Tag: tiktok

TikTok and its big challenge in the United States: sell, close… or fight.

If TikTok’s legal challenge fails, and the sale doesn’t go through, TikTok could simply shut down in the United States. That’s one possible future.

This week, the United States Congress voted in favor of banning TikTok if ByteDance did not make a difficult decision: either sell the short video application within a year in the US or they will have to close the business in the country.

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As you may know, Congress approved a bill this week that requires TikTok to be sold or face a nationwide ban. President Biden signed the law on Wednesday, initiating a 270-day deadline for TikTok to decide its future in the United States.

For years there has been talk of a possible ban, but now it becomes a reality. Bytedance, the owner of the application, now has three options:

  • You can fight the law in court, and if you win, then nothing will change for the application in the territory of the United States.
  • Bytedance could sell TikTok US to a local owner, although probably without its addictive algorithm that so many companies desire.
  • Or TikTok could simply shut down and comply with the ban. Here’s how each option would unfold.

Option 1: TikTok fights the law in court

A TikTok spokesperson stated last Wednesday: “This unconstitutional law is a ban on TikTok, and we will challenge it in court”, probably arguing that these measures violate the First Amendment.

Legal experts claim that banning TikTok would affect the freedom of expression of its 170 million American users, the app stores that offer it, and TikTok itself. If Bytedance wins this argument, the law would be overturned and everything would go back to normal.

@tiktok

Response to TikTok Ban Bill

♬ original sound – TikTok

However, there are no guarantees that Bytedance will win in court. Although the company has sufficient arguments, the United States has many laws that infringe constitutional rights in the name of “national security”. That is exactly the argument that the United States is using in this case.

Apparently, lawmakers have received classified reports showing how TikTok is a “spy balloon on Americans’ phones,” claiming that the app shares that information with the Chinese Communist Party. If the United States can prove it in court, it could win. Then Bytedance will have two options for the application.

Option 2: Bytedance sells TikTok to a US owner

The next most likely option is for TikTok to be sold to a US owner. The Information reported on Thursday that Bytedance was internally discussing how to sell TikTok in the United States without its addictive algorithm.

However, Bloomberg and Reuters also reported on the same day that Bytedance would not sell TikTok under any circumstances. TikTok is estimated to be worth between 20,000 and 100,000 million dollars.

If the application doesn’t come with that sweet algorithm, then it’s probably worth closer to 20 billion dollars. But does the application really have any value without the algorithm? Sure, it has a good name and many users, but if it’s difficult to use, people will leave (no one looks at Twitter).

If a sale includes the algorithm, the sky is the limit: how can you put a price on something that has 170 million addicted Americans? For example, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard is interested.

In a sales scenario, it is possible that Meta, Snapchat, Alphabet or another big tech company buys TikTok. However, that would probably expose them to monopoly issues. There are very few people who can afford TikTok, and if Bytedance refuses to sell it, there is only one option left.

Option 3: TikTok US Shutdown

If the legal challenge of TikTok fails and the sale does not go through, TikTok could simply shut down in the United States. This would separate the most popular social media app in history from the wealthiest user base on Earth (Americans), which is why many see it as unlikely.

This would force Bytedance to leave empty-handed and lose tens of billions of dollars, but it is important to remember that this is not just about business, but also about politics.

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It is a real possibility that TikTok may simply be banned, a possibility that I don’t think is being taken seriously enough. China has already banned US social media apps for about a decade, most recently Threads and WhatsApp.

American technology companies lose the entire Chinese market, but they do not sell their algorithms and previous brands to companies there. That would deprive the United States of its global competitive advantage.

TikTok Shop delves into the luxury of second-hand

the-launch-of-tiktok-shop’s-second-hand-luxury-category-is-a-strategic-move-to-tap-into-the-growing-market-of-items.

TikTok Shop, the social commerce marketplace of TikTok, is launching a luxury second-hand category in the United Kingdom. This business already exists in TikTok Shop U.S. for over six months… although they have very serious problems there.

