HOW TIKTOK GREW FROM A FUN APP FOR TEENS INTO A POTENTIAL NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT
AppleMagazine|May 03, 2024
If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that's probably because it has, at least if you're measuring via internet time.
HOW TIKTOK GREW FROM A FUN APP FOR TEENS INTO A POTENTIAL NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT

What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?

Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical. ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. It’s not clear whether that law will survive an expected legal challenge or that ByteDance would agree to sell.

Here’s how TikTok came to this juncture:

MARCH 2012

ByteDance is founded in China by entrepreneur Zhang Yimin. Its first hit product is Toutiao, a personalized news aggregator for Chinese users.

JULY 2014

Startup Musical.ly, later known for an eponymous app used to post short lipsyncing music videos, is founded in China by entrepreneur Alex Zhu.

JULY 2015

Musical.ly hits #1 in the Apple App Store, following a design change that made the company’s logo visible when users shared their videos.

2016

ByteDance launches Douyin, a video sharing app for Chinese users. Its popularity inspires the company to spin off a version for foreign audiences called TikTok.

NOVEMBER 2017

Byte Dance acquires Musical.ly for $1 billion. Nine months later, ByteDance merges it with TikTok.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 03, 2024 من AppleMagazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 03, 2024 من AppleMagazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من APPLEMAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
SENATORS URGE $32 BILLION IN EMERGENCY SPENDING ON AI AFTER FINISHING YEARLONG REVIEW
AppleMagazine

SENATORS URGE $32 BILLION IN EMERGENCY SPENDING ON AI AFTER FINISHING YEARLONG REVIEW

A bipartisan group of four senators led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is recommending that Congress spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and place safeguards around it, writing in a new report released Wednesday that the U.S. needs to “harness the opportunities and address the risks” of the quickly developing technology.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 17, 2024
THE FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING YOUR FIRST USED TESLA
AppleMagazine

THE FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING YOUR FIRST USED TESLA

It's a good time to be in the market for a used Tesla. Tesla's significant price cuts over the past year on its new cars have caused the prices of used Teslas to drop significantly.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 17, 2024
WAYMO IS LATEST COMPANY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR AUTONOMOUS OR PARTIALLY AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY
AppleMagazine

WAYMO IS LATEST COMPANY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR AUTONOMOUS OR PARTIALLY AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY

The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has opened another investigation of automated driving systems, this time into crashes involving Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 17, 2024
YOUNG SOUTH KOREANS ARE INCREASINGLY DRAWN TO BUDDHISM VIA SOCIAL MEDIA-SAVVY INFLUENCERS
AppleMagazine

YOUNG SOUTH KOREANS ARE INCREASINGLY DRAWN TO BUDDHISM VIA SOCIAL MEDIA-SAVVY INFLUENCERS

A South Korean deejay dressed as a Buddhist monk bounced up and down on stage while playing electronic music and shouting: \"This too shall pass!\"

time-read
3 mins  |
May 17, 2024
ROKU WILL STREAM WEEKLY MLB GAME ON SUNDAYS.VIEWERS WON'T NEED ONE OF THE SERVICE'S DEVICES
AppleMagazine

ROKU WILL STREAM WEEKLY MLB GAME ON SUNDAYS.VIEWERS WON'T NEED ONE OF THE SERVICE'S DEVICES

Roku will carry Major League Baseball games on Sundays beginning this week, and viewers will be able to watch for free and not be required to use a Roku device, the streaming service announced Monday.

time-read
1 min  |
May 17, 2024
WILL AI REPLACE DOCTORS WHO READ X-RAYS, OR JUST MAKE THEM BETTER THAN EVER?
AppleMagazine

WILL AI REPLACE DOCTORS WHO READ X-RAYS, OR JUST MAKE THEM BETTER THAN EVER?

How good would an algorithm have to be to take over your job?

time-read
4 mins  |
May 17, 2024
GM'S CRUISE TO START TESTING ROBOTAXIS IN PHOENIX AREA WITH HUMAN SAFETY DRIVERS ON BOARD
AppleMagazine

GM'S CRUISE TO START TESTING ROBOTAXIS IN PHOENIX AREA WITH HUMAN SAFETY DRIVERS ON BOARD

General Motors’ troubled Cruise autonomous vehicle unit said it will start testing robotaxis in Arizona this week with human safety drivers on board.

time-read
1 min  |
May 17, 2024
GOOGLE UNLEASHES AI IN SEARCH, RAISING HOPES FOR BETTER RESULTS AND FEARS ABOUT LESS WEB TRAFFIC
AppleMagazine

GOOGLE UNLEASHES AI IN SEARCH, RAISING HOPES FOR BETTER RESULTS AND FEARS ABOUT LESS WEB TRAFFIC

Google this week rolled out a retooled search engine that will frequently favor responses crafted by artificial intelligence over website links, a shift promising to quicken the quest for information while also potentially disrupting the flow of money-making internet traffic.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 17, 2024
SMALL, WELL-BUILT CHINESE EV CALLED THE SEAGULL POSES A BIG THREAT TO THE US AUTO INDUSTRY
AppleMagazine

SMALL, WELL-BUILT CHINESE EV CALLED THE SEAGULL POSES A BIG THREAT TO THE US AUTO INDUSTRY

A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians trembling.

time-read
6 mins  |
May 17, 2024
INTEL EXEC ON BRINGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTO THE WORKPLACE
AppleMagazine

INTEL EXEC ON BRINGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTO THE WORKPLACE

Artificial intelligence is just about everywhere you look these days — including the workplace.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 17, 2024