<s>
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
and	O
its	O
Chinese	O
counterpart	O
Douyin	B-Application
(	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
short-form	O
video	O
hosting	O
service	O
owned	O
by	O
the	O
Chinese	O
company	O
ByteDance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
their	O
launches	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
Douyin	B-Application
have	O
gained	O
global	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
surpassed	O
2	O
billion	O
mobile	O
downloads	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morning	O
Consult	O
named	O
TikTok	B-Application
the	O
third-fastest	O
growing	O
brand	O
of	O
2020	O
,	O
after	O
Zoom	B-Application
and	O
Peacock	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cloudflare	B-Application
ranked	O
TikTok	B-Application
the	O
most	O
popular	O
website	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
surpassing	O
google.com	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
privacy	O
practices	O
and	O
censoring	O
of	O
content	O
made	O
by	O
LGBTQ+	O
users	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
content	O
that	O
criticized	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Douyin	B-Application
was	O
launched	O
by	O
ByteDance	O
in	O
Beijing	O
,	O
China	O
in	O
September	O
2016	O
,	O
originally	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
A.me,	O
before	O
rebranding	O
to	O
Douyin	B-Application
(	O
)	O
in	O
December	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Douyin	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
in	O
200	O
days	O
and	O
within	O
a	O
year	O
had	O
100million	O
users	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
billion	O
videos	O
viewed	O
every	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Douyin	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
Chinese	O
market	O
in	O
September	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
an	O
entirely	O
separate	O
,	O
internationalized	O
version	O
of	O
Douyin	B-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2017	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
in	O
most	O
markets	O
outside	O
of	O
mainland	O
China	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
available	O
worldwide	O
only	O
after	O
merging	O
with	O
another	O
Chinese	O
social	O
media	O
service	O
,	O
Musical.ly,	O
on	O
2	O
August	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
Douyin	B-Application
have	O
almost	O
the	O
same	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
but	O
no	O
access	O
to	O
each	O
other	O
's	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Douyin	B-Application
includes	O
an	O
in-video	O
search	O
feature	O
that	O
can	O
search	O
by	O
people	O
's	O
faces	O
for	O
more	O
videos	O
of	O
them	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
buying	O
,	O
booking	O
hotels	O
,	O
and	O
making	O
geo-tagged	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ByteDance	O
planned	O
on	O
Douyin	B-Application
expanding	O
overseas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
was	O
launched	O
as	O
TikTok	B-Application
in	O
the	O
international	O
market	O
in	O
September	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
23	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
TikTok	B-Application
app	O
ranked	O
first	O
among	O
free	O
application	O
downloads	O
on	O
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
in	O
Thailand	O
and	O
other	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
been	O
downloaded	O
more	O
than	O
130million	O
times	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
has	O
reached	O
2billion	O
downloads	O
worldwide	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
data	O
from	O
mobile	O
research	O
firm	O
Sensor	O
Tower	O
(	O
those	O
numbers	O
exclude	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
in	O
China	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
celebrities	O
,	O
including	O
Jennifer	O
Lopez	O
,	O
Jessica	O
Alba	O
,	O
Will	O
Smith	O
,	O
and	O
Justin	O
Bieber	O
joined	O
TikTok	B-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
many	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
allowed	O
creators	O
to	O
embed	O
merchandise	O
sale	O
links	O
into	O
their	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
3	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
the	O
U.S.	O
National	O
Football	O
League	O
(	O
NFL	O
)	O
announced	O
a	O
multi-year	O
partnership	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
agreement	O
occurred	O
just	O
two	O
days	O
before	O
the	O
NFL	O
's	O
100th	O
season	O
kick-off	O
at	O
Soldier	O
Field	O
,	O
where	O
TikTok	B-Application
hosted	O
activities	O
for	O
fans	O
in	O
honor	O
of	O
the	O
deal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
partnership	O
entails	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
an	O
official	O
NFL	O
TikTok	B-Application
account	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
to	O
bring	O
about	O
new	O
marketing	O
opportunities	O
such	O
as	O
sponsored	O
videos	O
and	O
hashtag	O
challenges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2020	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
excluding	O
Douyin	B-Application
,	O
reported	O
close	O
to	O
800	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
users	O
worldwide	O
after	O
less	O
than	O
four	O
years	O
of	O
existence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
appointed	O
Shou	O
Zi	O
Chew	O
as	O
their	O
new	O
CEO	O
who	O
assumed	O
the	O
position	O
from	O
interim	O
CEO	O
Vanessa	O
Pappas	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
resignation	O
of	O
Kevin	O
A	O
.	O
Mayer	O
on	O
27	O
August	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
3	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
U.S.	O
President	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
threatened	O
to	O
ban	O
TikTok	B-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
on	O
15	O
September	O
if	O
negotiations	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
be	O
bought	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
or	O
a	O
different	O
American	O
company	O
failed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
6	O
August	O
,	O
Trump	O
signed	O
two	O
executive	O
orders	O
banning	O
U.S.	O
"	O
transactions	O
"	O
with	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
WeChat	B-Application
to	O
its	O
respective	O
parent	O
companies	O
ByteDance	O
and	O
Tencent	O
,	O
set	O
to	O
take	O
effect	O
45	O
days	O
after	O
the	O
signing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pakistan	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
citing	O
"	O
immoral	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
indecent	O
"	O
videos	O
on	O
9	O
October	O
2020	O
but	O
reversed	O
its	O
ban	O
ten	O
days	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
a	O
Pakistani	O
court	O
ordered	O
a	O
new	O
TikTok	B-Application
ban	O
due	O
to	O
complaints	O
over	O
"	O
indecent	O
"	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
reported	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
reached	O
1	O
billion	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
earned	O
$4	O
billion	O
in	O
advertising	O
revenue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2022	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
was	O
reported	O
to	O
be	O
planning	O
an	O
expansion	O
into	O
the	O
e-commerce	O
market	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
Shop	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
data	O
from	O
app	O
analytics	O
group	O
Sensor	O
Tower	O
,	O
advertising	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
in	O
the	O
US	O
grew	O
by	O
11%	O
in	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
with	O
companies	O
including	O
Pepsi	O
,	O
DoorDash	O
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
and	O
Apple	O
among	O
the	O
top	O
spenders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
estimates	O
from	O
research	O
group	O
Insider	O
Intelligence	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
projected	O
to	O
generate	O
$14.15	O
billion	O
in	O
revenue	O
in	O
2023	O
,	O
up	O
from	O
$9.89	O
billion	O
in	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
9	O
November	O
2017	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
