Trump’s TikTok meddling means we’ll never be able to escape Big Tech
President Donald Trump has neutralized two of the biggest rivals to Big Tech. With practically no competition, can we ever escape tech giants?
Triller soars to the top of the app store charts following TikTok controversy
Video app Triller has emerged as a winner amid the TikTok controversy. The app has soared to the top of the app stores with a surge of new users.
The U.S. also plans action against Chinese apps like WeChat, Pompeo says
In addition to TikTok, the United States is planning to soon take action on other Chinese apps such as WeChat too, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said .
Trump says he’ll ban TikTok from the U.S.
President Donald Trump said he will ban popular video app TikTok from operating in the U.S.
Microsoft nears deal to take over TikTok as Trump ban looms
Popular social video app TikTok could be separating further from its parent company ByteDance to allow it to continue to be used in the U.S.
TikTok is revealing its algorithm — and attacking Facebook
TikTok took a jab at Facebook in a post on Wednesday saying it welcomes competition, but only if it's fair.
TikTok says it will pay creators a total of $2 billion in the next 3 years
TikTok has announced an updated $2 billion fund to pay its creators across the world over the next three years.
Biden campaign orders staff members to delete TikTok from phones
The Joe Biden campaign has reportedly asked its staff members to remove short-form video-sharing app, TikTok from both their work and personal phones.
WitchTok, the online coven of TikTok witches, is mobilizing against racism
The WitchTok community on TikTok has gone from a gathering place to share spells to an organized movement for fierce political mobilization.
White House says it could take action on TikTok in ‘weeks, not months’
A senior White House official has said that the United States could take action on Chinese apps such as TikTok and WeChat in 'weeks, not months.'
Popular iOS apps, including Spotify and TikTok, go down due to Facebook issue
A Facebook issue is causing problems with popular apps including Spotify, TikTok, Pinterest, and Tinder on iOS devices, temporarily stopping them from working.
TikTok is quitting the Hong Kong market over free speech concerns
TikTok says it's pulling out of the Hong Kong market in the wake of a controversial new security law that will require tech companies to hand over user data.
India bans TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps over data privacy concerns
India has banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok claiming they pose a threat to Indians’ data privacy and secretly transfer data to servers outside India.
TikTok isn’t paying its biggest stars, but they don’t really care
TikTok just had its best quarter as more people are tuning in than ever. But will the lack of ad monetization hamper its growth and popularity among creators?
TikTok now lets you control your kid’s account from your own TikTok
TikTok Family Pairing is like a remote control for your teens' account settings, allowing parents to set restrictions on screen time and direct messaging.
YouTube set to take on TikTok with a new feature called Shorts
YouTube is reportedly developing a new TikTok-like section that will live inside its main apps. Called Shorts, it will ofeature an endless feed of short videos.
Moment’s new ‘vibey’ video app Rtro is your ticket to TikTok stardom
The iOS app serves up 14 filters inspired by old film and TV effects. Free to download, an in-app purchase is required to unlock the full collection of looks.
Fashion Week isn’t about models anymore — it’s about the influencers
TikTok's Charli D’Amelio attends the Prada show. YouTube's Emma Chamberlain vloggs for Louis Vuitton. Social media influencers are taking over Fashion Week.
What does it take to make a social media network that doesn’t exploit users?
Social media sites can be fun and silly but also grab all your data to keep you hooked. Some sites want to be a refuge from harassment but haven't caught on the way Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok have. Is there a way to be both popular and good?
Teens are so obsessed with TikTok that it’s finally adding parental controls
To curb how much time younger people spend on TikTok, the app rolled out parental controls to allow parents to set how long their kids can use the video app.
Instagram wants to be both YouTube and TikTok, but it’s succeeding at neither
Instagram's dismissal of the IGTV button on its main app signals the video platform's growing troubles as competitors like TikTok continue to rise. IGTV, while trying to take on both TikTok and YouTube, has evolved into a confusing offering and pushed users to look elsewhere for their vertical content.
TikTok beats Facebook, Messenger in 2019 with over 700 million downloads
TikTok was downloaded more than 700 million times in 2019, beating Facebook and Messenger and behind only WhatsApp. The music video app's top market in terms of downloads was India, despite a brief ban in April, but most of its revenue was earned in China, the home market of owner Bytedance.
TikTok vulnerability could have allowed hackers to take over users’ profiles
Security research firm, Check Point says it found multiple severe loopholes within short-form video app, TikTok that could have potentially allowed hackers to take over users’ accounts, access their private data, and upload videos on their behalf. The vulnerabilities have now been patched.
The 2010s were a difficult decade for photography, but it’s not black and white
A decade of decline for camera sales was met by a cascade of creativity resulting from the rise of the smartphone and social media. It hasn't all been good, but photography remains a core component of human expression.
TikTok owner Bytedance aims to launch a music-streaming app before year’s end
A new report Bytedance will announce a new music streaming app next month in a bunch of countries including India, Brazil, and Indonesia. The subscription will likely be paid, however, it will be priced competitively, and may undercut incumbents such as Spotify and Amazon Music.
TikTok lawsuit claims video app ‘vacuums up’ user data and sends it to China
A lawsuit has been filed in California against video social network TikTok, which claims the app collects user data and sends it to China, something the firm has denied in the past. Although owned by a Chinese company, TikTok says it operates independently, and stores U.S. user data on U.S. servers.
Clone wars: Instagram is ripping off TikTok because no one likes Facebook
Instagram is capitalizing by the popularity of lip-syncing apps like TikTok and launching its own tool for music videos to Stories. Instagram Reels is a tool that allows users to record 15-second videos to music. The tool is first launching in Brazil today.
TikTok can now be integrated into your favorite video-editing apps
Editing a video for TikTok just got simpler. TikTok has launched an SDK that allows third-party apps to add a share to TikTok tool, opening up more possibilities for editing videos for the popular platform. The first apps to add the tool include Premiere Rush, Plotaverse, PicsArt, and more.
TikTok and Kakao revive the trend of social companies launching smartphones
Bytedance, the company behind the TikTok video app, and South Korea's Kakao, which operates KakaoTalk, have both announced smartphones, restarting a dormant trend of social firms making hardware with quick access to their respective apps. Time has not been kind to these examples in the past, but that could change.
U.S. government launches national security investigation into TikTok
The U.S. government has launched a national security investigation into the popular app TikTok. The national security review is specifically looking into the China-based company’s acquisition of the app Musical.ly. TikTok purchased the company for $1 billion roughly two years ago.
TikTok removed dozens of accounts that were posting ISIS propaganda
TikTok has reportedly removed around two dozen accounts from its platform after they posted extremist propaganda in the app, specifically promoting the work of ISIS. Several of the accounts had reached over 1,000 followers before they were removed from the platform.
Do Threads’ sparse downloads mean Facebook’s best days are in the past?
Instagram Threads only saw a small percentage of downloads in the first week -- so is the new app destined for failure? Data shows a small number of downloads as Threads joins Lasso in the list of Facebook's attempts to captivate Gen Z, both with slower growth than competing apps.
TikTok’s creepy new feature lets you search for videos based on people’s faces
You’ll soon be able to look up the faces featured in a TikTok clip. The Bytedance-owned short-form video app is testing a new reverse-image search tool in China. In addition to items such as clothes, the feature will allow you to select a face and browse other videos the person it belongs to appears in.
How to use TikTok
TikTok is the free entertainment app that focuses on short, musical videos created by users. You can scroll through millions of videos uploaded by other users, or you can get creative and make your own videos. Here's how to use TikTok to make awesome videos, or to just get some laughs.