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The new category allows customers from the United Kingdom to buy high-end second-hand clothing, designer bags, and other accessories, all without leaving the TikTok app. Currently, only five British brands are available: Sellier, Luxe Collective, Sign of the Times, HardlyEverWornIt, and Break Archive.

Since the launch of TikTok Shop in 2022, the platform has sold products worth $1 billion or more. However, despite its success, some argue that TikTok Shop is ruining the short video sharing app, claiming that counterfeits and low-quality products are flooding the market.

Counterfeits are the biggest risk when buying second-hand luxury items online, and even the biggest e-commerce giants face authenticity issues.

Like all resale markets, TikTok Shop has an anti-counterfeiting policy that guarantees a full refund if it is proven that a seller has sold a counterfeit product. Bloomberg has recently reported that the company is in talks with LVMH to help combat counterfeiting.

All second-hand brands on TikTok Shop U.S. must have third-party authentication certificates. To do this, TikTok partnered with authentication services Entrupy and Real Authentication to ensure that the platform’s designer bags are authentic.

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On the other hand, a spokesperson for TikTok told TechCrunch that the five British brands have their own authentication process. They have not said when they will start accepting other second-hand brands.

The launch of the second-hand luxury category of TikTok Shop is a strategic move to take advantage of the growing market for second-hand luxury items.

In this way, now you can try TikTok Notes no matter the country you live in.

TikTok Notes has only reached a lucky few in Australia and Canada, leaving millions of users out of the equation.

TikTok has just launched TikTok Notes for a few lucky people in Australia and Canada. Why only users from those two countries? Probably because of the lax regulations and the type of users who live in those places.

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TikTok is testing a new app dedicated to static images and text, that is, an app that wants to compete with Instagram, the app that leads the world of photography.

Has the company mentioned when it will be available outside of Australia and Canada?
Not at the moment. So far, it is only available for download and “limited testing” in those two countries.

It is not clear why Australia and Canada are the first to receive it, but in general, technology companies tend to implement new features or services in smaller and western countries to test before a broader launch in places like the United Kingdom and the United States, or where app regulations are stricter, such as the European Union.

How to access TikTok notes no matter what country you are in

As we mentioned, for now, TikTok Notes has only reached a few lucky ones in Australia and Canada, leaving millions of users around the world out of the equation.

Como resultado, si eres ciudadano canadiense o australiano, puedes obtener acceso anticipado a la aplicación utilizando una conexión VPN a un servidor en Canadá o Australia.

In addition, a VPN can protect you from DDoS attacks, as it hides your IP address that is used to target specific individuals. Therefore, you would benefit in any case by using a VPN.

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Download a VPN on your mobile device, we have a list with the best ones you can use right now, and select a Canadian or Australian IP address. From there, it will be the goddess of fortune who will give you early access to TikTok Notes.

In the market there are many quality VPN options, for example we usually recommend NordVPN, a paid option that has very good reviews from experts and users. And we can’t stress enough that the VPNs you use should not be free, as few of them are truly secure.

La aplicación de TikTok para matar a Instagram ya está aquí para algunos afortunados.

TikTok has begun rolling out its Instagram rival, TikTok Notes, to selected users on Android and iOS in Australia and Canada.

A few weeks ago we talked about this topic, as it is going to be one of the most important apps of the year without a doubt. After becoming the most used app in the world, TikTok is going straight to finish off Instagram by attacking where it hurts the most: an app that imitates the content and functionality of the Meta application.

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TikTok ha comenzado a lanzar su rival de Instagram, TikTok Notes, a usuarios seleccionados de Android e iOS “para descarga y prueba limitada en Australia y Canadá”.

Un tweet anunciando el lanzamiento, así como las listas de la App Store y Google Play, mostraron algunas imágenes oficiales de la aplicación que proporcionan pistas sobre su funcionalidad para aquellos de nosotros que aún no tenemos acceso.

Así es como funciona TikTok Notes, el rival de Instagram

In them we see that headlines can be written for images on top of captions, a feature that Instagram does not offer natively.