parent	O
company	O
,	O
ByteDance	O
,	O
spent	O
nearly	O
$1	O
billion	O
to	O
purchase	O
musical.ly,	O
a	O
startup	O
headquartered	O
in	O
Shanghai	B-Device
with	O
an	O
overseas	O
office	O
in	O
Santa	O
Monica	O
,	O
California	O
,	O
U.S.	O
Musical.ly	B-Application
was	O
a	O
social	O
media	O
video	O
platform	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
short	O
lip-sync	O
and	O
comedy	O
videos	O
,	O
initially	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
merged	O
with	O
musical.ly	B-Application
on	O
2	O
August	O
2018	O
with	O
existing	O
accounts	O
and	O
data	O
consolidated	O
into	O
one	O
app	O
,	O
keeping	O
the	O
title	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
ended	O
musical.ly	B-Application
and	O
made	O
TikTok	B-Application
a	O
worldwide	O
app	O
,	O
excluding	O
China	O
,	O
since	O
China	O
already	O
had	O
Douyin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2018	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
was	O
available	O
in	O
more	O
than	O
150	O
markets	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
75	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
was	O
downloaded	O
more	O
than	O
104million	O
times	O
on	O
Apple	B-Application
's	I-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
during	O
the	O
first	O
half	O
of	O
2018	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
data	O
provided	O
to	O
CNBC	O
by	O
Sensor	O
Tower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
merging	O
with	O
musical.ly	B-Application
in	O
August	O
,	O
downloads	O
increased	O
and	O
TikTok	B-Application
became	O
the	O
most	O
downloaded	O
app	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
in	O
October	O
2018	O
,	O
which	O
musical.ly	B-Application
had	O
done	O
once	O
before	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
together	O
with	O
Douyin	B-Application
,	O
hit	O
one	O
billion	O
downloads	O
globally	O
,	O
excluding	O
Android	B-Application
installs	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
media	O
outlets	O
cited	O
TikTok	B-Application
as	O
the	O
7th-most-downloaded	O
mobile	O
app	O
of	O
the	O
decade	O
,	O
from	O
2010	O
to	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
most-downloaded	O
app	O
on	O
Apple	B-Application
's	I-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
in	O
2018	O
and	O
2019	O
,	O
surpassing	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
deal	O
was	O
confirmed	O
between	O
ByteDance	O
and	O
Oracle	B-Application
in	O
which	O
the	O
latter	O
will	O
serve	O
as	O
a	O
partner	O
to	O
provide	O
cloud	O
hosting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Walmart	O
intends	O
to	O
invest	O
in	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
signed	O
a	O
licensing	O
deal	O
with	O
Sony	O
Music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
Warner	O
Music	O
Group	O
signed	O
a	O
licensing	O
deal	O
with	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
Abu	O
Dhabi	O
's	O
Department	O
of	O
Culture	O
and	O
Tourism	O
partnered	O
with	O
TikTok	B-Application
to	O
promote	O
tourism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
came	O
following	O
the	O
January	O
2021	O
winter	O
campaign	O
,	O
initiated	O
through	O
a	O
partnership	O
between	O
the	O
UAE	O
Government	O
Media	O
Office	O
partnered	O
and	O
TikTok	B-Application
to	O
promote	O
the	O
country	O
's	O
tourism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
non-gaming	O
apps	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
3	O
billion	O
downloads	O
were	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
Instagram	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Messenger	B-Protocol
;	O
all	O
owned	O
by	O
Meta	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
non-Facebook	O
app	O
to	O
reach	O
that	O
figure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sensor	O
Tower	O
reported	O
that	O
although	O
TikTok	B-Application
had	O
been	O
banned	O
in	O
India	O
,	O
its	O
largest	O
market	O
,	O
in	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
downloads	O
in	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
continue	O
to	O
increase	O
,	O
reaching	O
3	O
billion	O
downloads	O
in	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advertising	O
revenue	O
of	O
short	O
video	O
clips	O
is	O
lower	O
than	O
other	O
social	O
media	O
:	O
while	O
users	O
spend	O
more	O
time	O
,	O
American	O
audience	O
is	O
monetized	O
at	O
a	O
rate	O
of	O
$0.31	O
per	O
hour	O
,	O
a	O
third	O
the	O
rate	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
a	O
fifth	O
the	O
rate	O
of	O
Instagram	B-Application
,	O
$67	O
per	O
year	O
while	O
Instagram	B-Application
will	O
make	O
more	O
than	O
$200	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
create	O
a	O
music	O
video	O
with	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
choose	O
background	O
music	O
from	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
music	O
genres	O
,	O
edit	O
with	O
a	O
filter	O
and	O
record	O
a	O
15-second	O
video	O
with	O
speed	O
adjustments	O
before	O
uploading	O
it	O
to	O
share	O
with	O
others	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
or	O
other	O
social	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
For	O
You	O
"	O
page	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
a	O
feed	O
of	O
videos	O
that	O
are	O
recommended	O
to	O
users	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
activity	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Content	O
is	O
curated	O
by	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
content	O
a	O
user	O
liked	O
,	O
interacted	O
with	O
,	O
or	O
searched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
duet	O
"	O
feature	O
was	O
another	O
trademark	O
of	O
musical.ly	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Private	O
content	O
remains	O
visible	O
to	O
TikTok	B-Application
but	O
is	O
blocked	O
from	O
TikTok	B-Application
users	O
who	O
the	O
account	O
holder	O
has	O
not	O
authorized	O
to	O
view	O
their	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
also	O
send	O
their	O
friends	O
videos	O
,	O
emojis	B-Application
,	O
and	O
messages	O
with	O
direct	O
messaging	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
also	O
included	O
a	O
feature	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
video	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
comments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
"	O
family	O
safety	O
mode	O
"	O
in	O
February	O
2020	O
for	O
parents	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
control	O
their	O
children	O
's	O
presence	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
expanded	O
its	O
parental	O
controls	O
feature	O
called	O
"	O
Family	O
Pairing	O
"	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
to	O
provide	O
parents	O
and	O
guardians	O
with	O
educational	O
resources	O
to	O
understand	O
what	O
children	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
are	O
exposed	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
test	O
feature	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
directly	O
tip	O
certain	O
creators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
started	O
beta-testing	O
Live	O
Studio	O
,	O
a	O
streaming	O
software	O
that	O
would	O
let	O
users	O
broadcast	O
applications	O
open	O
on	O
their	O
computers	O
,	O
including	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
later	O
,	O
users	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
discovered	O
that	O
the	O
software	O
uses	O
code	O
from	O
the	O
open-source	O
OBS	B-Language
Studio	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
OBS	O
made	O
a	O
statement	O
saying	O
that	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
GPL	I-License
version	O
2	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
code	O
of	O
Live	O
Studio	O
publicly	O
available	O
if	O
it	O
wants	O
to	O
use	O
any	O
code	O
from	O
OBS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2022	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
announced	O
TikTok	B-Application
Pulse	O
,	O
an	O
ad	O
revenue-sharing	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
covers	O
the	O
"	O
top	O
4%	O
of	O
all	O
videos	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
"	O
and	O
is	O
only	O
available	O
to	O
