The news comes in the amidst of increased scrutiny over TikTok national security concerns, with American lawmakers calling for more stringent regulations on Chinese-owned tech platforms. Though information is limited, Trump’s assertion has raised further speculation regarding the fate of TikTok in America. After a small ban, Tiktok has returned to U.S. app stores as the President delayed the ban due to undergoing negotiations.

Tiktok’s Chinese parent company, Bytedance, is engaged in the ongoing conversation about the future of the platform. Bytedance’s TikTok negotiations are inspired by growing concerns with American authorities, arguing that the app poses data protection risks and foreign influences. Trump saved the U.S. Tiktok services by delaying the ban as he proposed a 50% American ownership of the social media platform.

Who Are the TikTok Sale Bidders?

While Trump did not disclose the identity of four Tiktok sales bidders, reports suggest that the leading American technology firm and investment groups are among interested parties. As Tiktok has a massive user base and impact in the U.S., the deal is expected to attract significant interest from companies expanding their digital appearance.

So far known bidders include a group led by billionaire Frank McCourt and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, including another group that includes Tech Entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley and YouTube star Mribst, and a merger from San Francisco-based Perplexity AI. Additionally, Trump has mentioned Larry Alison, the founder of Oracle Corp, while Tikokok has previously collaborated with Oracle to host its American user data. Out of all of them, Perplexity AI revised merger conditions with Tiktok as it gave a 50% stake to the U.S. government.

TikTok Acquisition Deadline Approaches

The deadline for Tiktok acquisition is approaching fast on April 5, 2025, the law makers soon established expectations for a proposal. If ByteDance fails to reach a deal, the company may face regulatory action that will severely affect its operations in the US market.

For now, Tiktok’s fate is uncertain, but the president’s comments show that a deal may be adjacent. Though Trump’s tactics to delay the ban have turned TikTok U.S. sales into a bidding war. Whether it is complete acquisition or reorganization of US Operations of Tikok, results will have permanent implications for technical industry, international relations and millions of ticket users across the country.

The post Trump Says Four Bidders in Play as Efforts to Acquire TikTok Gain Momentum appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Reality Check

Towards the end of last year, Australia approved a social media ban for kids below the age of 16. The ban, which is expected to take effect at the end of this year, set a high benchmark for countries across the globe.

Although social media platforms don’t allow access to persons aged 13 and below, the report shows that 80% of Australian kids aged between 8 and 12 years used the platforms last year. YouTube, TickTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are the platforms that most children use.

All social media platforms except Reddit require users to provide their date of birth when signing up. However, these platforms rely on self-declaration to verify information provided and have no other age assurance tools.

The latest eSafety report highlights results from a social media usage national survey that targeted 8 to 15 year olds. It also includes responses from different social media services including YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitch. These services are owned by Google, Meta, ByteDance, and Amazon respectively.

Age Detection

The report showed that Snapchat and Instagram have over a million users aged between 13 and 17. TikTok had over 522,800, YouTube 643,600, Facebook 455,000, and Twitch 24,400. Reddit did not have a record of underage users.

These statistics raise questions about the ability of Australia’s social media regulations that have been criticized for being ill-considered and rushed by a section of politicians and industry experts. The country’s under 16 social media ban relies heavily on truthful declaration of age to enable social platforms to block under age users.

“There is still significant work to be done by any social media platforms relying on truthful self-declaration to determine age with enforcement of the government’s minimum age legislation on the horizon,” Julie Inman Grant, eSafety Commissioner said.

Social media platforms like Snapchat, Twitch, and TikTok use language analysis technology to identify under 16 users. Twitch and TikTok also use AI-driven age estimation to detect below 16 users. Instagram and Facebook have age stimate models while YouTube relies on classifiers.

YouTube is the only social platform that supports under-age use with parental supervision. The platform does this through family accounts. However, none of the minors with YouTube accounts reported being shut down due to being underage.

Shared Responsibility

Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook said it supports age-appropriate experiences for children. However, the tech giant holds that the responsibility of enforcing age restrictions lies with app stores.

“Since the start of 2023, our proactive age detection tools have resulted in the removal of more than one million Australian users suspected of being under the age of 13,” a TikTok spokesperson said.

Commission Grant highlighted the need for social media companies to comply with online safety laws, safety expectations, minimum age requirements, and the emerging global needs.