La página de inicio también parece estar dividida en dos secciones, con una página separada donde puedes ver las publicaciones de las personas que sigues y otra página “Para ti”.

Se organiza de manera similar a la página de inicio de Pinterest, pero con una cuadrícula más pequeña de dos columnas. No está claro de quiénes son estas publicaciones destacadas, pero es probable que sean cuentas similares a las que sigues y que TikTok piensa que podrías gustarte.

Aside from these minor tweaks, the app is very similar to Instagram, which is a change from the usual. For years, Meta has been the one copying other social media platforms like TikTok with Reels and Snapchat with Stories. With TikTok Notes, however, TikTok seems to be copying again.

TikTok anunció la nueva aplicación de compartición de fotos a principios de este mes a través de una notificación enviada a los usuarios. En ese momento, no proporcionó muchos detalles sobre la aplicación aparte de llamarla TikTok Notes y sugerir que TikTok la llenaría con publicaciones de fotos de usuarios existentes y futuras a menos que optaran por no participar.

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No se sabe cuándo TikTok lanzará la aplicación en Estados Unidos y Europa. Pero probablemente lo dejarán para el final, ya que estos países están tensos con la regulación.

TikTok or how to counterattack Instagram Reels by creating a photo application

TikTok, one of the most popular apps of the moment, seems to be planning to enter a new segment of social networks by creating a new app with photos as the main element. This way, this hypothetical app would directly compete with Instagram, thus responding to Mark Zuckerberg’s app that developed Reels to steal its audience by copying its format.

We have previously talked about how the programming clues are leaving a more than evident trail, and that TikTok also wants to play the same game as Instagram, and it’s not about the photo app itself, but about attacking its market with a similar app to shake Instagram’s dominance in the photo app space.

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An app to compete with Instagram

This news, revealed by TheSpandroid blog, indicates that TikTok would have serious plans to enter the Android photography segment. And, considering that it is currently a social network with very high engagement and very active users in general, it would be expected that a photo application launched by TikTok could initially have overwhelming success.

The Chinese company has been observing for several years how various competitors try to copy its formats: the mentioned Reels, which in addition to Instagram, also reached Facebook, the YouTube Shorts, which replicate the same format to give a twist to the classic style of this platform, or even the attempt of X (Twitter) to create a similar format, creating an infinite scroll when opening videos. Now, however, this leak suggests that TikTok will take the next step.

The war of copying the rival

In social media, we have been seeing for over a decade how various services constantly copy each other when they realize that new features that come to the industry become popular. In fact, Instagram is one of the most skilled applications in copying formats. For example, its introduction of the “stories” format when Snapchat was emerging completely halted the progression of this service, which was completely overshadowed by its larger user base.

However, Instagram is not the only application that has benefited from copying its rivals or competitors, as the Meta ecosystem, which includes Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, has also reaped rewards. WhatsApp, in particular, is known for gradually implementing many of the improvements that Telegram experienced and found successful. Now, with TikTok, it remains to be seen how far this experiment could go in terms of copying its rival.

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The European Union tightens the grip on TikTok: concerns about lack of transparency and protection for minors

TikTok, the popular video application that is a hit among younger audiences, has not been able to escape the attention of the European Commission, which has decided to take legal action against the application. This European Union body has expressed concern about the lack of mechanisms to protect minors within the application itself, as well as the limited transparency it presents with regards to data that should be accessible according to European legislation.

It’s not something too surprising, since TikTok has been under the EU’s spotlight for quite some time, and in fact, it has received more than one warning lately for always being on the edge of the regulation and deliberately exceeding it on certain occasions. Now, with the European Commission intervening directly, the popular app will have to take more seriously the demands that are put on the table.

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Protection for minors on TikTok

It is well known that, currently, TikTok is the social network with the youngest audience. In fact, it is also known that many users use this application despite being below the minimum age of use. That is particularly one of the major complaints of the European Commission, which regrets the lack of age verification tools in an application whose content can have very negative effects on developing minds early.

