Tech

China Says United States Calls for TikTok Sell-Off Racist

China’s Foreign Ministry has accused the United States of applying unfair standards after it demanded that the Chinese owners of the popular social media platform TikTok sell their stake or face a US ban on the app.

Wang stated that no evidence has been presented that TikTok poses a threat to US national security and that the ban was racist. His remarks come after reports that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a multi-agency federal taskforce that examines the national security implications of foreign investments, had asked TikTok to divest its ownership.

The dispute also comes as a growing number of US leaders and lawmakers say they want the popular app banned to prevent Beijing from tracking and propagandizing to American citizens.

“The United States should stop disseminating misinformation about data security, stop suppressing the relevant company, and provide an open, fair, and non-discriminatory environment for foreign businesses to invest and operate in the United States,” Wang said at a press conference on Thursday.

“Data security issues should not be used by some countries as a tool to overstretch the concept of national security, abuse state power, and unjustifiably suppress the enterprises of other countries,” he said.

CFIUS, which is led by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and has been investigating Beijing-based TikTok owner ByteDance since it purchased the American-owned service musical.ly in 2017, told TikTok on Wednesday that it could be banned if ByteDance does not sell its controlling stake to US-based owners.

Bipartisan agreement on TikTok

Former US President Donald Trump previously signed an order to ban TikTok in 2020, but TikTok filed an appeal, and the order was blocked by a federal judge who ruled Trump had overstepped his authority.

Proponents of a ban have since concentrated their efforts on CFIUS, which has been chastised for its tardiness, and, increasingly, on Congress.

The growing movement to outlaw TikTok, which is currently the fifth-most downloaded free app in the Apple App Store and the third-most popular in the Google Play App Store, has resulted in a rare area of bipartisan policy agreement in the United States Congress this year.

Senators from both parties introduced legislation last week that would explicitly allow the executive branch to prohibit any foreign-owned technology deemed a threat to national security, with the White House issuing a statement in support of the legislation as it was announced.

The group of lawmakers, led by Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, stressed that the bill was not solely aimed at TikTok – but also had difficulty speaking about anything other than the Chinese-owned app at a press conference.

“I’ve long been concerned about how every social media company uses the data it collects on users,” South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, who co-sponsored the bill, said at the time. “However, I’m particularly concerned about TikTok’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party, which spies on American citizens on a regular basis.”

China’s TiKTok CEO summoned

Despite such threats from lawmakers, TikTok spokespeople have repeatedly referred to the company’s cooperation in the CFIUS investigation as evidence of its cooperation with US authorities on the issue of privacy.

According to them, TikTok has made a number of proposals to CFIUS in order to separate its data on US users from its Chinese-owned parent, including allowing audits of its technology. However, US lawmakers such as Warner and Thune have questioned the credibility of any such proposal.

“The Chinese Communist Party of China has demonstrated in recent years that it is willing to lie about almost anything,” Thune said last week.

TiKTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify next Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is chaired by Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

McMorris Rogers stated earlier this year in a press release that she believes TikTok has “knowingly allowed the Chinese Communist Party to access American user data” and urged Shou to “provide complete and honest answers for people” in her testimony.

U.S. lawmaker wants TikTok to protect kids

The chair of a House of Representatives committee wants TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to answer questions about the popular Chinese-owned video app’s efforts to protect children from inappropriate content and potential exploitation next week.

Chew will appear before Congress for the first time on March 23 when he testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Republican Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers stated on Thursday that lawmakers “need to know what actions the company is taking to keep our children safe from online and offline harms.”

In a December letter to TikTok, McMorris Rodgers and other Republicans stated that “many children are exposed to non-stop offerings of inappropriate content that TikTok’s algorithm force-feeds to them.” They also expressed concern that adult TikTok users can offer monetary rewards to “persuade children to perform sexually suggestive acts” during live-streamed events on TikTok.

TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, stated that the Biden administration threatened to ban the app in the US if its Chinese owners did not sell their stakes in the company.

“Americans deserve to know the extent to which ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China jeopardizes their privacy and manipulates their data,” she added. The US government has expressed concern that TikTok user data could be shared with the Chinese government.

TikTok, which did not immediately respond, announced earlier this month that it is working on a tool that will allow parents to prevent their teens from viewing content on the short-form video app that contains certain words or hashtags.

TikTok has announced new features to assist users in limiting the amount of time they spend on the app. Accounts belonging to users under the age of 18 will be automatically limited to one hour per day, and teens will be required to enter a passcode to continue using the app.

TikTok and the Biden administration have been negotiating data security requirements for more than two years. TikTok claims to have spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and denies any allegations of spying.

