TikTok | TechCrunch

TikTok partners with Warner Bros. to become a discovery engine for TV and movies

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 13:00:22 +0000

TikTok’s latest offering is capitalizing on the app’s ability to serve as a discovery engine for other media — something its users already take advantage of by sharing short clips of movies and TV shows. Today, the company is partnering with studios like Warner Bros. to launch a feature that lets users discover movies and […]

TikTok Lite: EU closes addictive design case after TikTok commits to not bring back rewards mechanism

Natasha Lomas — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:22:50 +0000

The European Commission has closed a Digital Services Act (DSA) investigation of a rewards feature in TikTok Lite by accepting commitments from the social media giant to permanently withdraw the feature from the EU. The TikTok Lite “task and reward” mechanism, launched in France and Spain earlier this year, lets users earn points for doing […]

FTC and Justice Department sue TikTok over alleged child privacy violations

Kyle Wiggers — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 20:12:22 +0000

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department are suing TikTok and ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, with violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The law requires digital platforms to notify and obtain parents’ consent before collecting and using personal data from children under the age of 13. In a press release issued […]

TikTok rolls out a new feature that lets you find songs by singing or humming them

Aisha Malik — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:51:06 +0000

Sound Search on TikTok is somewhat similar to YouTube Music’s song detection tool that lets you find the name of a song by singing, humming or playing it.

TikTok Lite exposes users to harmful content, say Mozilla researchers

Annie Njanja — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:19:21 +0000

TikTok Lite, a low-bandwidth version of the video platform popular across Africa, Asia and Latin America, is exposing users to harmful content because of its lack of safety features compared to the flagship version of the app, according to a new report from Mozilla. The researchers said that TikTok Lite Save Data lacked “proactive user […]

TikTok fast-tracks artist account creation for DistroKid members

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

TikTok is partnering with the music distribution service DistroKid to fast-track the creation of artist accounts for members. The ByteDance-owned short video platform introduced an Artist Account feature last year to let musicians showcase their new music along with their music catalog on the platform and behind-the-scenes footage. Typically, it takes up to 30 days […]

Some teens under 18 may have have access to TikTok Shop, despite adults-only policy

Sarah Perez — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:33 +0000

The tests indicate there are loopholes in TikTok's ability to apply its parental controls and policies effectively in a situation where the teen user originally lied about their age, as many likely do.

CapCut will stop offering free cloud storage from August 5

Ivan Mehta — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 11:01:18 +0000

ByteDance’s video editing app CapCut will stop offering free cloud storage to host creative assets starting August 5. In the past few days, users have received notifications about CapCut changing its terms for the free tier. Until now, the company used to have 1 GB of free cloud storage — this is going away. You […]

While TikTok chases YouTube, Instagram vows to focus on short-form content

Aisha Malik — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 15:00:52 +0000

As TikTok continues to test the waters with longer videos, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri has said the Meta-owned social network will continue to focus on short-form content. In an Instagram Reel, Mosseri said that long-form content would move the platform away from its two key focus areas, which are connecting people with their friends and […]

How to set up parental controls on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and more popular sites

Aisha Malik — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 19:15:00 +0000

We’ve created this guide to help parents navigate the controls offered by popular social media companies.

TikTok to challenge Amazon Prime Day with its own sales event in July

Aisha Malik — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 14:03:11 +0000

TikTok is gearing up to challenge Amazon’s Prime Day event in July. The social network announced on Thursday that TikTok Shop is holding a “Deals For You Days” sales event in the U.S. starting on July 9. The announcement comes a few days after Amazon revealed that its annual Prime Day sales will take place […]

TikTok’s Instagram rival, Whee, has no traction

Sarah Perez — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 16:33:36 +0000

Like Instagram, Whee also supports the use of photo filters and includes messaging. However, the company's plans for Whee aren't clear.

Inspired by Gen Z, Pinterest users can now turn boards into videos for sharing on Instagram and TikTok

Sarah Perez — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 15:52:47 +0000

The new addition was inspired by the video-sharing activity that was already taking place on apps like TikTok.

FTC refers TikTok child privacy case to Justice Department

Aisha Malik — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 21:01:59 +0000

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

Aisha Malik — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

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 Dubbing” tool for creators and brands to expand the reach of their ads and branded content. The new “Custom Avatars” are designed to represent a […]

TikTok comes for Google as it quietly rolls out image search capabilities in TikTok Shop

Aisha Malik — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 18:40:53 +0000

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 take or upload a photo to find similar products in TikTok Shop. The feature, which was first spotted by X user Jonah Manzano, is available […]

TikTok is testing Snapchat-like streaks

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 17:38:20 +0000

TikTok is testing streaks that are similar to Snapchat's in order to boost engagement, including how long people stay on the app.

TikTok acknowledges exploit targeting high-profile accounts

Sarah Perez — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 18:33:18 +0000

The malicious attack appears to have involved malware transmitted through TikTok's DMs.

Trump takes off on TikTok

Anthony Ha — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 16:07:53 +0000

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 just one post as of publication time on Sunday morning. In the video, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White declares, “The President is now on […]

The Biden campaign is looking to hire a seasoned meme lord

Amanda Silberling — Wed, 22 May 2024 22:32:15 +0000

President Joe Biden needs a meme manager.