“While social media services must do more to implement age assurance measures and prioritise the best interests of children, we cannot expect them to act alone,” she said.
She however acknowledged that this responsibility does not belong to social media platforms only.

“The responsibility for child safety, including appropriate age assurance, must be shared across the digital ecosystem, including devices and their operating systems, app stores, search engines, and other services. Parents and carers, educators, policymakers, and technology developers all have a role to play in fostering safer digital spaces,” she added.

The eSafety report appreciated that most social media platforms had conducted research on improving age assurance setups. Some had provided ways for users to report instances of underage use.

The post Australia’s Under 16 Social Media Ban Questioned as Children Below 16 Bypass Age Restrictions appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Swift Deal

The fate of the popular video-streaming company in the US continues to hang in the balance. But there are major players lining up to take part in what could be a multi-billion-dollar deal. Such a deal will enable the platform to circumvent the ban imposed by the divest-or-ban law. Trump says he wants a deal finalized in 30 days.

“I like bidding wars because you make your best deals,” the President said.

Trump signed an executive order on day one in office to give ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok until April 4 to fix the ownership issue. The US President said he wants a deal done in 30 days. An executive order he signed on his first day in office actually gives TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, until April 4 to figure something out.

Big Names in Tech

Trump’s TikTok involvement has seen him float big names as possible buyers. They include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella. It’s still unclear whether any of these tech leaders have had actual discussions on the issue.

Microsoft is not a stranger to the TikTok bidding process. In 2020, the Windows maker along with Walmart, attempted to acquire TikTok’s US operations during Trump’s first term. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella described this attempt as the strangest thing he had ever worked on after the deal stalled due to federal requirements. With the clock ticking, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will revisit its previous bid.

Last week, the President hinted at Oracle founder Larry Ellison playing a role in the TikTok sale as he announced the company’s investment in AI infrastructure. The Trump administration is reportedly developing a plan to shift TikTok control to Oracle. In such a scenario, TikTok parent company, ByteDance would have a minority stake in the company and Oracle would control the app’s data collection and algorithm. Oracle currently stores videos and other content for TikTok in its data centers. Trump has however denied discussing the issue with Oracle.

“No, not with Oracle. Numerous people are talking to me, very substantial people, about buying it and I will make that decision probably over the next 30 days,” he said.

Perplexity AI is among other potential bidders that Trump is yet to mention. The AI startup is backed by big tech heavy weights including Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Perplexity AI reportedly submitted a proposal that would see it merge with TikTok’s US business to ByteDance this past weekend. The startup would give 50% of the new company’s ownership to the US government after an IPO.

The Musk Factor

One of the big names floated by Trump is Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO and X owner is known for making bold moves in the tech world. Musk’s involvement in the TikTok deal could be a game-changer due to his opposition to the TikTok ban.

“I have been against a TikTok ban for a long time, because it goes against freedom of speech. That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced. Something needs to change,” Musk posted on X.

Trump has shown interest in Musk’s potential bid. When asked whether he would approve of Musk’s TikTok purchase, his response was positive. Musk is yet to comment on the matter in detail, but antitrust experts believe that he could face fewer legal obstacles compared to other potential buyers.

TikTok and X serve different user bases, which means a Musk-TikTok deal would attract less scrutiny from US regulators. Musk’s close relationship with the current administration could also help make the process smooth. Musk supported Trump’s reelection campaign and is now leading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk’s global business ties include Tesla’s strong presence in China where he sells lots of EVs in the Asian country.

The post Inside Trump’s Strategy of Making TikTok’s US Sale a Bidding Match appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Legally Dubious

Experts have termed Trump’s executive order on TikTok as dubious. The 75-day window allows the Trump administration to find a suitable way forward for the social media giant’s business in the US after the divest-or-ban law took effect on January 19.

Trump based his decision to issue the executive order on his unique presidential duties. In the directive, the president argued that the timing of the new law interfered with his ability to assess the foreign policy and national security implications of the prohibitions in the Act before the law took effect.

“This timing also interferes with my ability to negotiate a resolution to avoid an abrupt shutdown of the TikTok platform while addressing national security concerns,” The President’s Directive added.

The video streaming app shut down briefly after the law took effect. TikTok’s service was restored shortly after the President committed to revive it upon taking office. Apple and Google had already removed TikTok from their stores.

