Latest news with #TikTokLite
Euronews
17-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Online platforms fail to assess risks in annual reports, study says
Reports that major online platforms must draw up under EU rules designed to assess risks on their platforms, including features that could influence users' mental health, are falling short, according to a study by the DSA Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG) published on Monday. The group, which includes the Center for Democracy and Technology, consumer group BEUC and privacy advocates Mozilla and Access Now among others, said that the reports do not 'adequately assess and address the actual harms and foreseeable negative effects of platform functioning.' The first batch of annual reports by websites designated very large online platforms (VLOPs) by the European Commission in 2023 under the Digital Services Act (DSA) - including Facebook, TikTok and Google - came out last November. The CSCG report says that the exercises should focus 'more thoroughly on risks stemming from platform design, in particular recommender systems, which amplify harmful content that contribute to risks such as mental health issues and political polarisation.' 'Design choices, particularly those driven by engagement metrics, can significantly contribute to systemic risks […]. Despite this, many reports focused primarily on content moderation rather than addressing how platform design itself might be a root cause of harm,' the report said. Besides these exercises, platforms are also required to conduct ad hoc risk assessments before launching new features or products in the EU. In the case of TikTok, last year, the company decided to withdraw its TikTok Lite rewards program from the EU market, after concerns raised by the Commission about the impact on the mental health of users. The Commission has opened several investigations under the DSA and sent requests for information to platforms about their recommender systems, including to X and Temu. Just over a day after blasting off, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, delivering the replacements for NASA's two stuck astronauts. The four newcomers — representing the U.S., Japan and Russia — will spend the next few days learning the station's ins and outs from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Then the two will strap into their own SpaceX capsule later this week, one that has been up there since last year, to close out an unexpected extended mission that began last June. Wilmore and Williams expected that they would be gone for just a week when they took Boeing's first astronaut flight to the ISS. They hit the nine-month mark earlier this month. The Boeing Starliner capsule encountered so many problems that NASA insisted it come back empty, leaving its test pilots behind to wait for a SpaceX lift. Wilmore swung open the space station's hatch and then rang the ship's bell as the new arrivals floated in one by one and were greeted with hugs and handshakes. 'It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,' Williams told Mission Control. Wilmore's and Williams' ride arrived back in late September with a downsized crew of two and two empty seats reserved for the leg back. But more delays resulted when their replacements' brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs. An older capsule took its place, pushing up their return by a couple weeks to mid-March. Weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule carrying Wilmore, Williams and two other astronauts will undock from the space station no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off Florida's coast. Until then, there will be 11 aboard the orbiting lab, representing the U.S., Russia and Japan.
Korea Herald
19-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korean TikTok users on rise despite data leakage worries
South Korean users of the popular short-video app TikTok are on the rise despite concerns over possible data leakage, an industry data tracker said Wednesday. The monthly active users of TikTok and TikTok Lite, which are owned by China-based ByteDance, reached 4.89 million and 4.79 million, respectively, in Korea last month, according to the data from industry tracker IGAWorks. TikTok Lite is a faster version of TikTok, designed for users who have less than 3 gigabytes of random access memory or limited data. The combined MAU of TikTok and TikTok Lite stood at 9.69 million, exceeding the 8.61 million monthly users held by Meta Platforms' social media app Facebook here in January, the data showed. TikTok launched its smaller version, TikTok Lite, in Korea in late 2023 amid concerns over possible user data leaks to China and the app's addiction risks. Most recently, TikTok parent ByteDance turned out to have shared Korean user data sent by the DeepSeek chatbot, developed by a China-based artificial intelligence startup. South Korea temporarily suspended new downloads of DeepSeek in the country over concerns about its data collection practices. (Yonhap)
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TikTok is back in US app stores for Apple and Android
Apple and Android brought TikTok back to their app stores for US users on Thursday night. Since late January, TikTok's service — but not the app itself — was available in the US. TikTok's app was removed due to a divest-or-ban law signed by former President Joe Biden. Apple and Android have restored TikTok on US app stores on Thursday night. Last month, the companies made ByteDance apps, including TikTok, unavailable in the US to comply with a divest-or-ban law that former President Joe Biden signed in April. TikTok itself went dark for a couple of hours in the US leading up to January 20. But it was brought back online after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his inauguration day that delayed the ban by 75 days. This week, TikTok announced an Android package kit that allows users to download TikTok and TikTok Lite to bypass the ban. Last year, the bill to ban TikTok received bipartisan support in the House and Senate due to national security concerns with ByteDance's Chinese ownership. ByteDance spent months challenging the law that required it to be divested or banned from the US before January 19. On January 17, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the ban. Apple, Android, and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TikTok gave Android users a way to bypass the US ban on downloading the app. Here's how to do it.