creators	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
100,000	O
followers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
tends	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
younger	O
users	O
,	O
as	O
41%	O
of	O
its	O
users	O
are	O
between	O
the	O
ages	O
of	O
16	O
and	O
24	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
these	O
TikTok	B-Application
users	O
,	O
90%	O
said	O
they	O
used	O
the	O
app	O
daily	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
geographical	O
use	O
has	O
shown	O
that	O
43%	O
of	O
new	O
users	O
are	O
from	O
India	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
average	O
user	O
,	O
daily	O
,	O
was	O
spending	O
1	O
hour	O
and	O
25	O
minutes	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
and	O
opening	O
TikTok	B-Application
17	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
variety	O
of	O
trends	O
have	O
risen	O
within	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
including	O
memes	O
,	O
lip-synced	O
songs	O
,	O
and	O
comedy	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
stars	O
got	O
their	O
start	O
on	O
musical.ly,	O
which	O
merged	O
with	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
2	O
August	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loren	O
Gray	O
remained	O
the	O
most-followed	O
individual	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
until	O
Charli	O
D’Amelio	O
surpassed	O
her	O
on	O
25	O
March	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gray	O
's	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
TikTok	B-Application
account	O
to	O
reach	O
40million	O
followers	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
creators	O
rose	O
to	O
fame	O
after	O
the	O
platform	O
merged	O
with	O
musical.ly	B-Application
on	O
2	O
August	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
also	O
played	O
a	O
major	O
part	O
in	O
making	O
"	O
Old	O
Town	O
Road	O
"	O
by	O
Lil	O
Nas	O
X	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
biggest	O
songs	O
of	O
2019	O
and	O
the	O
longest-running	O
number-one	O
song	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
the	O
US	O
Billboard	O
Hot	O
100	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
allowed	O
many	O
music	O
artists	O
to	O
gain	O
a	O
wider	O
audience	O
,	O
often	O
including	O
foreign	O
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
users	O
and	O
K-pop	O
fans	O
"	O
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
registered	O
potentially	O
hundreds	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
tickets	O
"	O
for	O
President	O
Trump	O
's	O
campaign	O
rally	O
in	O
Tulsa	O
through	O
communication	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
contributing	O
to	O
"	O
rows	O
of	O
empty	O
seats	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
an	O
organization	O
called	O
TikTok	B-Application
for	O
Biden	O
was	O
created	O
to	O
support	O
then-presidential	O
candidate	O
Joe	O
Biden	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
banned	O
Holocaust	O
denial	O
,	O
but	O
other	O
conspiracy	O
theories	O
have	O
become	O
popular	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Pizzagate	O
and	O
QAnon	O
(	O
two	O
conspiracy	O
theories	O
popular	O
among	O
the	O
U.S.	O
alt-right	O
)	O
whose	O
hashtags	O
reached	O
almost	O
80million	O
views	O
and	O
50million	O
views	O
respectively	O
by	O
June	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
removed	O
some	O
of	O
these	O
videos	O
and	O
has	O
generally	O
added	O
links	O
to	O
accurate	O
COVID-19	O
information	O
on	O
videos	O
with	O
tags	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Douyin	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Chinese	O
version	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
some	O
celebrities	O
who	O
had	O
garnered	O
large	O
followings	O
as	O
of	O
August	O
2019	O
include	O
Dilraba	O
Dilmurat	O
,	O
Angelababy	O
,	O
Luo	O
Zhixiang	O
,	O
Ouyang	O
Nana	O
,	O
and	O
Pan	O
Changjiang	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
2022	O
FIFA	O
World	O
Cup	O
,	O
a	O
Qatari	O
teenage	O
royal	O
became	O
an	O
internet	O
celebrity	O
after	O
his	O
angry	O
expressions	O
were	O
recorded	O
in	O
Qatar	O
’s	O
opening	O
match	O
loss	O
to	O
Ecuador	O
;	O
he	O
amassed	O
more	O
than	O
15	O
million	O
followers	O
in	O
less	O
than	O
a	O
week	O
after	O
creating	O
a	O
Douyin	B-Application
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Content	O
promoting	O
cosmetic	O
surgery	O
is	O
popular	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
has	O
spawned	O
several	O
viral	O
trends	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2021	O
,	O
Plastic	O
and	O
Reconstructive	O
Surgery	O
,	O
the	O
journal	O
of	O
the	O
American	O
Society	O
of	O
Plastic	O
Surgeons	O
,	O
published	O
an	O
article	O
about	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
some	O
plastic	O
surgeons	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
article	O
published	O
stats	O
about	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
plastic	O
surgeons	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
up	O
to	O
February	O
2021	O
and	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
five	O
different	O
plastic	O
surgeons	O
had	O
surpassed	O
1	O
million	O
followers	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
a	O
trend	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
#NoseJobCheck	O
trend	O
was	O
going	O
viral	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
content	O
creators	O
used	O
a	O
specific	O
audio	O
on	O
their	O
videos	O
while	O
showing	O
how	O
their	O
noses	O
looked	O
before	O
and	O
after	O
having	O
their	O
rhinoplasty	O
surgeries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Charli	O
D'Amelio	O
,	O
the	O
most-followed	O
person	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
also	O
made	O
a	O
#NoseJobCheck	O
video	O
to	O
show	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
her	O
surgery	O
to	O
repair	O
her	O
previously	O
broken	O
nose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
reported	O
that	O
facilities	O
that	O
offered	O
these	O
surgeries	O
were	O
also	O
posting	O
about	O
them	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
banned	O
the	O
advertising	O
of	O
cosmetic	O
surgeries	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
but	O
cosmetic	O
surgeons	O
are	O
still	O
able	O
to	O
reach	O
large	O
audiences	O
using	O
unpaid	O
photo	O
and	O
video	O
posts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
TikTok	B-Application
users	O
criticised	O
the	O
trend	O
for	O
promoting	O
an	O
unobtainable	O
beauty	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
provided	O
a	O
platform	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
content	O
not	O
only	O
for	O
fun	O
but	O
also	O
for	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
reported	O
that	O
viral	O
TikTok	B-Application
videos	O
by	O
young	O
people	O
relating	O
the	O
emotional	O
impact	O
of	O
books	O
on	O
them	O
,	O
tagged	O
with	O
the	O
label	O
"	O
BookTok	O
,	O
"	O
significantly	O
drove	O
sales	O
of	O
literature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
NBC	O
News	O
reported	O
in	O
a	O
television	O
segment	O
that	O
some	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
influencers	O
were	O
being	O
given	O
free	O
and	O
discounted	O
cosmetic	O
surgeries	O
in	O
order	O
for	O
them	O
to	O
advertise	O
the	O
surgeries	O
to	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
creators	O
participating	O
in	O
this	O
trend	O
made	O
videos	O
criticising	O
products	O
promoted	O
by	O
influencers	O
and	O
asked	O
their	O
audiences	O
not	O
to	O
buy	O
products	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
need	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
e-commerce	O
platform	O
Shopify	O
added	O
TikTok	B-Application
to	O
its	O
portfolio	O
of	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
,	O
allowing	O
online	O
merchants	O
to	O
sell	O
their	O
products	O
directly	O
to	O
consumers	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
small	O
businesses	O
have	O
used	O
TikTok	B-Application
to	O
advertise	O
and	O
to	O
reach	O
an	O
audience	O
wider	O
than	O
the	O
geographical	O
region	O
they	O
would	O
normally	O
serve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
viral	O
response	O