Temporary Reprieve

Trump’s executive order has a very small chance of fixing TikTok’s legal challenges in the US. The order cannot withstand the weight of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This is the law that places the ultimatum to divest ownership or face the ban on TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance

“Under current Supreme Court precedent, an executive order is on very shaky ground,” Kent Law School professor, Mark Rosen said.

Rosen further added that previously, the US high court has pronounced orders that contravene federal law as invalid. A precedent set through the Supreme Court’s 1952 landmark ruling underscores limitation on presidential precedent. This precedent makes Trump’s executive order on TikTok highly unreliable.

The divest-or-ban law does not provide for an outright US TikTok ban. Rather, it prohibits users from accessing the social platform through app stores and cloud services unless TikTok’s owner- ByteDance sells the app to a country that is not considered adversarial by the US.

Emphasis on 50% Ownership

Trump emphasized his proposal of a joint venture where the US gets a 50% stake in TikTok as one way of resolving the social media platform ban. The president also proposed introducing tariffs on China if they don’t agree to a proposed buyer of the video streaming app US assets.

But there are mounting questions on whether Trump can implement these promises. Some of his political allies have criticized TikTok and have been vocal about their support of the divest-or-ban law. When the law took effect on January 19, Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts said ‘there’s no legal basis for any kind of extension of its effective date’.

Earlier this week, Cotton went ahead to assert that “there will be no extension, no concession, and no compromises for TikTok,” on the Senate floor.

Another Trump ally, House Speaker Mike Johnson, said he is keen to see the law enforced. Speaker Johnson said that he was encouraged to see that Apple, Microsoft, and Google had started complying with the new law. TikTok was still unavailable on Google Play and Apple App Stores on January 21 despite Trump’s order to delay its ban.

TikTok CEO was among the CEOs who attended Trump’s inauguration events on January 20. Other US big tech CEOs who participated in the inauguration were Google’s Sundar Pichai, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

The post Trump’s Order to Shield TikTok from US Ban Very Shaky, Legal Experts Say appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Indonesia’s social media protection guidelines come barely two months after Australia banned social media for kids below the age of 16.

Online Safety

Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s communication minister said that her ministry plans to introduce social media restrictions following discussions on children’s1 online safety with President Prabowo Subianto.

“We discussed how to protect children in digital space. The president said to carry on with this plan. He is very supportive on how this kind of child protection will be done in our digital space,” Minister Hafid said.

It’s not clear what minimum age Indonesia will propose. The country has a population of about 280 million people. Internet penetration in the Asian country stands at 79.5% as of 2024.

Stringent Regulation

Other government officials have emphasized the role of provisional regulations as shielding children from mental, physical, and moral threats without limiting social media access. However, this points to tighter regulation of social media platforms in the country as confirmed by a senior official in the communications and digital ministry, Alexander Sabar.

“What the minister means is that the government is headed for the direction of a stronger regulation on age limit, which is through the formation of a law,” Sabar said.

Without providing more details, Sebar said that the Indonesian government will develop regulations for social media platforms to ensure that they comply with child protection guidelines.

“The emphasis for the government regulation is child protection, how they are protected from physical, mental, or moral perils,” he said.

Sebar said that Indonesia’s social media law will not entirely limit kids from accessing social media platforms. This is unlike the Australian law that requires social media platforms to demonstrate that they’ve taken reasonable steps to keep under-16 users from using their platforms. The country’s law imposes heavy fines for social media platforms that fail to implement the under-16 digital platform compliance. Social media platforms like TikTok and Meta are yet to respond to Indonesia’s safety regulations.

Mixed Reactions

Indonesia’s new social media protection guidelines have received mixed reactions from the public. Some agree with the steps that the government is taking to protect minors online while others don’t. For instance, Nurmayanti, a mother of three, agreed with the move to restrict social media content exposure to minors and emphasized the need to make the laws clear and strict.

“They now can freely open social media so that is concerning to us as parents,” she said.

But human rights activists have a different view. They see the proposed law as one that could curtail rights. Although they agree on the need for the government to ensure the safety of children online, activists advised caution to ensure that the right for children to access information is not curtailed.

