend that deadline by an additional 90 days if he sees progress toward a sale. That would push a possible ban well into the next presidential term

Australia condemns X's fight against removal of Sydney attack images

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the broadcast of violent images and said some social media content exacerbated the pain of many people

US ban on TikTok over ownership issues gets major boost from Republicans

Legislation that could ban TikTok in the US if its China-based owner doesn't sell its stake won a major boost late Wednesday when House Republican leaders included it in a package of bills that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel. The bill could be law as soon as next week if Congress moves quickly. The TikTok legislation, which passed the House in March and has widespread support in both chambers, was included in the House foreign policy package after negotiations with the Senate over how long the Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd would have to sell its stake for the app to continue operating in the United States. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk. The bill was included in the national security package after it won a key endorsement from Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, who said in a statement that she had successfully pushed to extend the period from six months to a year to give the company enough time

After NSE, BSE cautions against fake video of its chief recommending stocks

After the National Stock Exchange (NSE), rival bourse BSE on Thursday cautioned investors against deepfake videos of its MD and CEO Sundararaman Ramamurthy giving stock recommendations. In a statement, the exchange said it has noticed some fake, unauthorized and fraudulent videos and audios created through innovative and ingenious technology impersonating the BSE's top honcho are being circulated on social media recommending certain investments and advisory in stocks. In fact, BSE said its managing director and chief executive officer does not initiate or endorse any such communication through Facebook or any other social media platform. Also, the exchange asked investors not to trust such videos and audios and not to follow fake recommendations or unsolicited communication circulated through deceptive means impersonating Ramamurthy. Further, the exchange said it will initiate all possible steps to prevent misrepresentation by unknown elements. "In the meantime, investors/public a

What is Airchat, an audio-first social media app with Twitter-like feed

Airchat is an invite-only audio-first social media app like Clubhouse but with a Twitter-like content feed for a familiar experience

Mark Zuckerberg avoids personal liability in Meta addiction lawsuits

Rogers ruled that Zuckerberg was not required to disclose safety information absent a "special relationship" with the users of Meta's products, according to the order

Elon Musk's X bans over 212,000 accounts in India for policy violations

In its compliance report, Twitter said most accounts were banned due to the promotion of child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity

Kerala Govt initiates legal action over fake narrative against state

The Kerala government on Thursday initiated legal action against an allegedly fake communal narrative on social media against the state. The General Education Department in Kerala on Thursday said that it has filed a complaint against a social media handle on X identified as 'Mr. Sinha'. The department contended that a page of a book was posted on that handle falsely claiming that its communal contents were taught in Kerala schools and that was "how commies (communists) brainwash the little kids". General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a complaint has been filed with the state police chief regarding the "dissemination of false propaganda" aimed at the Kerala Government. "This book is not published by the Kerala Govt's Education Department. Merely another endeavor to incite animosity towards the state. Those acquainted with us understand the camaraderie & unity among the people of the state. No room for hatred - precisely why communal agenda fails to take root here," ...

Meta is improving media and file-sharing options on Messenger: Know details

Messenger already had the ability to share 4K resolution images; the new update now offers the option for not compressing images

Profuse misuse of social media on subjudice matters cause of concern: SC

The Supreme Court has voiced concern over misuse of social media platforms with posting of messages, comments and articles on subjudice matters. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose (now retired) and Bela Trivedi made the observation while initiating a contempt action against Assam MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya for his misleading Facebook post regarding a case reserved for judgment. "It is a matter of serious concern that nowadays there has been a profuse misuse of social media platforms on which messages, comments, articles etc. are being posted in respect of matters pending in Court. "Though our shoulders are broad enough to bear any blame or criticism, the comments or posts published in respect of matters pending in Court, through social media platforms under guise of right to freedom of speech and expression, which have the tendency of undermining the authority of the Courts or of interfering with the course of justice, deserves serious consideration," the bench said. The top court s

X received inquiry from US govt on actions in Brazil, says Elon Musk

In a decision on Sunday, Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the probe will check whether Musk was involved in obstruction, criminal organisation and incitement

Musk-led X changes course, gives away blue ticks to popular users for free

Musk pledged last week to start handing out the free features to people who had more than 2,500 verified followers