to	O
many	O
small	O
business	O
TikTok	B-Application
videos	O
has	O
been	O
attributed	O
to	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
algorithm	O
,	O
which	O
shows	O
content	O
that	O
viewers	O
at	O
large	O
are	O
drawn	O
to	O
,	O
but	O
which	O
they	O
are	O
unlikely	O
to	O
actively	O
search	O
for	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
videos	O
on	O
unconventional	O
types	O
of	O
businesses	O
,	O
like	O
beekeeping	O
and	O
logging	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
digital	O
media	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Group	O
Nine	O
Media	O
and	O
Global	O
used	O
TikTok	B-Application
increasingly	O
,	O
focusing	O
on	O
tactics	O
such	O
as	O
brokering	O
partnerships	O
with	O
TikTok	B-Application
influencers	O
and	O
developing	O
branded	O
content	O
campaigns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notable	O
collaborations	O
between	O
larger	O
brands	O
and	O
top	O
TikTok	B-Application
influencers	O
have	O
included	O
Chipotle	O
's	O
partnership	O
with	O
David	O
Dobrik	O
in	O
May	O
2019	O
and	O
Dunkin	O
 '	O
Donuts	O
 '	O
partnership	O
with	O
Charli	O
D'Amelio	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
regularly	O
used	O
by	O
sex	O
workers	O
to	O
promote	O
pornographic	O
content	O
sold	O
on	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
OnlyFans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
updated	O
their	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
to	O
ban	O
content	O
that	O
promotes	O
"	O
premium	O
sexual	O
content	O
"	O
and	O
banned	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
adult	O
content	O
creators	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
creators	O
have	O
used	O
various	O
methods	O
to	O
evade	O
censorship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Methods	O
used	O
by	O
adult	O
content	O
creators	O
to	O
avoid	O
censorship	O
include	O
referring	O
to	O
themselves	O
as	O
accountants	O
,	O
using	O
substitutes	O
for	O
words	O
in	O
their	O
captions	O
and	O
videos	O
–	O
such	O
as	O
using	O
the	O
corn	O
emoji	B-Application
in	O
place	O
of	O
the	O
word	O
"	O
porn	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
n00ds	O
"	O
instead	O
of	O
"	O
nudes	O
–	O
and	O
using	O
filters	O
to	O
censor	O
their	O
explicit	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
riddles	O
attracted	O
large	O
numbers	O
of	O
comments	O
by	O
people	O
trying	O
and	O
failing	O
to	O
solve	O
the	O
riddles	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
caused	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
recommendation	O
algorithm	O
to	O
recommend	O
them	O
to	O
more	O
people	O
as	O
it	O
perceived	O
them	O
as	O
popular	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
TikTok	B-Application
users	O
have	O
lived	O
collectively	O
in	O
collab	O
houses	O
,	O
predominantly	O
in	O
the	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
reportedly	O
banned	O
in	O
several	O
Asian	O
countries	O
including	O
Afghanistan	O
,	O
Armenia	O
,	O
Azerbaijan	O
,	O
Bangladesh	O
,	O
India	O
,	O
Iran	O
,	O
Pakistan	O
,	O
and	O
Syria	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
Canadian	O
government	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
all	O
government-issued	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Commission	O
and	O
European	O
Council	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
official	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
Belgium	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
all	O
federal	O
government	O
work	O
devices	O
over	O
cybersecurity	O
,	O
privacy	O
,	O
and	O
misinformation	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
Denmark	O
's	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Defence	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
work	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
UK	O
government	O
announced	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
would	O
be	O
banned	O
on	O
electronic	O
devices	O
used	O
by	O
ministers	O
and	O
other	O
employees	O
,	O
amid	O
security	O
concerns	O
relating	O
to	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
handling	O
of	O
user	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
the	O
BBC	O
told	O
all	O
employees	O
to	O
delete	O
TikTok	B-Application
off	O
their	O
devices	O
unless	O
the	O
app	O
was	O
being	O
used	O
for	O
work	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
6	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
then	O
U.S.	O
President	O
Donald	O
Trump	O
signed	O
an	O
order	O
which	O
would	O
ban	O
TikTok	B-Application
transactions	O
in	O
45	O
days	O
if	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
sold	O
by	O
ByteDance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trump	O
also	O
signed	O
a	O
similar	O
order	O
against	O
the	O
WeChat	B-Application
application	O
owned	O
by	O
the	O
Chinese	O
multinational	O
company	O
Tencent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
14	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
Trump	O
issued	O
another	O
order	O
giving	O
ByteDance	O
90	O
days	O
to	O
sell	O
or	O
spin	O
off	O
its	O
U.S.	O
TikTok	B-Application
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Donald	O
Trump	O
was	O
concerned	O
about	O
TikTok	B-Application
being	O
a	O
threat	O
because	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
parent	O
company	O
was	O
rumored	O
to	O
be	O
taking	O
United	O
States	O
user	O
data	O
and	O
reporting	O
it	O
back	O
to	O
Chinese	O
operations	O
through	O
the	O
company	O
ByteDance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
new	O
president	O
Joe	O
Biden	O
signed	O
an	O
executive	O
order	O
revoking	O
the	O
Trump	O
administration	O
ban	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
and	O
instead	O
ordered	O
the	O
Secretary	O
of	O
Commerce	O
to	O
investigate	O
the	O
app	O
to	O
determine	O
if	O
it	O
poses	O
a	O
threat	O
to	O
U.S.	O
national	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
reports	O
emerged	O
that	O
ByteDance	O
employees	O
in	O
China	O
could	O
access	O
US	O
data	O
and	O
repeatedly	O
accessed	O
the	O
private	O
information	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
users	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
employees	O
were	O
cited	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
everything	O
is	O
seen	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
"	O
while	O
one	O
director	O
claimed	O
a	O
Beijing-based	O
engineer	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
Master	O
Admin	O
"	O
has	O
"	O
access	O
to	O
everything.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
reports	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
100%	O
of	O
its	O
US	O
user	O
traffic	O
is	O
now	O
being	O
routed	O
to	O
Oracle	B-Application
Cloud	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
their	O
intention	O
to	O
delete	O
all	O
US	O
user	O
data	O
from	O
their	O
own	O
data	O
centers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
deal	O
stems	O
from	O
the	O
talks	O
with	O
Oracle	B-Application
instigated	O
in	O
September	O
2020	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
Trump	O
's	O
threat	O
to	O
ban	O
TikTok	B-Application
in	O
the	O
US	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
FCC	O
Commissioner	O
Brendan	O
Carr	O
called	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
Apple	O
to	O
remove	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
their	O
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
national	O
security	O
concerns	O
,	O
saying	O
TikTok	B-Application
"	O
harvests	O
swaths	O
of	O
sensitive	O
data	O
that	O
new	O
reports	O
show	O
are	O
being	O
accessed	O
in	O
Beijing.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
denied	O
these	O
claims	O
in	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
tweets	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
this	O
report	O
lacked	O
"	O
both	O
rigor	O
and	O
journalistic	O
integrity.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2022	O
,	O
Christopher	O
A	O
.	O
Wray	O
,	O
director	O
of	O
the	O
Federal	O
Bureau	O
of	O
Investigation	O
,	O
told	O
U.S.	O
lawmakers	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
could	O
use	O
 [ TikTok ] 	O
to	O
control	O
data	O
collection	O
on	O
millions	O