In Indonesia, about 50% of minors below the age of 12 use the internet. A survey conducted by the country’s Internet Service Providers Association showed that some in this age group use social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

Indonesia and Australia are not the only countries that have expressed concerns about the online safety of minors. In October 2024, Brazil sued TikTok and Meta platforms for failing to prevent the sweeping use of their platforms by minors. In the US, TikTok was sued in 13 states and Washington DC in the US for failing to protect young people and harming them mentally.

The post Inside Indonesia’s Plan to Tighten Social Media Laws to Protect Minors appeared first on Tech Research Online.

The rush to download Chinese apps is proof that the over 170 million TikTok users in the US are ready and willing to explore alternatives.

Shrinking Timeline

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has until January 19 to get a US buyer if it wants to continue operating in the US. The Supreme Court, which is set to rule on the TikTok ban suit, is unlikely to oppose the legislation that imposed this condition.

Unless the incoming President Donald Trump reverses this policy, TikTok’s future remains uncertain. Last month, Trump met with the TikTok CEO. After the meeting, he said he had a warm spot for the social media app. ByteDance will be in breach of US law in a week if it does not find a local buyer. Officials from China are reportedly considering the option of selling US TikTok operations to X owner Elon Musk.

Such a plan would see Musk oversee both X and TikTok’s business in the US. However, it’s still unclear whether ByteDance is aware of the plans by the Chinese government and the involvement of Musk in the discussions.

But even as ByteDance struggles to beat the China TikTok ban in the US, It’s not in doubt that the implications of the TikTok ban appear to favor China more. Xiaohongshu, which is an Instagram-like app, was the most downloaded free application on Apple’s iOS platform. For the first time, the social app ranked among the top app downloads on Google Play.

“The ones benefiting from traffic from the TikTok ban are still Chinese apps,” Allen Zhu, MD at GSR Ventures posted on WeChat.

When joining the app, most new users tagged themselves as ‘TikTok Refugees’. The #tiktokrefugee attracted over 25 million views this week alone.

Highly Popular

Xiaohongshu, whose name is translated ‘Little Red Book’ is among the most popular apps in China’s internet space. It comes with an English version. However, it is mostly used by Chinese communities abroad. Launched in 2013, the app quickly transformed from a shopping guide to a community within a few years. As it grew, Xiaohongshu attracted investments from Tencent, Alibaba, and Temasek holdings.

Today, the Shanghai-based startup has built a huge army of influencers through cash incentives. The popularity of the Xiaohongshu app in China inspired the development of alternative platforms like Lemon8.

Xiaohongshu’s popularity in the US came as a surprise to many in the social media industry. Those familiar with the app use it as a live digital marketplace as well as a repository for videos. Last week, downloads for the Lemon8 app tripled across Android and iOS platforms.

Market Reaction

Chinese stocks that are linked to the Xiaohongshu gained on January 14, 2025. These include firms that provide digital marketing services and design ads. They also include consumer brands that sell their wares on the social media platform. Last year, the startup was on the path to double its net profit.

The post US TikTok Users Flock Chinese Social Apps in a Bid to Evade Ban Risk appeared first on Tech Research Online.

It is one of the major changes in Meta’s policy as the CEO Mark Zuckerberg intends to end the Meta vs Trump debate. These changes will affect the biggest social media platforms in the world i.e. Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Recently, Meta also appointed Joel Kaplan as the new Global Policy Officer as the tech giant aims to make better relations with the new President.

The Meta fact-checking program was launched to stop the spread of misinformation, particularly during elections and public health crises. By putting it on hold, Meta has a growing problem in balancing free speech with its responsibility to keep information accurate on its platforms.

Meta Policy Reversal Sparks Controversy

The suspension of the fact checking program marks a shift for Meta towards less strict regulation regarding content. Criticism about the Meta’s move to roll out the fact-checking program, argued that such policies might mean leaving open opportunities for uncurated information circulation.

According to Meta, this decision falls within its pursuit of adapting to shifting regulatory landscapes. Critics say this is yielding to political pressures, particularly now that the heat is mounting between Meta and Trump in their battle over moderation policies the company previously employed.

Zuckerberg said in a video, “We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship. It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression.”

When Trump was asked about the suspension of Meta’s fact checking program, he said, “They have come a long way – Meta. The man (Zuckerberg) was very impressive.”

Implications for Social Media Regulation

Suspension of Meta’s fact-checking program suggests a larger shift in the changing political landscape among social media firms, which review their policies more frequently. Meta’s decision would have long-term implications for the reputation of Meta and its management of misinformation.

