TikTok
The hottest social media platform also faces the most precarious future, at least in the U.S. TikTok’s rapid adoption and ascent to become a prominent and profitable driver of culture across generations has sparked plenty of copycat efforts from its competitors, in addition to rare bipartisan scrutiny from the federal government. TechCrunch is covering the decision facing TikTok owner Bytedance: either it sells its U.S. operations to a separate company or faces a potential ban on its operations within the country.
The agency was investigating the company over potential violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Act.
TikTok ads will now include AI avatars of creators and stock actors
TikTok announced on Monday that it’s introducing generative AI avatars of creators and stock actors for branded content and ads on its platform. The company is also launching an “AI…
TikTok comes for Google as it quietly rolls out image search capabilities in TikTok Shop
After leading the social media landscape, TikTok appears to be interested in challenging Google’s dominance in search. The company confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s testing the ability for users to…
TikTok is testing streaks that are similar to Snapchat’s in order to boost engagement, including how long people stay on the app.
The malicious attack appears to have involved malware transmitted through TikTok’s DMs.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump now has an account on the short-form video app that he once tried to ban. Trump’s TikTok account, which launched on Saturday night, features…
The Biden campaign is looking to hire a seasoned meme lord
President Joe Biden needs a meme manager.
TikTok is the latest tech company to incorporate generative AI into its ads business, as the company announced on Tuesday that it’s launching a new “TikTok Symphony” AI suite for…
TikTok tests 60-minute video uploads as it continues to take on YouTube
TikTok is testing the ability for users to upload 60-minute videos, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The feature is available to a limited group of users in select…
TikTok is suing the United States government in an effort to block a law that would ban TikTok if its parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year.…
Musk raises $6B for AI startup. Also, is TikTok dodging Apple’s commissions?
Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje’s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Musk’s…
TikTok is adding new ad products that will allow marketers to better control what sort of content their ads appear against.
Users on TikTok can once again create music clips using tracks from Universal Music Group’s catalog, which features some of the biggest names in music today: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish,…
Screenshots suggest TikTok is circumventing Apple App Store commissions
The feature may be hidden from most users, either by design or because it’s only shown to users in a specific group, like testers or high spenders.
Twitch is officially rolling out its new TikTok-like discovery feed to all users this week, the company announced on Tuesday. The new feed, which is launching as a tab within…
Featured Article
Will a TikTok ban impact creator economy startups? Not really, founders say
President Joe Biden signed a bill on Wednesday that could ban TikTok — for real this time. After so many false starts and stops, some creator economy founders and their clients are rolling their eyes. They’ve been through this before. “I think two years ago, this would have been devastating,”…
So are we banning TikTok or what? Also: Can an influencer really tank an $800M company?
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Ticktock,…
Snap says total watch time on its TikTok competitor increased more than 125%
As part of its Q1 2024 earning release, Snap revealed that total watch time on its TikTok competitor, Spotlight, increased more than 125% year-over-year. Snapchat launched the TikTok-like feed in…
Is TikTok getting banned? Not yet, but you should explore alternatives
As a TikTok ban gets closer to becoming a reality in the United States, it might be time to start thinking about other platforms to adopt early in case you…
Breaking down TikTok’s legal arguments around free speech, national security claims
Social media platform TikTok says that a bill banning the app in the U.S. is “unconstitutional” and that it will fight this latest attempt to restrict its use in court.…
Featured Article
Gen Z is losing its political voice on social media
President Joe Biden signed the bill this week that could ban TikTok from the U.S. if its parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell the platform. According to young political content creators, the ban could decimate Gen Z’s access to political news and information. “An unfortunately large amount of 18- to 24-year-olds…
The impact of TikTok’s ban in other countries could signal what’s ahead for the US
On April 24, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill that would ban TikTok if its owner ByteDance doesn’t sell the app. The bill requires ByteDance to secure a deal…
TikTok pulls feature from Lite app in EU over addiction concerns
TikTok suspended a gamification feature in the European Union following an intervention by the bloc. With attention on TikTok’s growing pile of U.S. legal woes, the announcement went mostly unnoticed…
Featured Article
TikTok ban signed into law by President Biden: How we got here, and what comes next
TikTok faces an uncertain fate in the U.S. once again. A bill including a deadline for TikTok parent company Bytedance to divest within nine months or face a ban on app stores to distribute the app in the U.S., was signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday as part of…
Biden signs bill that would ban TikTok if ByteDance fails to sell the app
President Biden has signed a bill that would ban TikTok if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year. The bill, which includes aid for Ukraine…
Senate passes a bill that would ban TikTok if ByteDance doesn’t sell it
The bill gives Bytedance nine months to force a sale with a 90-day extension, which is effectively a year to complete the deal.
EU opens probe of TikTok Lite, citing concerns about addictive design
The European Union has opened a second formal investigation into TikTok, announcing Monday that it suspects the video sharing platform of breaking the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), an online…
TikTok Shop expands its secondhand luxury fashion offering to the UK
TikTok Shop, TikTok’s social commerce marketplace, is launching a secondhand luxury category in the U.K., putting it in closer competition with The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Depop, Poshmark, and Mercari, among…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this afternoon that would require TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the popular social media app or see it banned in the United…
TikTok starts testing its Instagram competitor TikTok Notes in Canada and Australia
TikTok is rolling out its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, in select markets. The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in Canada and Australia, the…
