Shou Zi

A former high-level ByteDance executive claims the company has a “back door channel” in its code that allows members of the Chinese Community Party view data from users anywhere in the world, including the US and Hong Kong. The former executive claims CCP officials have used that tool at least once to identify users involved in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. If true, the accusations would confirm top concerns voiced by lawmakers around the world racing to ban access to TikTok on national security grounds.The claims…

It’s nearly impossible to discount the role that TikTok has played in the modern music scene, for better or for worse. From artists being forced to churn out TikTok hits to classics from the 60's getting a breath of fresh air, TikTok isn’t leaving the music industryany time soon. Now, it would appear that the social media platform’s parent company ByteDance is piloting exclusive distribution deals with musicians.Will Banning TikTok Solve Privacy Issues? | Future TechA report from The Information details ByteDance’s plans…

A handful of ByteDance employees in the US and China tracked a cat’s TikTok account in order to find the IP address of its owner, a reporter covering the company. Buffy, a black and white Maine Coon-looking kitty named after the vampire slayer, reportedly had 170 followers and 20 posts when the employees viewed the data. The traumatizing tracking has reportedly forced Buffy off of social media: Cristina Criddle, the cat’s owner and a reporter for the Financial Times, said Buffy “sadly is no longer making content.”Will…

On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will give his first interview since sparring with House lawmakers in a testy hearing back in March. Chew is one of dozens of business leaders speaking at the TED2023 “Possibility” conference being held in Vancouver, Canada.Mourning the Loss of Addison Rae’s Debut Album | The Meme MachineChew, who has been on a weeks-long campaign to try and persuade lawmakers not to ban the app in the US, is expected to speak with speak about entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, and society’s…

Photo: Samuel Corum (AP)U.S.government efforts to ban TikTok over national security grounds, once considered a pie-in-the-sky pipe dream, are looking more and more likely by the week, especially after Congress browbeat TikTok’s CEO for five hours last week. That said, we’ve been here before. Various players in the federal government have attempted to ban TikTok before, all unsuccessfully. In just three short months, at least four new bills have reached the House and Senate demanding, in various forms, a national ban of…

Self-described libertarian, Kentucky Senator, and messy yard dispute loser Rand Paul has broken with fellow Republicans and become possibly the sole GOP voice opposing a national TikTok ban. In his view, banning TikTok would violate Americans’ right to free speech and would make vindictive US lawmakers no different from their Chinese counterparts who’ve moved to ban US social media firms like Facebook and YouTube. Paul’s recent statements come just days after House lawmakers from both parties laid into TikTok CEO Shou Zi…

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…

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…

A fiery coalition of more than two dozen TikTok content creators gathered outside the steps of the nation’s capitol Wednesday to fiercely oppose growing lawmaker calls for a nationwide ban. Every one of those protesters had their expenses covered by TikTok.The spokesperson for the social media firm confirmed that it paid for the creators’ travel expenses in a statement sent to Gizmodo. Those payments, according to a Wired report, covered the hotel, travel, meal, and shuttle rides for the creators, some of whom traveled…

Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Staff (Getty Images)At several points, Chew avoided direct questions about whether TikTok sells the data it collects.“I believe we do not sell data to any data brokers,” Chew said in response to a question from Rep. Frank Pallone. “I didn’t ask you about data brokers,” Pallone said. “Do you sell it to anyone?”“Congressman, I actually am in support of some rules...” Chew responded before another interruption from Pallone. “I didn’t ask you about rules, I asked you whether the company TikTok would…