According to critics, any such Meta policy change will serve to undermine the public’s trust in the company’s commitment toward transparency and accountability. With these political dynamics playing out, other platforms will similarly follow Meta’s move as they look to deal with identical concerns.

Meta’s decision to suspend its fact-checking program marks a landmark shift in how it handles content moderation. Amid the Trump administration’s influence in tech policy, the move illustrates the precarious line social media must walk between serving regulatory requirements and public trust.

The debates over Meta vs. Trump will go on, but the impact of policy-shifting for the future of misinformation management and free expression online will be furthered scrutinized.

The post Meta stops Fact-Checking Program Ahead of Trump Administration appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Additional Verification

Telegram already had a feature for verifying organizations and public figures on the platform. With the latest Telegram update, the chat app introduces a new project where third-party authorities that have been verified can verify other accounts. Third-party authorities include educational consortiums and regulators.

Accounts that third-party authorities verify will have a new logo replacing the blue checkmark. The social media platform says the new logo will appear next to the name of the verified account.

“This decentralized platform for additional verification will help prevent scams and reduce misinformation- with a unique proactive solution that sets a new safety standard for social platforms,” Telegram said in a blog post.

Third-Party Authentication

Telegram’s new feature comes soon after its CEO Pavel Durov announced a new privacy policy. The policy paved the way for verification of close to 1 billion users on the platform following his arrest by French authorities last year. Durov was arrested for failing to prevent child abuse and drug trafficking on the social media app.

Organizations or users who wish to be authenticated will first have to undergo a verification process. This includes completing an application before becoming eligible for the verified mark. According to the company, authenticated third-party entities will be allowed to use the Telegram Bot API to remove or assign verifications.

This is very similar to entities purchasing verifications on X and verifying accounts that are affiliated to them. Once verified, affiliated accounts will have the logo of the verifying entity on their profile.

Gift-NFT Conversion

Besides Telegram’s third-party verification, the social media platform also announced a new way of converting gifts to NFTs with customized icons and backgrounds. With this feature, users will be able to send gifts they buy using Telegram Stars. Gifts can be purchased via the app or fragment sites by linking TON crypto wallets.

According to the messaging app, users can trade their NFTs on various platforms. The social media platform charges users to upgrade gifts to collectibles in order to cater for blockchain transaction fees. Collectible gifts are unique pieces of art that feature random combinations of background colors, numbers, or icons. Some collectibles gifts are more rare than others.

Telegram uses cryptocurrencies for mini app and game payments, as well as to facilitate creator monetization. Other updates on the platform include advanced search filters for private groups, chats, and channels as well as emoji reactions for messages.

Telegram’s Profitability

Telegram says that the monetization features launched in 2021 have paid off. Last year, the chat app attained profitability through privacy-focused ads, premium subscriptions, and Telegram Stars.

This has enabled it to focus on user privacy through the Telegram safety feature while improving the platform’s UX design. User safety took prominence in 2024 with leading social media giants like Meta and TikTok taking big hits. Last year, Meta-owned Instagram launched a teen account feature in a bid to improve minor safety.

The post Telegram Adds Third-Party Account Verification, Message Search Filter Features in New Update appeared first on Tech Research Online.

TikTok -Trump Meeting

Trump reportedly held a meeting with the TikTok CEO, after which the President-elect said he has a warm spot for the social media app.

“We’re going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views. They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said, ‘Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while,” Trump said.

The President-elect made these comments in front of a conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona. These remarks, which indicate his opposition to the social media’s US market exit, are the strongest indication of Trump’s TikTok policy yet,

US TikTok Ban Laws

TikTok has been facing a range of legal challenges in the US in recent years. Towards the end of 2022, the government prohibited the use of the social media app on federal government devices, with a few exceptions. This US government TikTok policy took effect soon after President Joe Biden signed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act.

In April 2024, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the TikTok divestiture-or-ban bill. The lawmaker’s decision was driven by rising fears that China could use the app to surveil Americans or access their data. Outgoing President Joe Biden signed the bill into law in April 2024. The law requires TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the short video streaming app by January 19, 2025, or face a ban on TikTok operations in the US.

ByteDance has filed a lawsuit to strike down this law in court. The US Supreme Court will hear the arguments from the company and the State on January 10, 2025. Should the court rule against ByteDance, and the company fail to divest, TikTok may be banned in the US a day before Trump’s inauguration.

