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.
tiktok

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.

TikTok Latest news

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