Similarly, the European Commission also speaks of the risks of highly addictive design that the application has, which is also dangerous for more susceptible audiences. It also emphasizes the lack of control over content that can be harmful to physical or mental health, dangerous due to discriminatory speeches, or for radicalizing its audience.

The lack of transparency is also mentioned as another problem to consider, since there is a lot of information that is not as accessible as European codes require, in addition to the fact that the standards of security, privacy, and protection for minors are not met either.

Europe as a social shield

Since TikTok has not corrected these issues before the intervention of the European Commission, if the investigation indicates that TikTok was not fulfilling its responsibilities, it could be fined heavily, something that has also happened in other cases with applications like Facebook. In this way, the European Union is shown as a guarantee agent against digital abuses. This is something that can also be seen in details such as the fact that they are already preparing strict regulation to set limits on Artificial Intelligence.

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TikTok claims that it will fight against “fake news” during the European Parliament elections

TikTok, one of the applications with the highest volume of daily publications currently, has announced that it will tackle the problem of fake news head-on during the campaign period for the European Parliament elections. With this, the company wants to make clear its commitment to healthy digital environments free from dangerous and harmful campaigns for the common good.

Fake news, one of the biggest scourges of today’s society, have been a problem for over a decade. The digitization of information, the rapid dissemination of information through users, faster than press verification tools or social networks, has created a space where these types of practices have become common and dangerous. Therefore, TikTok will try to avoid it as much as possible in the European elections.

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TikTok doesn’t want fake news

In the official announcement from TikTok, on their official blog, it is explained that the company is already preparing specifically for this and has the qualified personnel to effectively filter this content. In fact, the company boasts that there are over 6,000 active moderators in Europe, and that during these elections, each EU country will have a center in their language where they will focus on moderating this type of content.

With this, TikTok highlights five points that they will focus on:

  • Removing misleading information to avoid polluting the TikTok feed.
  • Fact-checking potentially misleading information to prevent misinformation.
  • Monitoring media bias, as many of them, with partisan interests, may share deceptive content.
  • Suppressing fake images created with AI, which have spread widely in the last year.
  • Preventing agitator speeches against groups, individuals, or collectives from spreading on the network.

Social media and content dissemination

There are many social networks that are currently used daily by millions of people. In fact, there are other services like Facebook, Instagram or X (Twitter) that also suffer from a similar and much more prolonged problem over time with the issue of fake news. When Donald Trump won the US elections in 2016, Mark Zuckerberg was accused of allowing unfair campaigns in favor of the Republican Party during those elections, which was one of the most serious crises that Facebook had as a social network in terms of prestige.

Nowadays it is not easy to stop the amount of lies and fake news that are spread through social media. In fact, there are many opinion leaders who, despite receiving constant complaints and condemnations for fake news, are cheered on by followers who, blinded by personal political interests, share this type of misleading content without hesitation.

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Taylor Swift threatens to destroy TikTok

UMG accused the Chinese video platform of trying to intimidate them into accepting a “bad deal” that did not address the concerns of the artists.

Everyone knows that confronting the Swifties (Taylor Swift’s followers) is one of the worst ideas anyone can have in this world. They are a force of nature that spreads across the planet like a contagious virus.

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Well, with the latest move, TikTok users have turned against Taylor Swift and hundreds of major artists who are part of the huge music producer that is Universal. Let’s explain it.

Universal Music Group (UMG) has started to remove the music catalogs of the artists it represents from TikTok, including: Taylor Swift, Drake, and Olivia Rodrigo.

This happens after negotiations to renew the licensing agreements broke down this week. The previous licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok expired on January 31st.

A disagreement affecting millions of TikTok users

On Tuesday, UMG accused the Chinese video platform of trying to intimidate it into accepting a “bad deal” that did not address the concerns of the record labels.

Regarding adequate compensation for artists and composers, protections against AI-generated music, and online security on the platform to protect artists from “hate speech, intolerance, intimidation, and harassment.”

