Bans

In 2020, former President Donald Trump kicked off a worldwide frenzy about TikTok over the app’s potential security concerns. TikTok is now banned on government devices in the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, and elsewhere, and American lawmakers have their eyes on a national ban for consumers. The French, apparently, are the only adults in the room. As the Register first reported, France just banned all recreational apps from government phones, not just TikTok.“The government has decided to ban the downloading and installing…

In an , President Biden barred federal agencies from using commercial spyware that threatens US national security or carries a risk of improper use by foreign governments and individuals. The order applies to all departments, including those involved in law enforcement, defense and intelligence. It also prohibits the use of spyware that in the past was used to disclose non-public information about the US government. The executive order the Biden administration published on the White House website doesn’t include a list of…

France is the latest country taking steps to ban TikTok from government-managed devices. Stanislas Guerini, the Minister of Public Transformation and Service, and his services issued a statement announcing the move and the reasoning behind this change. But there’s a twist: Instead of simply banning only TikTon, the French government is saying that all recreational apps are now banned from work devices. “For the past few weeks, several European and international partners have adopted measures to limit or prohibit…

France announced Friday it is banning the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other apps on government employees' phones because of concern about insufficient data security measures.The move follows similar restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries amid fears about the popular video-sharing app's Chinese connections. But the French decision also encompassed other platforms widely used by government officials, lawmakers and President Emmanuel Macron himself. The French Minister for Transformation and…

Utah passed a pair of laws on Thursday laying out groundbreaking rules for children and social media. The laws require social media companies to verify users’ ages, obtain parental consent before kids can use apps like Instagram or TikTok, and ban anyone under 18 from using social media between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM.The laws are new and unusual, but they’re part of a broader trend, not just to reign in social media companies, but to set new standards about how the internet treats children. Most Americans agree that…

When Cassidy Jacobson was 13 years old, she posted a video of herself dancing on the popular app TikTok.Little did she know then that six years later her Casssidy_J account would have 1.5 million followers on the short-form video platform with fans drawn to her love of dance and hair care.Jacobson dreams of using her success on TikTok - an app used by 150 million Americans - to start her own curly hair care line and inspire others to love their natural curls. That dream and those of other TikTok creators may be dashed as…

In the five years since TikTok burst onto the scene as the hot video-sharing app, it has accumulated 150 million users in the U.S. It has given small businesses a new way to reach potential customers and caused anxiety among national-security experts and lawmakers in Washington.TikTok’s future in the U.S., however, is uncertain: The Biden administration is demanding TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes or face a possible ban of the app, The Wall Street Journal reported in mid March. TikTok has said a sale wouldn’t…

It's no shock to see another country banning TikTok from government phones, but France is taking the restrictions a step further. Le Monde reports the French government is banning "recreational" apps like TikTok, Twitter, Netflix and even Candy Crush from public servants' devices. The apps represent cybersecurity risks that could jeopardize data for both the employees and the administration, according to the office of public service minister Stanislas Guerini. The government hasn't provided an exact list of banned apps.…

The platform also appears to be vulnerable to censorship and algorithmic manipulation. This month, a company executive openly said they had overridden the app’s algorithm to push content on TikTok, and the platform has been reported to suppress content from users with Down syndrome, autism, and other disabilities, as well as users deemed “poor or ugly.” The app’s moderators have also censored videos on Tiananmen Square and Tibetan independence, which means users in the US are presented with China’s version of the story.…

Office drama is brewing around when employees—and their bosses—are allowed to use ChatGPT at work. Office drama is brewing around when employees—and their bosses—are allowed to use ChatGPT at work.…