Tech

US: A Judge Mandates that Google Allow Competing App Stores to Access Android

(VOR News) – The ruling is that Google, the greatest technology firm in the world, is required to make its Android smartphone operating system available to merchants that supply applications that are in direct rivalry with Google’s. This decision was reached by a judge in the United States of America.

The Android Play store, which is owned and operated by Google, was found to be an example of an illegal monopoly arrangement by a jury in the state of California on Monday. The finding was reached by a jury. Monday is the day that this decision was come to.

An earlier federal judge ruled Google’s search engine illegal.

This finding, which came after that decision, has forced the company to suffer yet another setback. As a result of the corporation having already encountered its initial obstacle, this decision has been established. This particular decision was made by the judge during the month of August, when the month was in progress.

In light of the fact that the decision was made, what exactly does it mean that the choice was accepted?

In accordance with the verdict, Google is obligated to make it possible for users to download Android app stores that are offered by third-party competitors. For a period of three years, the corporation is prohibited from imposing restrictions on the usage of payment mechanisms that are integrated into the application.

In addition, it is important to keep in mind that Google does not possess the right to impose restrictions on the utilization of ways to make payments online.

Additionally, the verdict makes it unlawful for Google to give money to manufacturers of smartphones in order to preinstall its app store. Smartphone manufacturers are prohibited from doing so.

Furthermore, it prevents Google from the possibility of sharing the revenue that is generated by the Play store with other companies that are in the industry of delivering mobile applications.

In addition to this, the court has mandated the establishment of a technical committee that will be made up of three different people chosen at random.

The committee will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the reforms and finding solutions to any disagreements that may occur as a consequence of the implementation of the reforms while they are being implemented. This task will fall under the committee’s purview so that it may fulfill its duties.

However, certain components were allowed to be put into action until July 1st, despite the fact that the judge’s statement suggested that the ruling would take effect on November 1st. The statement was the basis for the ruling, which ultimately became effective.

Particularly, I wanted to know what Google’s reaction would be.

There is a fact that Google does not adhere to this directive, which has been brought to their attention. This document argued that the alterations that the judge had ordered to be made would “cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers, and device makers.”

The judge had ordered the modifications to be implemented. The alterations were to be carried out as indicated by the judge’s ruling. The judge made it clear that he expected these revisions to be carried out in accordance with his guidance.

The company’s regulatory affairs vice president, Lee-Anne Mulholland, provided the following statement: “We look forward to continuing to make our case on appeal, and we will continue to advocate for what is best for developers, device manufacturers, and the billions of Android users around the world.”

On average, over seventy percent of the total market for smartphones and other mobile devices is comprised of mobile devices that are powered by the Android operating system. Both smartphones and other small mobile devices are included in this category.

In the event that the Play app store continues to be shown on the home page and that other Google applications are pre-installed prior to the installation of the Android application, smartphone manufacturers are entitled to install the Android application at no cost at their discretion.

Additionally, the Android application can be installed on devices that are manufactured for smartphones.

SOURCE: DWN

Tech

WhatsApp Now Features a “Mention” Tool for Status Updates and Stories.

(VOR News) – Those who use WhatsApp now have the ability to mention other people in their stories or status updates as a consequence of a feature that was only recently enabled on the platform.

Previous to this point, this capability was not available. It wasn’t until quite recently that this capability became available to the public.

According to the information that was provided by the company, users now have the opportunity to tag close friends in their stories, and the person who is mentioned will have the option to go back and re-share an earlier version of that story. This information was provided by the company. The corporation was kind enough to reveal this information to us.

Because of a new feature that has been added to the WhatsApp app, users now have the opportunity to like individual stories and status updates.

This capability was previously unavailable to WhatsApp users.

A significant amount of progress has been made in this context. Alternative readers now have the chance to “like” a work, which is comparable to liking a post on Facebook. This feature was introduced in recent years. When compared to the past, this is a tremendous shift.

At one point in time, viewers were only permitted to observe the total number of views that a particular story had gotten. These restrictions were eliminated in later versions of the software.

Additionally, it is essential that the likes and reactions to a story be kept anonymous during the entire process. One of the factors that contributes to the general mystery that surrounds this characteristic is the fact that this is one of the elements.

The person who brought it to the attention of others is the only person who will be able to judge who enjoyed it and who did not care about it. These individuals will be able to make this determination.

A notification will be issued to the individual who was referenced earlier in the sentence and who was named in the story or status update that was discussed. A notification of this nature will be sent to the individual via WhatsApp.