An Uphill Task

It’s still not clear how the President-elect will undo the TikTok divesture-or-ban law considering that it was passed by a wide majority in the US Senate. Besides the divest-or-ban lawsuit, the Chinese social media giant has been sued in Washington DC and 13 other states for failing to protect young people and harming them mentally.

The states alleged that the company intentionally designed an addictive software whose features keep children glued to mobile phone screens for long hours.

The child addiction lawsuits expanded Tiktok’s fight with US regulators and paved the way for additional penalties against the social media company.

TikTok argues that the US Department of Justice misrepresented the short video streaming app’s links to China. The tech giant said its content recommendation technology and user data are stored in cloud servers located in the US and operated by Oracle Corporation. The company said that decisions on content moderation that affect US TikTok users are made in the US.

The post US President-Elect Trump Considers Keeping TikTok Up, Argues It May Be Worthwhile appeared first on Tech Research Online.

The Senate in Australia approved the ban late on November 28, 2024 during this year’s last sitting. The approval comes after intense public debate and a rushed process that resulted in the bill being brought to parliament, debated, and voted for in just a week.

A Pivotal Moment

The Australian government praised the under-16 social media ban, saying it will make companies responsible for kids online.

“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them. We know that social media can be a weapon for bullies, a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers. And worst of all, a tool for online predators,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

In parliament, the bill had attracted support from a majority of members in the Liberal Party, Australia’s largest opposition party. Liberal Party Senator, Maria Kovacic termed the law as a pivotal moment for the country.

“We have drawn a line in the sand. The enormous power of big tech can no longer remain unchecked in Australia,” she said ahead of voting.

But not all members supported the new restrictions. Members of some smaller and independent parties had attempted to block the new law.

“This is a disaster unfolding before our eyes. You couldn’t make this stuff up. The prime minister says he’s worried about social media. The leader of the opposition says, ‘Let’s ban it.’ It’s a race to the bottom to try and pretend who can be the toughest. We need to make social media safer for everybody.” Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Greens Party said.

Sharp Criticism

The Australian government has attracted sharp criticism over the speed with which the legislation was passed. Members of the public were only allowed 24 hours to make their submissions to a Senate Committee. The inquiry report from the committee was released on Tuesday, November 26, and the bill passed a day after, on Wednesday 27, 2024.

Over 100 submissions were made to the committee, majority of them expressing serious concerns over the time afforded to a bill of such importance. Despite this, the Senate committee went ahead to recommend passage of the bill with several amendments. One of those changes involved prohibiting social media companies from using government documents like passports to verify the age of users.

Australia’s new online safety laws are now the toughest response to a problem that has pushed other countries into imposing restrictions on social media companies. However, countries are yet to hold those companies accountable for breaching nationwide bans. The new ban will apply to TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Under the new Australian social media law, tech companies have to take measures to keep underage users from using social media platforms. Companies that fail to do this will be fined close to $32 million.

Reactions from Big Techs

Meta and TikTok said they shared Australia’s goal of making social platforms safer for children. However, the two social media giants said the law had been rushed. Meta owns Instagram and Facebook. Both platforms will be affected by the social media ban.

“The task now turns to ensuring there is productive consultation on all rules associated with the bill to ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens and a commitment that rules will be consistently applied across all social apps used by teens,” Meta’s spokesperson said.

X made submissions to the Senate committee inquiry. In its submissions, X said its platform is not commonly used by minors. However, the Elon Musk-owned platform expressed concerns that the law would limit freedom of expression.

Snap Inc, which owns Snapchat said there are concerns around implementation of Australia’s social media restrictions. The company, whose app is popular among minors, had recommended device level verification in its submissions.

Moving forward, the Australian government will consult widely before setting a switch-off date to deactivate social media accounts held by under 16 users. Although parents and children will not be penalized for violating the ban, social media platforms will be required to demonstrate that they’ve taken reasonable measures to keep underage users from using their platforms.

The post Big Techs Criticize Australia For Rushing the New Social Media Ban Law appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Meta platform, which owns Instagram, announced that the reset feature will be rolled out globally soon.

Accessibility of Reset Feature

Meta says that Instagram’s recommendations feature will be accessible to all users, irrespective of age. This includes Teen Account holders. Instagram introduced the Teen Accounts in September 2024 to reassure parents and guardians that the social media platform has in-built protection features that automatically give teens safe experiences.

