Governments have expressed concerns that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, may endanger sensitive user data. In recent months, lawmakers in the United States, Europe and Canada have escalated efforts to restrict access to TikTok, the massively popular short-form video app that is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, citing security threats.

The White House told federal agencies on Feb. 27 that they had 30 days to delete the app from government devices.

On March 1, a House committee backed an even more extreme step, voting to advance legislation that would allow President Biden to ban TikTok from all devices nationwide. On March 23, TikTok’s chief executive, Shou Chew, was grilled about the app’s relationship to its parent company and China’s potential influence over the platform in roughly five hours of testimony before a House committee.

From the infectious rhythm of Kai's 'Rover' to the irresistible allure of BLACKPINK's 'Pink Venom,' numerous K-Pop tracks have achieved soaring popularity on the social media platform TikTok. These songs have captivated global audiences not only with their captivating beats but also their groundbreaking choreography. Now, let's delve into the K-Pop sensations that took TikTok by storm for the month of May 2023.

1. Le Sserafim - Unforgiven

2. Agust D - Haegeum

3. TAEYANG - 슝! (Shoong!) ft. Lisa of BLACKPINK

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a popular Tiktok musician, Crown Uzama (known as ShalliPopi) and his manager, Ajayi Hafeez (known as 21 Badda) for alleged internet-related fraud.

EFCC Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, they were arrested alongside 29 other suspects, including four females: Glory Kelvin-Ogunwa l, Tina Ochonogor, Favour Dawa and Joseph Iya.

“Others are Adewale Adedokun, Yakubu Ojochememi, AbdulAzeez Suleiman, Umoru AbdulAzeez, Emmanuel Iwebo, Shuaibu Smart, Joel Kator, Gowon Titus, Emmanuel Daniel, Enough Ekpo, Atano Eben, Ijuo Ochi, Paul Kaye, Uyit Victor and David Yachai.

“Also arrested are Leche Sokomba, Onoja Uroko, Cornelius Agbodesi, Edigim Success, Azubuike Oniya, Usman Shereef, Victory Chiemela, Lambert Chikwado, Asoore Oloruntoba and Malik Jibril.

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Recently, I drove from Washington, DC, to New York and passed through Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey on the way while scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Crossing all those state lines got me thinking about Montana and its recent ban on TikTok, the massive social media app owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance.

Are we really proceeding down a path where I might have to delete and re-download certain apps as I cross state lines? What is the future of TikTok bans, and could they ever actually be enforced?

US policymakers have been scrutinizing the app intensely in recent months over concerns about Chinese espionage, but Montana’s ban is the most dramatic move so far. Legislators structured the law to target marketplaces like Google Play and Apple’s App Store. Starting on January 1, 2024, those companies could face a fine of $10,000 per day if they make TikTok available to users in Montana.

Meta and TikTok complied with 3654 of 4517 requests for user data from Australian authorities relating to 5338 accounts last year. The statistics are included in the platforms’ latest biannual transparency reports.

After concerns about China's access to user data on TikTok led more than 25 US states to ban the app on government devices, Montana went a step further by banning TikTok altogether. This move was immediately sued by TikTok and faced the question of how to enforce the ban.

According to the ban signed by Governor Greg Gianforte on May 17 and expected to take effect from January 2024, TikTok will be fined $ 10,000 for each time a user accesses this social network , and may be fined further. $10,000 per day if that user continues to use it. In addition, the Google Play and App Store app stores will also be fined the same amount if users in Montana download TikTok to their devices.

A study finds TikTok outperforms Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts in user engagement and content frequency, while Reels leads in watch time.

Three platforms dominate short-form video content: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. A recent study conducted by Social Insider dives into the performance stats of these platforms, analyzing key metrics to determine which comes out on top.

TikTok is testing an AI chatbot called Tako that can recommend videos based on what people ask it, according to screenshots of the feature shared with The Verge.

If TikTok ends up releasing it widely, the chatbot could “radically change search and navigation” in the app, according to Daniel Buchuk of Watchful Technologies, a firm that spots these kinds of upcoming app changes for Fortune 500 companies.

In screenshots of the test that Buchuk shared with The Verge, Tako sits above the TikTok profile icon to the right of a video. Tapping it opens up a chat screen, where the bot appears capable of answering a wide range of queries. It’s unclear what AI model TikTok is using to power Tako.

According to CNBC on May 26, TikTok Shop - the e-commerce platform   of the social network TikTok - is developing strongly in Southeast Asian countries. 

Just landed in Southeast Asia from 2022, so far TikTok Shop has been present in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.

In a recent report to SEA Group (the parent company of e-commerce platform Shopee), Mr. Shawn Yang - analyst at Blue Lotus Research Institute - commented: "TikTok continues to grow continuously in different markets. We estimate TikTok's gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2023 will be 20% of Shopee's GMV. Therefore, we recommend Shopee increase sales and marketing from April to April. 2023".

According to TikTok internal data quoted by CNBC from the website The Information , TikTok Shop 's Southeast Asia GMV   in 2022 will quadruple in 2021, reaching $4.4 billion. This social network sets a GMV goal of 2023 to reach 12 billion USD.

For several years now, ByteDance’s TikTok has been the focus of lawmakers and intelligence officials who fear it could be used to spy on Americans. Those concerns took center stage during a five-hour grilling of TikTok’s CEO back in March. But while TikTok has been the one in the spotlight, other Chinese apps that present similar issues are also experiencing massive popularity in the U.S