Tag Archives: TikTok

GOP TikTok Mogul Also Tied To Truth Social Merger

The New York Times reports: Jeff Yass, the billionaire Wall Street financier and Republican megadonor who is a major investor in the parent company of TikTok, was also the biggest institutional shareholder of the shell company that recently merged with former President Donald J. Trump’s social media company. A December regulatory filing showed that Mr. Yass’s trading firm, Susquehanna International …

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Lawmakers Receive Threats Over Proposed TikTok Ban

The Washington Post reports: As Congress considers legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States, lawmakers are receiving a surge of threatening messages connected to popular video app. U.S. Capitol Police are investigating an “uptick” in reports of “threats and concerning messages” linked to the TikTok discussions, according to a law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of …

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Mnuchin: “I’m Putting Together A Group To Buy TikTok”

CNBC reports: Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is building an investor group to acquire ByteDance’s TikTok, as a bipartisan piece of legislation winding its way through Congress threatens its continued existence in the U.S. “I think the legislation should pass and I think it should be sold,” Mnuchin told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday. “It’s a great business and I’m …

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Megadonor Likely Behind Trump’s Flip-Flop On TikTok

Bloomberg News reports: The prospect that the app will be banned has thrust Jeff Yass, the trading mastermind behind market-maker Susquehanna International Group, into an uncomfortable spotlight. That’s because he owns a stake in TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, that’s worth $15 billion. Yass has used that wealth to become the biggest donor in the 2024 election cycle, with $46.4 million …

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House Lawmakers Pass Ban On TikTok In 352-65 Vote

CNN reports: The bill’s fate is less than clear in the US Senate, where there is no companion bill. The Democratic chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell, has made no firm commitment to advance the proposal. “I will be talking to my Senate and House colleagues to try to find a path forward that is constitutional and …

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LIVE VIDEO: House Votes On Bill That Could Ban TikTok

The Hill reports: The House is expected to pass a bill Wednesday presenting an ultimatum to the ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok. Under the measure, the company would have to sell the popular video platform or else face a ban in the U.S. Former President Trump, who attempted to ban TikTok in 2020, has nonetheless come out against …

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TODAY: House Votes On Bill To Ban TikTok Nationwide

CNN reports: The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban against TikTok, a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media apps that comes as former President Donald Trump has signaled opposition to a ban. The bill would prohibit TikTok from US app stores unless the social media …

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Trump Ally Claims He’ll Buy TikTok If It Gets Banned

The Hill reports: “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary suggested that he will buy social media platform TikTok if a proposed ban goes ahead. “Not going to get banned, ‘cause I’m gonna buy it,” O’Leary said on Fox News. “Somebody’s going to buy it, it won’t be Meta and it won’t be Google, ‘cause…regulator [will] stop that.” “This is worth billions, …

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House Advances Bill That Could Result In TikTok Ban

The Hill reports: The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced a bill Thursday that would require TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest the app or face a U.S. ban. The bill advanced out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support just two days after it was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers …

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Kansas AG Sues TikTok For “Promoting Filth To Kids”

Topeka’s ABC affiliate reports: The Kansas Attorney General’s Office announced his office has filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, March 6 in Shawnee County District Court against social media company TikTok for misrepresenting its age-appropriateness in app stores, deceiving parents about the effectiveness of its parental tools and creating and aggressively promoting an addictive app that erodes the mental health of …

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GOP Senators To Biden: Delete Your TikTok Account

Reuters reports: A group of 18 Republican lawmakers has urged President Joe Biden to deactivate his campaign’s TikTok account citing national security concerns. The lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters said Biden was “ignoring TikTok’s well-established national security risks. How can the federal government warn Americans about the risks of this app if the Commander in Chief uses it, …

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Biden Campaign Launches TikTok Account [Video]

CNBC reports: President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign launched an official TikTok account Sunday evening. The account is noteworthy because TikTok is currently banned on most U.S. government-issued devices. The TikTok account, with the handle ”@bidenhq,” debuted Sunday during Lunar New Year celebrations in China and Super Bowl 58 in the U.S. In late 2022, Biden signed legislation that barred most …

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Haley: “For Every 30 Minutes That Someone Watches TikTok, They Become 17% More Antisemitic” [VIDEO]

“We really do need to ban TikTok once and for all, and let me tell you why. For every 30 minutes that someone watches TikTok every day, they become 17% more anti-Semitic, more pro-Hamas based on doing that. “We now know that 50% of adults 18 to 25 think that Hamas was warranted in what they did with Israel. That’s …

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Federal Judge Blocks Montana’s Ban On Using TikTok

Reuters reports: A U.S. judge late on Thursday blocked Montana’s first-of-its kind state ban on the use of short-video sharing app TikTok from taking effect on Jan. 1, saying it violated the free speech rights of users. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy issued a preliminary injunction to block the ban on the Chinese-owned app, saying the state ban “violates the …

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Hawley Renews Push To Ban TikTok For US Users

NBC News reports: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked the Biden administration Tuesday to ban TikTok in part because of how the app has handled content about the Israel-Hamas war. He called for the ban in a letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency panel with the …

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EU Fines TikTok $368M Over Children’s Privacy Rights

The Guardian reports: TikTok has been fined €345m (£296m) for breaking EU data law in its handling of children’s accounts, including failing to shield underage users’ content from public view. The Irish data watchdog, which regulates TikTok across the EU, said the Chinese-owned video app had committed multiple breaches of GDPR rules. It found TikTok had contravened GDPR by placing …

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Ramaswamy Joins TikTok After Calling For Banning App

Axios reports: Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday became the first GOP presidential candidate to join TikTok, a Chinese-owned app he described as “digital fentanyl” as recently as last week. Ramaswamy, 38, said Wednesday that he changed his stance on using TikTok after a conversation with social media star Jake Paul. “Yes, kids under age 16 shouldn’t be using it, but …

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Montana Sued By TikTok Users Over Ban On Downloads

Reuters reports: Five TikTok users in Montana who create content posted on the short-video app filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the state’s new ban on the Chinese-owned platform. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban TikTok in the state, effective Jan. 1. The five users seek to block the law, which makes it …

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Montana Becomes First State To Completely Ban TikTok, App Stores To Face Fines For Every “Offered” Download

The Associated Press reports: Montana became the first state in the U.S. to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday when the state’s Republican governor signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app. The measure is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that …

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Rand Paul: GOP Could Lose Elections Over TikTok Ban

Politico reports: Rand’s got a new stand: Banning TikTok will backfire on the GOP with young voters. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who’s shown repeatedly that he’ll stretch chamber rules to their limits in order to be heard, is warning the rest of the GOP about the electoral price it might pay for yanking one of their favorite apps. As the …

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