TikTok responded by saying it was “disappointing” that UMG had “chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with over a billion users,” and accused the record label of putting its “own greed above the interests of its artists and songwriters.”

Now, UMG-owned music that appears in TikTok videos will be muted, and users who want to replace the removed tracks will have to select alternative options from other music labels.

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How this chapter will end is not clear, but what we do know is that Taylor Swift’s fans are going to make so much noise that one of the two companies will have to give in.

TikTok has just broken a historic record in the world of applications

There is a reason why TikTok has achieved such a monumental milestone. For instance, the platform allows users to tip their creators…

When ByteDance launched TikTok to the world, no one could imagine that years later it would become the most downloaded app in the world, surpassing giants like Facebook and Instagram.

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Bloomberg has just published an analysis showing the app spending in 2023, and TikTok can boast of taking a large share of the pie, as the app has surpassed $10 billion in in-app purchases.

It is the first time in history that an app achieves such results and, honestly, it demonstrates the dominance it has in the market.

How did TikTok achieve such a huge record?

There is a reason why TikTok has achieved such a monumental milestone. For example, the platform allows users to tip their favorite creators and streamers, and the report even talks about how the social network has managed to find a way to generate more revenue and find a new way to monetize.

The report also shows how spending on apps has become greater than on video games. Users show that they pay for streaming services, user-generated content, and dating apps.

Despite all this, the majority of income has been generated through advertising. However, this does not dismiss the impressive results that TikTok has achieved.

In addition to that, the report also suggests that users spend more time on their phones, with Indonesia leading the way, as users spend an average of 6.05 hours per day using their smartphone.

This demonstrates the addictive side of TikTok and other similar applications that stand out for offering short and entertaining content that people enjoy so much. Here are some tips if you want to try to disconnect a little.

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2024 is going to bring many technological advances, and all of them are going to increase user engagement and give them more reasons or excuses to stay on their phones.

With content generated by artificial intelligence becoming the norm in modern phones, the numbers will only increase by the time 2025 arrives.

TikTok is updating, improving its interface on tablets and foldable mobile devices

TikTok, one of the trendiest applications in recent years, has updated its interface on mobile devices such as tablets and foldable smartphones so that users who use their services through these devices can enjoy a better user experience. In this way, the Chinese app continues to align itself with all possible formats so that everyone can enjoy its content.

The TikTok format often requires a very specific design to accommodate all types of mobile devices, with their corresponding screen ratios, sizes, and resolutions. With this new change, users who enjoy the app on tablets and foldable phones will now have a much more satisfying adapted design.

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Design adapted to tablets and foldables

As TikTok explains in its corporate blog, they have been working to improve the app’s design for larger devices. In the format of tablets, or foldable book-like mobiles, the format, not as elongated as that of current mobile devices, had certain flaws due to lack of optimization, something that the company has already solved.

In this way, the interface improvements are summarized by TikTok through these three main changes:

  • A cleaner video feed. Taking advantage of the wider edges of these devices, the buttons on the ends have been moved out of the video, allowing for a fuller and cleaner viewing experience even on smartphones.
  • Navigation bars to the edges. The navigation buttons on the edges of the screen will adapt to the width of the display for easier handling.
  • Vertical and landscape use. TikTok has optimized the interface to work optimally in both vertical and landscape formats, adapting to the preferences and needs of each user.
TikTok is one of the most popular applications among children nowadays

A format copied by the competition

TikTok is a mass phenomenon today. With a video style and algorithms capable of capturing users more than any other previous format, the Chinese application, previously known as Musically in the West, has become a portal where all kinds of content can be found: from trends and dances, to news and informative information on all kinds of topics.

That’s why the competition didn’t hesitate for a moment to align themselves with the successful format that TikTok developed. Meta created their own version with Reels, which are now part of both Instagram and Facebook, and YouTube created their own version with YouTube Shorts, which are growing rapidly as a consumption format within classic YouTube.

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