TikTok is still unavailable in app stores in the US. The company is offering an Android package kit to download the app. TikTok Lite lets users watch content, follow creators, and interact with their content. TikTok created a way for users to download the app on Android even though it is still unavailable in app stores inside the United States. This week TikTok announced an Android package kit that allows users to download TikTok and TikTok Lite, the company's alternative app with limited features for optimized performance and less data usage. TikTok Lite lets users watch content, follow creators, and interact with their content, but some features like livestreams and the TikTok Shop are not available on the app. Some other social media companies like Facebook also offer lite versions of their apps that use less data. "Since TikTok is temporarily unavailable to download in app stores in the US, we're enhancing ways for you to continue using TikTok if you don't have the app installed on your mobile device," the company said on its website. Android users can download the app by visiting When visiting the app on a mobile device, tap "download" and then follow the instructions to download the app. TikTok recommends only downloading the app from TikTok's website — not through any QR codes — to avoid malware. TikTok has been absent from US app stores since the app briefly "went dark" on January 19 after the Supreme Court upheld a law banning the app inside the country. The law required TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the company and find an American buyer for the app. Proponents of the law have criticized TikTok as harmful to children and raised concerns about ByteDance having control of American's personal data. In 2020, TikTok entered a deal with US software company, Oracle, to store TikTok's US user data in the Oracle Cloud. TikTok said on its website that its "robust protocols" remain in place for the versions of its apps that can be downloaded through the Android package kit to ensure they are "safe and secure." "Oracle and our Independent Security Inspectors continue to have access to our app's source code and can review it for potential vulnerabilities through technical security testing and validation of the TikTok US Platform," the company said. ByteDance has made no public comment on the potential sale of TikTok since President Donald Trump gave the company a 75-day extension to find an American buyer last month. In April 2024, ByteDance, said it would rather shut down TikTok in the US than sell it. iPhone users can still put a shortcut to the TikTok mobile website on their homepage if the app is not already installed on their phone. To add TikTok to the iPhone home screen, navigate to the Safari app, go to TikTok's website, and then press "add TikTok to home screen" to add a shortcut to the website. TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TikTok Offers Workaround for Android Users To Download the App
TikTok may still be unavailable for download in US app stores, but the company is providing a workaround for Android users. Over the weekend, the company announced in a tweet that it has developed Android download kits for TikTok and TikTok Lite on Android devices. TikTok Lite, a streamlined version of the platform, features fewer tools to optimize performance – a popular option in regions where internet access is limited. Although users can watch and follow most content, some features, including Live and TikTok Shop, are not available. On a mobile or web browser, users can visit to install the Android app on their device. The concept of sideloading – installing an app from a source outside an official app store – is generally discouraged by tech companies as it can come with security risks. TikTok has yet to return to Google Play and Apple's App Store since the app temporarily went offline on Jan. 19. The company said it only recommends downloading the software directly from its site – and avoiding downloads from other sites and QR codes – to protect devices from potential malicious software. It added that it is ensuring strong security measures for its Android Package Kits to keep the app safe. Just hours after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of a TikTok ban to give 75 additional days to find a non-Chinese buyer. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns that TikTok could pose a national security risk due to its ties to China. President Trump said he plans to consult with his advisers about the platform's potential security threats and will "pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans." A handful of companies and potential buyers have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, including Perplexity AI, YouTuber MrBeast, and "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary.