of	O
users	O
or	O
control	O
the	O
recommendation	O
algorithm	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
influence	O
operations.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
month	O
,	O
Senator	O
Josh	O
Hawley	O
also	O
introduced	O
a	O
separate	O
measure	O
,	O
the	O
No	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
Government	O
Devices	O
Act	O
,	O
to	O
ban	O
federal	O
employees	O
from	O
using	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
all	O
government	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
27	O
,	O
the	O
Chief	O
Administrative	O
Officer	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
House	O
of	O
Representatives	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
all	O
devices	O
managed	O
by	O
the	O
House	O
of	O
Representatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
32	O
(	O
of	O
50	O
)	O
states	O
have	O
announced	O
or	O
enacted	O
bans	O
on	O
state	O
government	O
agencies	O
,	O
employees	O
,	O
and	O
contractors	O
using	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
government-issued	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
Politico	O
reported	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
hired	O
SKDK	O
to	O
lobby	O
amid	O
a	O
possible	O
federal	O
ban	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
month	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
CEO	O
appeared	O
before	O
Congress	O
to	O
address	O
the	O
concerns	O
surrounding	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
data	O
collection	O
practices	O
did	O
not	O
differ	O
from	O
those	O
of	O
US	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Montana	O
became	O
the	O
first	O
state	O
to	O
pass	O
legislation	O
banning	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
all	O
personal	O
devices	O
from	O
operating	O
within	O
state	O
lines	O
and	O
barring	O
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
from	O
offering	O
TikTok	B-Application
for	O
downloads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
7	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
68	O
Australian	O
federal	O
agencies	O
had	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
work-related	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
,	O
West	O
Australian	O
Premier	O
Mark	O
McGowan	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
government	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
17	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
New	O
Zealand	O
Parliamentary	O
Service	O
banned	O
TikTok	B-Application
on	O
devices	O
connected	O
to	O
Parliament	O
,	O
citing	O
cybersecurity	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
concerns	O
that	O
some	O
users	O
may	O
find	O
it	O
hard	O
to	O
stop	O
using	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
an	O
addiction-reduction	O
feature	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
Douyin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
feature	O
was	O
rolled	O
out	O
to	O
the	O
TikTok	B-Application
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
uses	O
some	O
top	O
influencers	O
such	O
as	O
Gabe	O
Erwin	O
,	O
Alan	O
Chikin	O
Chow	O
,	O
James	O
Henry	O
,	O
and	O
Cosette	O
Rinab	O
to	O
encourage	O
viewers	O
to	O
stop	O
using	O
the	O
app	O
and	O
take	O
a	O
break	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
concern	O
as	O
many	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
audience	O
are	O
younger	O
children	O
,	O
whose	O
brains	O
are	O
still	O
developing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
executives	O
and	O
representatives	O
have	O
noted	O
and	O
made	O
aware	O
to	O
advertisers	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
that	O
users	O
have	O
poor	O
attention	O
spans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
also	O
received	O
criticism	O
for	O
enabling	O
children	O
to	O
purchase	O
coins	O
which	O
they	O
can	O
send	O
to	O
other	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
introduced	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
set	O
a	O
maximum	O
uninterrupted	O
screen	O
time	O
allowance	O
,	O
after	O
which	O
the	O
app	O
blocks	O
off	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
navigate	O
the	O
feed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
countries	O
have	O
shown	O
concerns	O
regarding	O
the	O
content	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
as	O
their	O
cultures	O
view	O
it	O
as	O
obscene	O
,	O
immoral	O
,	O
vulgar	O
,	O
and	O
encouraging	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
Douyin	B-Application
was	O
reprimanded	O
by	O
Chinese	O
media	O
watchdogs	O
for	O
showing	O
"	O
unacceptable	O
"	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
27	O
July	O
2020	O
,	O
Egypt	O
sentenced	O
five	O
women	O
to	O
two	O
years	O
in	O
prison	O
over	O
TikTok	B-Application
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
reports	O
that	O
Palestinians	O
resorted	O
to	O
TikTok	B-Application
for	O
promoting	O
their	O
cause	O
after	O
platforms	O
like	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
blocked	O
their	O
content	O
,	O
Israeli	O
analyst	O
Yoni	O
Ben-Menachem	O
told	O
Arab	O
News	O
in	O
2022	O
that	O
the	O
Chinese	O
app	O
was	O
a	O
“	O
tool	O
of	O
dangerous	O
influence	O
”	O
inciting	O
violence	O
through	O
videos	O
glorifying	O
attacks	O
against	O
Israelis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Palestinian	O
militant	O
group	O
Lion	O
's	O
Den	O
gained	O
much	O
of	O
their	O
popularity	O
through	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
according	O
to	O
Ynet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
Otzma	O
Yehudit	O
politician	O
Almog	O
Cohen	O
advocated	O
blocking	O
TikTok	B-Application
for	O
all	O
of	O
East	O
Jerusalem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
gained	O
popularity	O
among	O
young	O
children	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
extremist	O
and	O
hateful	O
content	O
is	O
growing	O
,	O
calls	O
for	O
tighter	O
restrictions	O
on	O
their	O
flexible	O
boundaries	O
have	O
been	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
since	O
released	O
tougher	O
parental	O
controls	O
to	O
filter	O
out	O
inappropriate	O
content	O
and	O
to	O
ensure	O
they	O
can	O
provide	O
sufficient	O
protection	O
and	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
viral	O
TikTok	B-Application
trend	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
devious	O
licks	O
"	O
involves	O
students	O
vandalizing	O
or	O
stealing	O
school	O
property	O
and	O
posting	O
videos	O
of	O
the	O
action	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
taken	O
measures	O
to	O
remove	O
and	O
prevent	O
access	O
to	O
content	O
displaying	O
the	O
trend	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
has	O
reported	O
that	O
doctors	O
experienced	O
a	O
surge	O
in	O
reported	O
cases	O
of	O
tics	O
,	O
tied	O
to	O
an	O
increasing	O
number	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
videos	O
from	O
content	O
creators	O
with	O
Tourette	O
syndrome	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
Washington	O
Post	O
reported	O
that	O
Facebook	B-Application
owner	O
Meta	O
Platforms	O
had	O
paid	O
Targeted	O
Victory	O
—	O
a	O
consulting	O
firm	O
backed	O
by	O
supporters	O
of	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Republican	O
Party	O
—	O
to	O
coordinate	O
lobbying	O
and	O
media	O
campaigns	O
against	O
TikTok	B-Application
to	O
portray	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
danger	O
to	O
American	O
children	O
and	O
society	O
"	O
,	O
primarily	O
to	O
stoke	O
anti-Chinese	O
xenophobia	O
and	O
counter	O
criticism	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
's	O
own	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
included	O
op-eds	O
and	O
letters	O
to	O
the	O
editor	O
in	O
regional	O
publications	O
,	O
the	O
amplification	O
of	O
"	O
dubious	O
local	O
news	O
stories	O
citing	O
TikTok	B-Application
as	O
the	O
origin	O
of	O
dangerous	O
teen	O
trends	O
"	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
"	O
devious	O
licks	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
alleged	O
"	O
Slap	O
a	O
Teacher	O
"	O
challenge	O
)	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
whose	O
initial	O
development	O
actually	O
began	O
