TikTok

This article is from The Technocrat, MIT Technology Review's weekly tech policy newsletter about power, politics, and Silicon Valley. To receive it in your inbox every Friday, sign up here. You might think that the latest viral example, the Bold Glamour beauty filter on TikTok, isn’t relevant to you. But…

Shabaz Ali reached 1.5 million followers on TikTok by "calling people out for over-indulgence."Shabaz Ali Shabaz Ali is a chemistry teacher who's gained 1.5 million TikTok followers by mocking the rich. Ali has seen poverty in schools and wants influencers to be "more responsible" in the recession. He said influencer…

TikTokers have filmed the mother-of-two's funeral (Image: PA) There is now a no-fly-zone in place over the church where Nicola Bulley's funeral took place in Saint Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire. Police brought in the rule so sick TikToker detectives were blocked from filming the mother-of-two's funeral. Nicola's family attended a…

Belgium is banning TikTok from government phones over worries about cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation, the country’s prime minister said Friday, mirroring recent action by other authorities in Europe and the U.S. The Chinese-owned video sharing app will be temporarily prohibited from devices owned or paid for by the Belgium’s federal government for…

Singer Jason Derulo just helped out a college student in a major way. In a video recently shared via TikTok, the student, who also works as a waiter, revealed that Derulo graciously tipped him $5,000. The College Student Took To TikTok To Thank Jason Derulo Later in the TikTok video,…

TikTok's efforts to address US data privacy fears may have holes. A self-proclaimed whistleblower talking to The Washington Post says the social network's plan to protect American users' data, Project Texas, has major flaws. The former Trust and Safety team member claims the $1.5 billion initiative will still let TikTok…

There might be a new way to deal with TikTok in DC: a bipartisan bill from Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) that isn’t a TikTok ban — though it could lead to one. It also doesn’t just address TikTok or its parent company, the Chinese-based ByteDance, but…

Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images TikTok has “rekindled passion for romance novels”, said The Times. Sales of the genre have risen by 110% in three years to be worth about £53m, according to industry data. Publishers have attributed…

What began as “don’t buy this product” has morphed into “don’t buy that product, buy this product instead” — this phenomenon is better known as the current de-influencing trend on TikTok. For example, gaming influencers are now giving opinions on which chairs, microphones, and headsets they don’t recommend, there are…

A new AI-powered TikTok filter makes users look younger and more glamorous are freaking people out. There are concerns the tools promote unrealistic beauty standards and blurs the lines of reality. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: By now, we're used to seeing filters on social media that make people look more attractive.…