It is alleged that Washington has threatened to sell TikTok, which has become one of the world’s most popular social media apps in a short period of time, to an American company. The American threat was revealed by TikTok owner ByteDance. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) said this, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said.
∙ Threat to sell if not banned
TikTok, which has millions of users in the United States, is threatened to be banned if it is not sold. A similar situation existed during the administration of former President Donald Trump. On that day, Tik Tok got the court verdict and escaped without being caught. Some US departments and senators share the fear that China is using TikTok to monitor what is happening in their country. At the same time, the TikTok spokesperson said that the concerns will not end considering that the American company has been sold. If safety is the issue then selling is useless. The spokesperson said that even if the transfer takes place, Americans’ data will flow in the same way it does now.
∙ What is needed is transparency
The best way to address America’s concerns is to collect and store American users’ data in a transparent manner. The party should also seek help to ensure that no one else sees this. It was the American court that blocked the move during Trump’s time. It is not clear whether TikTok will approach the court this time as well. The company will try to resolve the matter through further conciliation. TikTok is trying to prove that no one sees the data of American users.
∙ Doubt does not end even after data removal
In June last year, the entire data of TikTok users in the United States was transferred to the servers of the American company Oracle. Apart from this, Oracle was also allowed to inspect some of the code of their app. Reuters reports that Oracle was also tasked with protecting the data of American users without giving it to ByteDance. Despite this, some American authorities are accused of pretending not to have seen such moves.
∙ Summons to TikTok CEO
TikTok Chief Executive Officer Zhou Ziqiu has been asked to appear before the US House Energy and Commerce Committee next week. It is widely assumed that he will be asked questions about the app’s China relationship.
∙ FBI investigation against ByteDance
In December, ByteDance fired four employees of TikTok over allegations that two American journalists were being monitored using TikTok. Forbes reports that the FBI and the Department of Justice are investigating. The news comes at a time when the United States is pressuring TikTok to sell. The fact that the new report has come out at a time when the anti-TikTok in the US Congress is raising doubts about the possibility of surveillance through TikTok may also be a shame for the company.
∙ Bytedance condemns monitoring of media workers
ByteDance said its staff strongly condemns the surveillance of the two journalists. The company also said that Avarini Bite will not be a part of Dance. The company said that the investigation is yet to be completed. Meanwhile, the new report says the anger against TikTok could be fueled.
∙ Britain should immediately remove TikTok from the phones of officials
Britain has ordered the immediate removal of TikTok from the phones of government officials, as demanded by the United States and some European countries. This is part of the policy of not having third-party apps on the phones of government officials.
∙ America says images created using AI cannot be copyrighted
Many AI models, such as Midgerine and Stable Diffusion, can generate images based on verbal commands. Engadget reports that the United States has ruled that creators of such images cannot be copyrighted. This ruling belongs to the US Copyright Office. The ruling held that a person who gives verbal commands cannot give copyright to images created by AI, as an artist does to a work he is doing.
∙ Fasttrack Revolt FS1 Smart Watch for sale
The Fasttrack Revolt FS1 smartwatch series has gone on sale via Flipkart. The Revolt FS1 model has Bluetooth calling. The screen size is 1.83-inches. Those who can take advantage of the introductory discount offer can buy the watch for Rs 1,695. The sale starts from March 22.
∙ Amazfit GTR Mini Smart Watch is priced at Rs 10,999
Smart wearable device maker Amazfit has launched a new smartwatch. The GTR Mini Watch is priced at Rs 10,999. It has 120 sports modes and health apps. Also, it will have a battery life of 14 days. The operating system will be Sep OS 2.0.
∙ Hammer Ace 3.0 smartwatch also launched, priced at Rs 1,999
Wearable device maker Hammer has also launched a new watch. Launched as the Hummer Ace 3.0, the smartwatch is capable of Bluetooth calling. The screen size is 1.85 inches. The watch, which claims to have a battery life of up to five days, will be priced at Rs 1,999.
English Summary: U.S. Threatens Ban if TikTok’s Chinese Owners Don’t Sell Stakes