on	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
similar	O
promotion	O
of	O
"	O
proactive	O
coverage	O
"	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
corporate	O
initiatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Malaysia	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
used	O
by	O
some	O
users	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
hate	O
speech	O
against	O
race	O
and	O
religion	O
especially	O
mentioning	O
the	O
13	O
May	O
incident	O
after	O
the	O
2022	O
election	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
responded	O
by	O
taking	O
down	O
videos	O
with	O
content	O
that	O
violated	O
their	O
community	O
guidelines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indiana	O
Attorney	O
General	O
Todd	O
Rokita	O
filed	O
lawsuits	O
against	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
alleging	O
that	O
the	O
platform	O
exposed	O
inappropriate	O
content	O
to	O
minors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
complaint	O
also	O
alleges	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
"	O
intentionally	O
falsely	O
reports	O
the	O
frequency	O
of	O
sexual	O
content	O
,	O
nudity	O
,	O
and	O
mature/suggestive	O
themes	O
"	O
on	O
their	O
platform	O
which	O
made	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
"	O
12-plus	O
"	O
age	O
ratings	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
deceptive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
raised	O
the	O
minimum	O
age	O
for	O
livestreaming	O
from	O
16	O
to	O
18	O
after	O
a	O
BBC	O
News	O
investigation	O
found	O
hundreds	O
of	O
accounts	O
going	O
live	O
from	O
Syrian	O
refugee	O
camps	O
,	O
with	O
children	O
begging	O
for	O
donations	O
through	O
digital	O
gifts	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
TikTok	B-Application
taking	O
a	O
70%	O
cut	O
of	O
the	O
donations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
The	O
Jewish	O
Chronicle	O
reported	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
was	O
hosting	O
videos	O
promoting	O
the	O
neo-Nazi	O
propaganda	O
film	O
Europa	O
:	O
The	O
Last	O
Battle	O
,	O
despite	O
having	O
being	O
alerted	O
to	O
the	O
issue	O
four	O
months	O
prior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
left-leaning	O
media	O
watchdog	O
Media	O
Matters	O
for	O
America	O
said	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
hosted	O
misinformation	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
despite	O
a	O
recent	O
policy	O
against	O
misinformation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
government	O
of	O
India	O
asked	O
TikTok	B-Application
to	O
remove	O
users	O
posting	O
misinformation	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
response	O
to	O
this	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
feature	O
to	O
report	O
content	O
for	O
misinformation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
combat	O
misinformation	O
in	O
the	O
2022	O
midterm	O
election	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
midterms	O
Elections	O
Center	O
available	O
in-app	O
to	O
users	O
in	O
40	O
different	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
the	O
National	O
Association	O
of	O
Secretaries	O
of	O
State	O
to	O
give	O
accurate	O
local	O
information	O
to	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2022	O
,	O
NewsGuard	B-Operating_System
Technologies	I-Operating_System
reported	O
that	O
among	O
the	O
TikTok	B-Application
searches	O
it	O
had	O
conducted	O
and	O
analyzed	O
from	O
the	O
U.S.	O
,	O
19.4	O
%	O
surfaced	O
misinformation	O
such	O
as	O
questionable	O
or	O
harmful	O
content	O
about	O
COVID-19	O
vaccines	O
,	O
homemade	O
remedies	O
,	O
the	O
2020	O
US	O
elections	O
,	O
the	O
war	O
in	O
Ukraine	O
,	O
the	O
Robb	O
Elementary	O
School	O
shooting	O
,	O
and	O
abortion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NewsGuard	B-Operating_System
suggested	O
that	O
in	O
contrast	O
,	O
results	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
were	O
of	O
higher	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
censorship	O
policy	O
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
as	O
non-transparent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
moderators	O
have	O
also	O
blocked	O
content	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
perceived	O
as	O
positive	O
towards	O
LGBT	O
people	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
country-specific	O
censorship	O
rules	O
such	O
as	O
banning	O
mentions	O
of	O
1989	O
Tiananmen	O
Square	O
protests	O
and	O
massacre	O
in	O
China	O
and	O
Kurdish	O
nationalism	O
in	O
Turkey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
is	O
the	O
10th	O
most	O
popular	O
app	O
in	O
Russia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
stated	O
that	O
although	O
this	O
and	O
other	O
loopholes	O
were	O
patched	O
by	O
TikTok	B-Application
before	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
March	O
,	O
the	O
initial	O
failure	O
to	O
correctly	O
implement	O
the	O
restrictions	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
effects	O
from	O
Kremlin	O
's	O
"	O
fake	O
news	O
"	O
laws	O
,	O
contributed	O
to	O
the	O
formation	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
splinternet	O
...	O
dominated	O
by	O
pro-war	O
content	O
"	O
in	O
Russia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
said	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
removed	O
204	O
accounts	O
for	O
swaying	O
public	O
opinion	O
about	O
the	O
war	O
while	O
obscuring	O
their	O
origins	O
and	O
that	O
its	O
fact	O
checkers	O
had	O
removed	O
41,191	O
videos	O
for	O
violating	O
its	O
misinformation	O
policies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2019	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
removed	O
about	O
two	O
dozen	O
accounts	O
that	O
were	O
responsible	O
for	O
posting	O
ISIL	O
propaganda	O
and	O
execution	O
videos	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
privacy	O
policy	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
lists	O
that	O
it	O
collects	O
usage	B-Protocol
information	I-Protocol
,	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
mobile	O
carrier	O
,	O
unique	O
device	O
identifiers	O
,	O
keystroke	B-Application
patterns	I-Application
,	O
and	O
location	B-General_Concept
data	I-General_Concept
,	O
among	O
other	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	O
developers	O
Talal	O
Haj	O
Bakry	O
and	O
Tommy	O
Mysk	O
said	O
that	O
allowing	O
videos	O
and	O
other	O
content	O
to	O
be	O
shared	O
by	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
users	O
through	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
puts	O
the	O
users	O
 '	O
data	O
privacy	O
at	O
risk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
accusations	O
and	O
conspiracy	O
theories	O
were	O
created	O
in	O
part	O
by	O
Republican	O
consulting	O
firms	O
such	O
as	O
Targeted	O
Victory	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
parent	O
Meta	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
Check	O
Point	O
Research	O
discovered	O
a	O
security	O
flaw	O
in	O
TikTok	B-Application
which	O
could	O
have	O
allowed	O
hackers	O
access	O
to	O
user	O
accounts	O
using	O
SMS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
,	O
Reddit	B-Application
CEO	O
Steve	O
Huffman	O
criticised	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
spyware	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
stating	O
"	O
I	O
look	O
at	O
that	O
app	O
as	O
so	O
fundamentally	O
parasitic	O
,	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
always	O
listening	O
,	O
the	O
fingerprinting	O
technology	O
they	O
use	O
is	O
truly	O
terrifying	O
,	O
and	O
I	O
could	O
not	O
bring	O
myself	O
to	O
install	O
an	O
app	O
like	O
that	O
on	O
my	O
phone.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Responding	O
to	O
Huffman	O
's	O
comments	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
stated	O
,	O
"	O
These	O
are	O
baseless	O
accusations	O
made	O
without	O
a	O
shred	O
of	O
evidence.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
Dutch	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Authority	O
announced	O
an	O
investigation	O
into	O
TikTok	B-Application
in	O
relation	O
to	O
privacy	O
protections	O
for	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Board	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
