TikTok

TikTok settled a lawsuit with a 19-year-old who claimed the app caused addiction and mental health issues, just hours before her trial was set to start in Los Angeles. Snap also settled earlier, while cases against Meta and YouTube will continue.

Vietnam has fined TikTok 880 million dong and VNG’s Zalo 810 million dong for breaking consumer protection and data privacy rules. Both platforms failed to give users proper control over their personal data or a clear way to raise complaints.

TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has agreed to hand control of its US operations to a new US-led company to avoid a ban. The deal gives American and global investors 80.1% ownership, while ByteDance keeps 19.9%, and the joint venture will manage US data, algorithms, and content locally.

Ireland’s media regulator has opened investigations into TikTok and LinkedIn over possible breaches of EU rules on reporting illegal content. The probes focus on whether the platforms make it too hard for users to flag illegal material and meet the Digital Services Act requirements.

OpenAI has launched Sora 2, a new AI system that creates realistic videos with accurate motion and sound. The accompanying Sora app lets users appear in AI-generated scenes using “cameos” and share videos in a TikTok-style feed.

The U.S. and China have reached a “framework” agreement over TikTok, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Monday during U.S.-China talks in Madrid.

Malaysian authorities have summoned TikTok’s top management over slow responses to false information and complaints about TikTok Shop orders. The meeting will also address harmful content, signalling that social media platforms must cooperate quickly with local law enforcement.

Perplexity AI has made a $34.5 billion offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser as Google faces possible antitrust action in the US. Google has not responded, and many believe Chrome is worth far more than the bid.

TikTok is planning to launch a new app specifically for U.S. users by September 2025 amid ongoing talks to address national security concerns over its Chinese ownership. The existing app will be phased out by March 2026, with users required to switch to the new version to continue using the platform.

President Trump just signed an executive order to provide yet another extension for the banning or sale of Tiktok, while critics are calling this move outright illegal.