Tiktok is not the only ByteDance app that is gone
TikTok and its parent ByteDance’s other apps have disappeared from the US, a day after it received a nationwide ban over the app’s alleged violations of US laws. ByteDance was required to either sell the US operations or face a nationwide ban. TikTok has urged US President Joe Biden to provide assurance that it wouldn’t enforce the law.
TikTok is unavailable in the US and not available from the app stores
The US President Joe Biden has suggested TikTok to raise its concerns with President-elect Donald Trump about a new law which requires apps to remove TikTok content from their platforms. Biden said that he’d like to know how TikTok plans on complying with the law. TikTok has asked Apple and Google not to remove the app from their app stores.
TikTok service providers risk billions of dollars in penalties for uploading it back online
TikTok and many other ByteDance-owned apps were removed from US App Store and Google Play Store as of Sunday, after the US Congress passed a law banning the platform. The law also banned companies from providing data hosting services to TikTok. It was passed after ByteDance failed to obtain a court order to restore TikTok in the US.
Nobody knows what happens next after the Supreme Court ruled on TikTok
US Supreme Court has upheld the ban on TikTok in the US, stating that the app is a “great source of community, expression, and means of engagement”. TikTok had argued that it violates the freespeech rights of both users and the company, which it took all the way to the Supreme Court. It will take effect on Sunday.
The explosion by SpaceX put on a fantastic show but delayed and diverted flights
SpaceX’s Starship rocket experienced a ” rapid unscheduled disassembly” following the separation from its booster and the start of its ascent to space. A screenshot shared by FlightRadar24 showed several aircraft in holding patterns or being diverted after the incident. The last time the Starship was lost was during its third test flight.
The Supreme Court upheld a ban on TikTok
Following the US Supreme Court’s ruling in the TikTok case, US President Donald Trump said, “My decision on TikTok will be made in not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation.” Trump had earlier said he had a “very good” call with China’s President Xi Jinping, including discussions about the app.
Microsoft raises prices when it bundles Office features into Microsoft 365
Microsoft’s Copilot is planning to launch its AI-powered Assistant in Office 365 by the end of the year. The company will make it available on subscription plans starting from $99 (around 8,100) for existing subscribers and from $149 (around 10,000) for new subscribers. The Assistant will be integrated with Microsoft’s Office apps likeWord, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.
The Supreme Court held on to the TikTok Ban Law
The US Supreme Court on Friday ruled that web hosting companies can’t sell content from Chinese social media platform TikTok due to national security concerns. The ruling means that starting on January 19, 2018, Apple and other tech giants will no longer offer TikTok. Web Hosting Providers must cut ties with the platform or be subject to fines of $5,000 for each user.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is playing safe
Nintendo has announced the launch of Switch 2, the second iteration of its hybrid console, which will be available on April 2. The new console will come with both the Nintendo Switch and Legend of Zelda games on board. Earlier, Nintendo had said that it plans to sell over 100 lakh Switch 2 units in the first quarter of 2021.
RedNote is a Chinese app that American TikTokkers are using
TikTok faces a ban under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed last year by President Joe Biden. RedNote could be forced to divest or face a ban under the statute, a US official said. The RedNote app moved to the top of the free apps chart on the Apple app store.