TECH CRUNCH - TikTok is announcing several changes to its service, including what it claims will be increased enforcement against bad actors as well as tests of new user-facing tools that will force a refresh of the app's main algorithmic feed, known as the For You feed. The company said the changes are focused on keeping the platform both safe and entertaining for its users and creators alike.
331 posts categorized "TikTok"
TikTok Introduces a Strike System for Violations, Tests a "Refresh" Feature the for You feed
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TikTok CEO to Testify Before House Panel in March
CNET - TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has agreed to testify before a US House of Representatives panel on Mar 23. The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced that it will discuss the heavily scrutinized app's consumer privacy and data security, the app's influence on children, and the app's relationship with the Chinese government through parent company ByteDance.
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TikTok Expands Its DM Settings to Let Users Choose Who Can Message Them
TECH CRUNCH - TikTok has quietly expanded its DM settings to give users a choice of who they want to receive messages from. The options are now: everyone, suggested friends, mutual followers, people you've sent messages to, or no one.
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TikTok Rolls Out Its 'State-controlled Media' Label to 40 More Countries
TECH CRUNCH - TikTok announced it's expanding its "state-controlled media" label to ~40 global markets, to alert users when videos they're seeing on the app are being published by entities whose "editorial output or decision-making process" is subject to influence by a government, the company said. The pilot initially began last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine by labeling state-controlled media in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. When tapped, the label provides the user with more information about what the label means and why it's being applied.
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Social Media Platforms Brace for Hit to User Numbers From Age Checks
FINANCIAL TIMES - UK's Online Safety Bill requires stronger age verification measures for platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Social media companies expect age verification measures in the UK's Online Safety Bill will reduce user numbers, hitting advertising revenue on platforms including TikTok and Instagram. The UK bill, aimed at protecting children from harmful content online and removing all illegal content, is considered to be leading the agenda for big tech regulation globally, along with the EU's Digital Services Act.
by Ian Johnston & Cristina Criddle
See full article at Financial Times
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TikTok Launches Talent Manager Portal So Managers Can Negotiate Brand Deals for Clients
TECH CRUNCH - TikTok update its Creator Marketplace so that now it can invite talent managers to oversee, execute and analyze the brand opportunities and campaigns being presented to their clients. The new service allows talent managers, with creator authorization, to log into the Creator Marketplace to manage deal flow, negotiate contracts on behalf of their talent, handle the creative feedback and review various reports and metrics about a campaign's performance.
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TikTok Undercuts Social Media Rivals With Cheap Ads in Battle for Growth
FINANCIAL TIMES - TikTok is offering cheaper advertising rates than rival social media platforms as the fast-growing video app moves to grab a larger share of the digital ads market amid a slowdown in online spending. Advertisers and brands say an increasing amount of digital ad spending is moving away from Meta, YouTube, and Twitter, over to TikTok owing to lower costs and better levels of engagement.
by Cristina Criddle & Arjun Neil Alim
See full article at Financial Times
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TikTok Reportedly Stops Hiring Process for Consultants Needed for US Security Deal
SEEKING ALPHA - TikTok has reportedly stopped a hiring process needed for consultants that would enable the company to work on an important security deal with the U.S. It is added that the hiring freeze "unsettled" some U.S. officials who were supportive of the deal. As part of the security deal, TikTok suggested the creation of a "proxy" board that would run its security division, known as the USDS, independently from ByteDance.
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TikTok Now Lets Creators Restrict Content From Children
CNET - TikTok now gives creators the power to restrict their content to adults over 18. The social media app expands its control of sexually suggestive content. This feature will continue to expand globally in the coming weeks.
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TikTok Ban for Federal Workers Close to Becoming Law
ALBANY HERALD - A ban on federal employees using TikTok on their government-issued phones is on track to become law after Congress included the provision in the year-end government funding bill. Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and lawmakers from both parties have called the app a national security risk because users share location data and other personal information with the service. The Chinese government could easily access that data, critics say, because as a Chinese company, ByteDance is obligated to share the data it collects.
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E-commerce Will Go Viral on Social Media in 2023
REUTERS - One of China's biggest exports in 2023 will be its social e-commerce phenomenon. TikTok, YouTube and Amazon are among the companies rolling out features that blend online sharing and shopping. TikTok introduced the concept in the US and UK to replicate the success of Douyin which enabled goods valued at $119B to be sold in 2021. Amazon recently unveiled its own copycat, Inspire. OnlyFans, a video service known for its sexual content, also allows creators to sell personalised merchandise to subscribers.
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TikTok Open to Allowing Further Outside Scrutiny to Close Key US Security Deal
SEEKING ALPHA - TikTok is facing an existential crisis as it tries to close a key security deal with the U.S. government and remain under Chinese control, forcing it to reportedly allow for additional scrutiny of its business. TikTok has worked to expand Oracle's role to keep its infrastructure separate from the rest of ByteDance. In addition, TikTok also suggested the creation of a "proxy" board that would run its security division, known as the USDS, independently from ByteDance.
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TikTok's New Feature Will Tell Why a Particular Video Appeared in for Your Feed
TECH CRUNCH - TikTok is launching a new feature that allows users to see why a particular video was recommended to them in their For You feed. The new feature is designed to bring more context to content recommended in For You feeds, TikTok says.
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TikTok Is Reportedly Finding It Difficult to Distance Itself From ByteDance
SEEKING ALPHA - TikTok is attempting to distance itself from its parent company but has struggled to do so as ByteDance is still heavily reliant on Chinese workers for some key functions. Both TikTok and ByteDance have transferred some key executives to Singapore and the U.S. and boosted hiring outside of China, along with internal reorganizations, but there are still some engineers who work on TikTok's algorithms inside China.
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26% of Gen Z Users 'Chose' TikTok as Their No. 1 Social Media Platform
YAHOO FINANCE - New Consumer asked a poll of 3K Americans about one social media site that they would use if they were trapped on a deserted island. Millennials and older Americans which is 53% of those people, chose Facebook. Gen Z chose TikTok as their number one. 26% chose TikTok, and Instagram after that, and then Facebook third place after that. Besides, New Consumers also asked when it came to the streaming platform. YouTube was number one with 27%. After that, Netflix was number two with 26%.
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