TikTok

TikTok, whose mainland Chinese counterpart is Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed with a smartphone app.

Some of the key events about TikTok

2016
Launched as a short-form video sharing platform, initially known as Douyin in China
2017
Expanded internationally under the name TikTok
2018
Merged with Musical.ly, significantly increasing its user base
2018
TikTok was fined $5.7 million by the US Federal Trade Commission for illegally collecting personal information from children under 13
2019
Introduced educational content initiative #EduTok in India
2019
The app was temporarily banned in India due to concerns about pornographic content and predatory behavior
2020
Launched $200 million Creator Fund to support content creators
2020
Implemented new features to combat misinformation and promote digital literacy
2020
TikTok was accused of censoring content related to Hong Kong protests and other politically sensitive topics
2020
The app faced scrutiny over its data collection practices and potential ties to the Chinese government
2020
TikTok was banned in India along with other Chinese apps due to national security concerns
2020
The Trump administration attempted to ban TikTok in the US, citing national security risks
2021
Introduced TikTok for Business to help brands engage with users
2021
Partnered with Shopify to enable in-app shopping experiences
2021
TikTok paid $92 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations
2022
Launched TikTok Kitchen, a virtual restaurant delivery service
2022
TikTok admitted that employees in China had accessed US user data
2022
The app faced criticism for its addictive nature and potential negative impact on mental health, especially among young users
2023
Introduced new screen time controls to promote digital wellbeing
2023
TikTok was fined €5 million by French authorities for failing to provide an easy way to refuse cookies

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.