This message will be sent to the user in question whenever that person makes a reference to another person while they are in the process of elaborating on a narrative or updating their status. You will receive a notification alerting you that you have been tagged in the narrative.

This notification will be delivered to the person who receives this message. In addition, students will be provided with the opportunity to re-share the tale for themselves.

It is important to note that if the names of individuals who have been referenced in a narrative or a status update are included in any of these, then the names of those individuals will not be accessible to any third party through any of these. In light of the fact that the identities of those individuals will be concealed from public disclosure, this is the condition that will be required.

While WhatsApp recently made the announcement that it will be incorporating this functionality, it is highly likely that not all users will have access to it at the same time.

This is despite the fact that WhatsApp recently made this announcement.

Despite the fact that WhatsApp has only recently made a public announcement that it will move forward with the deployment, this is the situation that has presented itself.

As soon as a short period of time has elapsed, access will be made available to each and every person on the entire world.

Additionally, WhatsApp has hinted that new functionalities might be introduced to the status and updates tab in the future months.

The purpose of these capabilities is to provide users with assistance in maintaining healthy connections with the individuals who play a vital role in their living experiences. This is done in order to give users with support in maintaining close relationships with the folks who are the subject of the inquiry.

It is with the purpose of supporting users in successfully keeping close ties with the individuals in question that this step is taken.

SOURCE: DN

Tech

Over The Planned “Link Tax” Bill, Google Threatens to Remove NZ News Links.

(VOR News) – Google has sent a strong message to the New Zealand government, threatening to stop boosting local news content should the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill become law.

The law, put up by the Labour government and backed by the coalition in power at the moment, mandates that digital companies such as Google pay back news organizations for links to their material.

News publishers, on the other hand, charge the tech giant with “corporate bullying.”

Google says this measure may have unanticipated effects.

Google New Zealand’s country director, Caroline Rainsford, voiced her worries that the law, which is being referred to as a “link tax,” is not doing enough to support the media industry in New Zealand right now.

She underlined that Google would have to make major adjustments if the previously mentioned law were to pass, including cutting off links to news articles from its Search, News, and Discover platforms and cutting off financial ties with regional publications.

According to Rainsford, similar legislation has been proposed and approved in other nations including Australia and Canada, but it has not been proven to be effective there and breaches the principles of the open web.

She drew attention to the fact that smaller media outlets will be most negatively impacted, which will limit their capacity to reach prospective audiences.

Google says its alternative options will protect smaller, local media from negative effects.

Conversely, it conveys apprehension regarding the possible fiscal obligations and vagueness of the legislation, which it feels generates an intolerable level of ambiguity for enterprises functioning within New Zealand.

The New Zealand News Publishers Association (NPA) has reacted to Google’s warnings by alleging that the internet behemoth is using coercive tactics.

They specifically contend that the need for regulation stems from the market distortion that Google and other tech giants have created, which has fueled their expansion into some of the most significant corporations in global history.

The legislation aims to create a more equal framework that media businesses can use to negotiate commercial relationships with technological platforms that profit from their content.

New Zealand Media Editors CEO Michael Boggs stated that he was in favor of the bill, citing the fact that Google now makes a substantial profit from material created by regional publications.

He also emphasized that the use of artificial intelligence by Google—which frequently makes references to news articles without giving credit to the original sources—highlights the significance of enacting legislation.

Paul Goldsmith, the Minister of Media and Communications, has stated that the government is now evaluating various viewpoints and is still in the consultation phase.

He stated that the government and Google have been having continuous talks and will keep up these ongoing discussions.

However, not all political parties accept the validity of the Act.

The ACT Party’s leader, David Seymour, has voiced his displeasure of the proposal, saying that Google is a game the government is “playing chicken” with. He threatened the smaller media companies, saying that they would suffer from worse search engine rankings if the internet giant followed through on its promises.

Seymour contended that it is not the government’s responsibility to shield companies from shifts in the market brought about by consumer preferences.

The things that have happened in other nations are similar to what has happened in New Zealand.

Google has agreements with a number of Australian media firms that are in compliance with its News Media Bargaining Code. These agreements contain provisions that permit an annual cancellation of these agreements.

Due to the government’s decision to exempt Google from the Online News Act, the company has committed to supporting news dissemination by contributing annually to the Canadian journalistic community.

The New Zealand measure is consistent with global approaches aimed at regulating the relationships that exist between technology corporations and media organizations.

It’s hard to say what will happen with the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill as the discussion goes on. Google and the New Zealand media landscape are preparing for what might be a protracted legal battle.

SOURCE: TET