“We want to make sure everyone on Instagram, especially teens, has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable. We want to give teens new ways to shape their Instagram experience, so it can continue to reflect their passions and interests as they evolve,” Meta said.

Meta has partnered with organization experts to develop tips that can help parents and teens to organize Instagram accounts and take stock of what they view to see whether it suits them.

User Control

By introducing the new Instagram reset feature, Meta will be giving users more control over their accounts. The feature allows users to remove recommendations across different sections. They could also review and make changes to their ‘following’ lists by simply unfollowing accounts.

“Your recommendations will start to personalize again over time, showing new content based on the content and accounts you interact with,” the social media platform said in a blog.

Meta’s update comes amidst rising criticism from safety advocates who claim Instagram affects teens negatively. At the moment, Instagram users have partial influence on their recommendations through a widget that labels content as interested or not interested. Early this year, the platform stopped giving users political content recommendations.

The Instagram algorithm update is very similar to an already existing feature on TikTok.

A Welcome Move

The Instagram new algorithm has been received well by safety regulators like Ofcom. The changes come ahead of enforcement of new safety duties that are to be imposed on social media platforms as soon as the Online Safety Act takes effect.

“It’s good to see Instagram bringing these changes in before regulation starts to bite, and we’ll be pressing for companies to do more to protect and empower their users. When the UK’s online safety laws are fully in force, the largest sites and apps will have to give people more control over what they see,” an Ofcom spokesperson said.

Andy Burrows, the CEO of suicide prevention organization at the Molly Rose Foundation noted that some young people feel trapped by the harmful content that social media algorithms recommend. He commended Meta for giving users more control over the content they consume.

The post Instagram’s New Update to Give Users More Control Over Content Recommendations appeared first on Tech Research Online.

According to AP News, Meta obtained information from about 980,000 Facebook users in South Korea. This information included the religion, sexual orientation, and political views of users.

Increased Scrutiny

South Korea has a privacy law that provides for strict protection of information relating to political views, personal beliefs, and sexual behavior. The law also bars companies from using or processing such data without the express consent of the person involved.

In recent years, South Korea has increased scrutiny on how Meta handles private information. Meta also owns the WhatsApp platform and Instagram. The Meta data collection fine is the latest penalty that the Asian country has imposed on the tech giant in recent years.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has been investigating Meta for user data privacy violation for four years. The Commission concluded that the tech giant collected sensitive information from Facebook users between July 2018 and March 2022. According to the data protection watchdog, Meta shared user data with around 4,000 advertisers unlawfully.

Meta’s Targeted Service

South Korea’s data protection agency accused Meta of gathering sensitive data by analyzing Facebook advertisements that users clicked on or pages that they liked. The social media giant then categorized ads in specific themes that included North Korean escapees, transgender issues, same-sex issues, and specific religions. The tech giant used these categories to identify users who are interested in these themes.

“While Meta collected this sensitive information and used it for individualized services, they made only vague mentions of this use in their data policy and did not obtain specific consent,” Lee Eun Jung, a Director at the Commission who led the Investigation on Meta said.

According to Jung, Meta did not implement basic security measures like removal or blocking inactive pages. This placed the privacy of Facebook users at risk, which paved the way for hackers to use inactive pages to fake identities and request password resets for other Facebook users.

According to the Commision, Meta approved the password requests without proper verification. This led to data breaches that affected about 10 Facebook users in South Korea. South Korea Meta office did not comment on the issue but said it will review the decision by the Commission carefully.

Big Tech Penalties

The latest fine from Meta privacy violations in South Korea isn’t the only penalty that the big tech is facing. In July 2024, a US court ordered the tech giant to pay a $1.4 billion settlement in the Texas facial recognition data lawsuit. The Metadata lawsuit was a result of unauthorized use of biometric data by Facebook.

In September 2024, the big tech was slapped with a $100 million fine by European regulators for a security lapse that exposed user passwords temporarily in 2019. In 2022, the Data Privacy Commission in South Korea fined Google and Meta $72 million for monitoring consumer behavior online without their consent and using that data to target them with ads.

According to the Commission, the two big techs failed to obtain user consent to gather their data. The two companies were directed to provide a simple and clear consent process to users to give them more control over their data.

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