assemble	O
a	O
task	O
force	O
to	O
examine	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
user	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
reported	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
tracked	O
Android	B-Application
user	O
data	O
,	O
including	O
MAC	O
addresses	O
and	O
IMEIs	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
tactic	O
in	O
violation	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
policies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
updated	O
its	O
privacy	O
policy	O
to	O
include	O
collection	O
of	O
biometric	O
data	O
,	O
including	O
"	O
faceprints	O
and	O
voiceprints.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
CNBC	O
reported	O
that	O
former	O
employees	O
had	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
boundaries	O
between	O
TikTok	B-Application
and	O
ByteDance	O
were	O
so	O
blurry	O
as	O
to	O
be	O
almost	O
non-existent	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
ByteDance	O
employees	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
access	O
U.S.	O
user	O
data	O
"	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
following	O
the	B-Application
Facebook	I-Application
Files	O
and	O
controversies	O
about	O
social	O
media	O
ethics	O
,	O
a	O
bipartisan	O
group	O
of	O
lawmakers	O
also	O
pressed	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
Snapchat	O
on	O
questions	O
of	O
data	O
privacy	O
and	O
moderation	O
for	O
age-appropriate	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
reported	O
,	O
"	O
Lawmakers	O
also	O
hammered	O
[	O
head	O
of	O
U.S.	O
policy	O
at	O
TikTok ]	O
Mr.	O
Beckerman	O
about	O
whether	O
TikTok	B-Application
’s	O
Chinese	O
ownership	O
could	O
expose	O
consumer	O
data	O
to	O
Beijing	O
,	O
"	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Critics	O
have	O
long	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
would	O
be	O
obligated	O
to	O
turn	O
Americans’	O
data	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
if	O
asked.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
told	O
U.S.	O
lawmakers	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
give	O
information	O
to	O
China	O
's	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
representative	O
stated	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
data	O
is	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
with	O
backups	O
in	O
Singapore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
representative	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
had	O
"	O
no	O
affiliation	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
subsidiary	O
Beijing	O
ByteDance	O
Technology	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
has	O
a	O
minority	O
stake	O
and	O
board	O
seat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
BuzzFeed	O
News	O
reported	O
that	O
leaked	O
audio	O
recordings	O
of	O
internal	O
TikTok	B-Application
meetings	O
revealed	O
that	O
certain	O
China-based	O
employees	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
maintain	O
full	O
access	O
to	O
overseas	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2022	O
,	O
software	O
engineer	O
and	O
security	O
researcher	O
Felix	O
Krause	O
found	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
in-app	O
browser	O
contained	O
keylogger	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2022	O
,	O
during	O
testimony	O
to	O
the	O
Senate	O
Homeland	O
Security	O
Committee	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
COO	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
could	O
not	O
commit	O
to	O
stopping	O
data	O
transfers	O
from	O
US	O
users	O
to	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
COO	O
reacted	O
to	O
concerns	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
handling	O
of	O
user	O
data	O
by	O
stating	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
does	O
not	O
operate	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
company	O
does	O
have	O
an	O
office	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
in	O
November	O
2022	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
head	O
of	O
privacy	O
for	O
Europe	O
,	O
Elaine	O
Fox	O
,	O
confirmed	O
that	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
workers	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
workers	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
info	O
of	O
accounts	O
from	O
the	O
UK	O
and	O
European	O
Union	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
a	O
former	O
employee	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
held	O
multiple	O
meetings	O
with	O
US	O
senators	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
proposed	O
Project	O
Texas	O
data	O
protections	O
would	O
not	O
prevent	O
Chinese	O
employees	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
from	O
"	O
spying	O
"	O
on	O
US	O
users	O
 '	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
2023	O
investigation	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
's	O
Information	O
Commissioner	O
's	O
Office	O
(	O
ICO	O
)	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
was	O
accessible	O
to	O
children	O
younger	O
than	O
13	O
years	O
old	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
despite	O
TikTok	B-Application
’s	O
stipulation	O
in	O
their	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
that	O
users	O
be	O
13	O
or	O
older	O
to	O
create	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
as	O
per	O
ICO	O
investigation	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
utilized	O
these	O
children	O
’s	O
data	O
without	O
getting	O
consent	O
from	O
their	O
parents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
BBC	O
,	O
Edwards	O
added	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
not	O
made	O
any	O
efforts	O
to	O
collect	O
permission	O
from	O
parents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
28	O
days	O
for	O
representation	O
and	O
appeals	O
for	O
a	O
penalty	O
reduction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ByteDance	O
responded	O
by	O
adding	O
a	O
kids-only	O
mode	O
to	O
TikTok	B-Application
which	O
blocks	O
the	O
upload	O
of	O
videos	O
,	O
the	O
building	O
of	O
user	O
profiles	O
,	O
direct	O
messaging	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
commenting	O
on	O
others	O
 '	O
videos	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
allowing	O
the	O
viewing	O
and	O
recording	O
of	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
an	O
advocacy	O
group	O
filed	O
a	O
complaint	O
with	O
the	O
FTC	O
saying	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
had	O
violated	O
the	O
terms	O
of	O
the	O
February	O
2019	O
consent	O
decree	O
,	O
which	O
sparked	O
subsequent	O
Congressional	O
calls	O
for	O
a	O
renewed	O
FTC	O
investigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
's	O
Information	O
Commissioner	O
's	O
Office	O
launched	O
an	O
investigation	O
of	O
TikTok	B-Application
following	O
the	O
fine	O
ByteDance	O
received	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
(	O
FTC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
to	O
a	O
parliamentary	O
committee	O
,	O
Information	O
Commissioner	O
Elizabeth	O
Denham	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
investigation	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
issues	O
of	O
private	O
data	O
collection	O
,	O
the	O
kind	O
of	O
videos	O
collected	O
and	O
shared	O
by	O
children	O
online	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
open	O
messaging	B-Protocol
system	O
which	O
allows	O
any	O
adult	O
to	O
message	O
any	O
child	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Ireland	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Commissioner	O
opened	O
investigations	O
into	O
TikTok	B-Application
concerning	O
the	O
protection	O
of	O
minors	O
 '	O
data	O
and	O
transfers	O
of	O
personal	O
data	O
to	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
incumbent	O
Texas	O
Attorney	O
General	O
,	O
Ken	O
Paxton	O
,	O
initiated	O
an	O
investigation	O
into	O
TikTok	B-Application
for	O
alleged	O
violations	O
of	O
children	O
's	O
privacy	O
and	O
facilitation	O
of	O
human	O
trafficking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2022	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
