Despite Trump’s celebratory claims that TikTok’s U.S. saga is over, the app now faces mounting challenges around growth, competition, governance, user trust and execution that could quickly erode its immense value. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/30/japan/us-tiktok-saga-isnt-over/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #tiktok #oracle #donaldtrump #china #bytedance
California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused TikTok of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump, and launched a review to determine if the platform has violated state law. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/27/tech/california-newsom-tiktok-trump/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #california #gavinnewsom #tiktok #donaldtrump #bytedance #censoreship #socialmedia
Sabrina Web :privacypride: 📎
boosted
A landmark trial beginning this week in Los Angeles could establish a legal precedent on whether social media companies deliberately design their platforms to addict children. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/26/tech/social-media-trial-addiction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #socialmedia #us #alphabet #bytedance #meta #youtube #tiktok #instagram #facebook
A landmark trial beginning this week in Los Angeles could establish a legal precedent on whether social media companies deliberately design their platforms to addict children. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/26/tech/social-media-trial-addiction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #socialmedia #us #alphabet #bytedance #meta #youtube #tiktok #instagram #facebook
Em :official_verified:
boosted
From yesterday.
Congratulations. Now all your data goes to Oracle instead of ByteDance. Which is worse? The devil, or the devil?
Wired: TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users. Here Are the 3 Biggest Changes https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-new-privacy-policy/ @WIRED #Oracle #TikTok #ByteDance #privacy
From yesterday.
Congratulations. Now all your data goes to Oracle instead of ByteDance. Which is worse? The devil, or the devil?
Wired: TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users. Here Are the 3 Biggest Changes https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-new-privacy-policy/ @WIRED #Oracle #TikTok #ByteDance #privacy
TikTok has finally established a majority American-owned joint venture to operate its U.S. business, deflecting the threat of a ban over its Chinese ownership. Here is a look at the potential consequences of the deal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/24/tech/tiktok-us-focus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #us #china #uschinarelations #donaldtrump #tiktok #socialmedia #apps #internet #bytedance #tech
Wouter Tebbens ⁂
boosted
"The new structure leaves ByteDance with just under 20% of the US business, with 15% stakes going to Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, a state-owned investment firm in the UAE focused on AI. Other investors include Susquehanna, Dragoneer and DFO, Michael Dell’s family office.
The final deal closing is intended to meet a Jan. 22 deadline outlined by the Trump administration in an executive order that granted a 120-day stay on the enforcement of the federal ban. Former President Joe Biden in 2024 signed a law requiring ByteDance to divest its US business or face a ban in the country over national security concerns.
It was unclear how much ByteDance received for the US business — US Vice President JD Vance said in September the deal would value the unit at roughly $14 billion. It was also unclear what negotiations occurred over TikTok’s powerful algorithm, which has been the main point of contention between the US and Chinese governments and has scuttled past deals in the long-running saga.
Chew’s December memo said the new independent entity will control data protection, content moderation and algorithm security and that the entity would be “governed by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors.”"
https://www.semafor.com/article/01/22/2026/china-us-sign-off-on-tiktok-us-spinoff
"The new structure leaves ByteDance with just under 20% of the US business, with 15% stakes going to Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, a state-owned investment firm in the UAE focused on AI. Other investors include Susquehanna, Dragoneer and DFO, Michael Dell’s family office.
The final deal closing is intended to meet a Jan. 22 deadline outlined by the Trump administration in an executive order that granted a 120-day stay on the enforcement of the federal ban. Former President Joe Biden in 2024 signed a law requiring ByteDance to divest its US business or face a ban in the country over national security concerns.
It was unclear how much ByteDance received for the US business — US Vice President JD Vance said in September the deal would value the unit at roughly $14 billion. It was also unclear what negotiations occurred over TikTok’s powerful algorithm, which has been the main point of contention between the US and Chinese governments and has scuttled past deals in the long-running saga.
Chew’s December memo said the new independent entity will control data protection, content moderation and algorithm security and that the entity would be “governed by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors.”"
https://www.semafor.com/article/01/22/2026/china-us-sign-off-on-tiktok-us-spinoff
Em :official_verified:
boosted
This piece nails it! The "new" TikTok "deal" is simply an exercise in decorative shape shifting for a situation that has basically been in place for 3 years.
This was never about addressing data privacy, propaganda, or national security. It was always about the US grabbing a big chunk of ownership one of the most popular and successful social media apps. The US Congress just made sure that is was Trump sycophants who got the "win". https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/19/tiktok-deal-done-and-its-somehow-the-shittiest-possible-outcome-making-everything-worse/ #TikTok #Oracle #SilverLake #MGX #NationalSecurity #SocialMedia #China #ByteDance #Algorithm #Privacy #DataPrivacy
This piece nails it! The "new" TikTok "deal" is simply an exercise in decorative shape shifting for a situation that has basically been in place for 3 years.
This was never about addressing data privacy, propaganda, or national security. It was always about the US grabbing a big chunk of ownership one of the most popular and successful social media apps. The US Congress just made sure that is was Trump sycophants who got the "win". https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/19/tiktok-deal-done-and-its-somehow-the-shittiest-possible-outcome-making-everything-worse/ #TikTok #Oracle #SilverLake #MGX #NationalSecurity #SocialMedia #China #ByteDance #Algorithm #Privacy #DataPrivacy
The artificial intelligence consumer gold rush may come from images not words. That should worry anyone who still thinks pictures don’t lie. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/03/world/photos-might-be-ais-real-killer-app/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #ai #artificialintelligence #photoshop #vidu #alphabet #google #gemini #alibabagroup #qwen #bytedance #doubao #alibaba
A Fox investment in TikTok would give the Murdoch media empire a platform with 170 million U.S. users to promote TV programming, and a chance to redeem the family’s catastrophic purchase of MySpace 20 years ago. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/23/tech/murdochs-myspace-tiktok/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #rupertmurdoch #lachlanmurdoch #myspace #tiktok #socialmedia #bytedance
Donald Trump says that Lachlan Murdoch, Larry Ellison and Michael Dell will be investors in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/22/tech/murdoch-dell-ellison-tiktok-trump/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #lachlanmurdoch #michaeldell #larryellison #tiktok #apps #socialmedia #china #us #donaldtrump #bytedance #rupertmurdoch #foxnews #newscorp #oracle #foxcorp
U.S. and Chinese officials' arrival at a framework deal on keeping the TikTok app running in the United States sets up a call between their presidents. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/17/world/politics/us-china-tiktok-trump-xi-call/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #xijinping #tiktok #socialmedia #bytedance #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs
U.S. and Chinese officials say they've reached an agreement on TikTok, to be confirmed during a call between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Friday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/16/tech/us-china-tiktok-trump-xi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tech #tiktok #bytedance #china #us #donaldtrump #trade #tariffs #republicans #scottbessent #jamiesongreer #helifeng #xijinping