confirmed	O
that	O
journalists’	O
data	O
was	O
accessed	O
by	O
employees	O
of	O
its	O
parent	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
parent	O
company	O
ByteDance	O
fired	O
four	O
employees	O
who	O
improperly	O
accessed	O
the	O
personal	O
data	O
of	O
two	O
journalists	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
a	O
TikTok	B-Application
spokesman	O
ByteDance	O
confirmed	O
to	O
CNN	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
ByteDance	O
employees	O
investigated	O
potential	O
employee	O
leaks	O
to	O
the	O
media	O
,	O
they	O
accessed	O
the	O
TikTok	B-Application
user	O
data	O
of	O
two	O
journalists	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Personal	O
data	O
obtained	O
from	O
journalists	O
 '	O
accounts	O
included	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
track	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
Privacy	O
Commissioner	O
of	O
Canada	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
counterparts	O
in	O
Alberta	O
,	O
British	O
Columbia	O
,	O
and	O
Quebec	O
,	O
launched	O
an	O
investigation	O
into	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
data	O
collection	O
practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
users	O
have	O
reported	O
endemic	O
cyberbullying	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
including	O
racism	O
and	O
ableism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
following	O
a	O
report	O
by	O
German	O
digital	O
rights	O
group	O
Netzpolitik.org,	O
TikTok	B-Application
admitted	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
suppressed	O
videos	O
by	O
disabled	O
users	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
LGBTQ+	O
users	O
in	O
a	O
purported	O
effort	O
to	O
limit	O
cyberbullying	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
moderators	O
were	O
also	O
told	O
to	O
suppress	O
users	O
with	O
"	O
abnormal	O
body	O
shape	O
,	O
"	O
"	O
ugly	O
facial	O
looks	O
,	O
"	O
"	O
too	O
many	O
wrinkles	O
,	O
"	O
or	O
in	O
"	O
slums	O
,	O
rural	O
fields	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
dilapidated	O
housing	O
"	O
to	O
prevent	O
bullying	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2022	O
,	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
reported	O
that	O
"	O
Mental-health	O
professionals	O
around	O
the	O
country	O
are	O
growing	O
increasingly	O
concerned	O
about	O
the	O
effects	O
on	O
teen	O
girls	O
of	O
posting	O
sexualized	O
TikTok	B-Application
videos.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
a	O
coalition	O
of	O
U.S.	O
state	O
attorneys	O
general	O
launched	O
an	O
investigation	O
into	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
effect	O
on	O
children	O
's	O
mental	O
health	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2022	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Food	O
and	O
Drug	O
Administration	O
(	O
FDA	O
)	O
listed	O
Ozempic	O
as	O
being	O
in	O
shortage	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
huge	O
increase	O
in	O
demand	O
for	O
off-label	O
prescriptions	O
of	O
the	O
medicine	O
was	O
caused	O
by	O
a	O
weight	O
loss	O
trend	O
on	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
where	O
videos	O
about	O
the	O
drug	O
had	O
exceeded	O
360	O
million	O
views	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
China	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
offers	O
a	O
child-specific	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
that	O
shows	O
more	O
educational	O
content	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
global	O
non-age-specific	O
version	O
shows	O
more	O
"	O
addictive	O
"	O
content	O
using	O
a	O
recommendation	O
algorithm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tencent	O
's	O
WeChat	B-Application
platform	O
has	O
been	O
accused	O
of	O
blocking	O
Douyin	B-Application
's	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
Douyin	B-Application
sued	O
Tencent	O
and	O
accused	O
it	O
of	O
spreading	O
false	O
and	O
damaging	O
information	O
on	O
its	O
WeChat	B-Application
platform	O
,	O
demanding	O
CN¥1	O
million	O
in	O
compensation	O
and	O
an	O
apology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2018	O
,	O
Tencent	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Toutiao	O
and	O
Douyin	B-Application
in	O
a	O
Beijing	O
court	O
,	O
alleging	O
they	O
had	O
repeatedly	O
defamed	O
Tencent	O
with	O
negative	O
news	O
and	O
damaged	O
its	O
reputation	O
,	O
seeking	O
a	O
nominal	O
sum	O
of	O
CN¥1	O
in	O
compensation	O
and	O
a	O
public	O
apology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
a	O
class	O
action	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
filed	O
in	O
California	O
that	O
alleged	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
transferred	O
personally	O
identifiable	O
information	O
of	O
U.S.	O
persons	O
to	O
servers	O
located	O
in	O
China	O
owned	O
by	O
Tencent	O
and	O
Alibaba	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lawsuit	O
also	O
accused	O
ByteDance	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
's	O
parent	O
company	O
,	O
of	O
taking	O
user	O
content	O
without	O
their	O
permission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
realized	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
has	O
created	O
an	O
account	O
for	O
her	O
using	O
her	O
information	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
biometrics	O
)	O
and	O
made	O
a	O
summary	O
of	O
her	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lawsuit	O
also	O
alleged	O
that	O
information	O
was	O
sent	O
to	O
Chinese	O
tech	O
giant	O
Baidu	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2020	O
,	O
twenty	O
lawsuits	O
against	O
TikTok	B-Application
were	O
merged	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
class	O
action	O
lawsuit	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Northern	O
District	O
of	O
Illinois	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2021	O
,	O
TikTok	B-Application
agreed	O
to	O
pay	O
$92	O
million	O
to	O
settle	O
the	O
class	O
action	O
lawsuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2021	O
,	O
Canadian	O
voice	O
actor	O
Bev	O
Standing	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
TikTok	B-Application
over	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
her	O
voice	O
in	O
the	O
text-to-speech	B-Application
feature	O
without	O
her	O
permission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
declined	O
to	O
comment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Standing	O
believes	O
that	O
TikTok	B-Application
used	O
recordings	O
she	O
made	O
for	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government-run	O
Institute	O
of	O
Acoustics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Netherlands-based	O
Market	O
Information	O
Research	O
Foundation	O
(	O
SOMI	O
)	O
filed	O
a	O
€1.4	O
billion	O
lawsuit	O
on	O
behalf	O
of	O
Dutch	O
parents	O
against	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
alleging	O
that	O
the	O
app	O
gathers	O
data	O
on	O
children	O
without	O
adequate	O
permission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
lawsuits	O
have	O
been	O
filed	O
against	O
TikTok	B-Application
,	O
accusing	O
the	O
platform	O
of	O
hosting	O
content	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
death	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
seven	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lawsuits	O
claim	O
that	O
children	O
died	O
after	O
attempting	O
the	O
"	O
Blackout	O
challenge	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
TikTok	B-Application
trend	O
that	O
involves	O
strangling	O
or	O
asphyxiating	O
someone	O
or	O
themselves	O
until	O
they	O
black	O
out	O
(	O
passing	O
out	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TikTok	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
search	O
queries	O
for	O
the	O
challenge	O
do	O
not	O
show	O
any	O
results	O
,	O
linking	O
instead	O
to	O
protective	O
resources	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
parents	O
of	O
two	O
of	O
the	O
deceased	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
content	O
showed	O
up	O
on	O
their	O
children	O
's	O
TikTok	B-Application
feeds	O
,	O
without	O
them	O
searching	O
for	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
