Media
'Unfair' but not the worst-case scenario: Chinese state media reacts to 'reasonable' TikTok deal – CNBC
GUANGZHOU, China — Chinese state media said ByteDance’s deal to set up TikTok Global in the U.S. is “reasonable,” adding that Chinese authorities would still need to give their approval to a deal with U.S. giants Oracle and Walmart.
Global Times, a Chinese state-backed tabloid, said the TikTok deal avoids the “worst-case scenario” even though it was “unfair” that ByteDance was forced into this position.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump tentatively agreed to a deal in which Oracle and Walmart would take a combined 20% stake in TikTok Global. Oracle will be the cloud provider responsible for storing and handling U.S. user data.
Trump claimed the deal has “nothing to do with China” and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the new entity will be “controlled by Americans.”
However, Beijing-headquartered ByteDance on Monday confirmed it would have an 80% stake of TikTok Global. ByteDance also said it would not transfer its algorithms and technology to Oracle, though the U.S. firm can inspect the source code to ensure it’s safe.
Earlier, the U.S. president had threatened to ban the app if it was not sold to a U.S. acquirer. But the current deal does not amount to a full acquisition and TikTok has managed to avert a ban in the U.S. for now.
“But it should be noted the plan is less costly for ByteDance than a shutdown or a complete sale to US companies,” the Global Times editorial read. “This plan is relatively more reasonable to ByteDance. The plan shows that ByteDance’s moves to defend its legitimate rights have to some extent worked.”
Earlier this month, China made amendments to its export restriction list to include technologies for “recommendation of personalized information services based on data analysis.” It did not specifically name ByteDance, but the addition was seen to relate to the video recommendation algorithm that has been a key factor behind the rising popularity of TikTok.
Global Times claimed China’s move “significantly influenced the outcome” of the deal.
Meanwhile, in a separate opinion piece, the state-backed publication indicated the TikTok deal will need “the approval of the Chinese government,” suggesting that there are still some final hurdles to overcome.
Washington has often claimed that TikTok Global will be an American firm free of Chinese influence.
“It’ll be a brand new company. It will have nothing to do with any outside land, any outside country, it will have nothing to do with China,” Trump said.
Media
CTV National News: Social media giants sued – CTV News
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CTV National News: Social media giants sued CTV News
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Media
India’s media – captured and censored
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Across almost every form of media in India – social, broadcast and print – Narendra Modi and the BJP hold sway.
With India amid a national election campaign, its news media is in sharp focus. Until recently it was believed that the sheer diversity of outlets ensured a range of perspectives, but now, India’s mainstream media has largely been co-opted by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just how did the media in India get to this point and what does it mean for the upcoming elections?
Featuring:
Ravish Kumar – Former Host, NDTV
Shashi Shekhar Vempati – Former CEO, Prasar Bharati
Pramod Raman – Chief Editor, MediaOne
Amy Kazmin – Former South Asia Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Meena Kotwal – Founder, The Mooknayak
Media
Social media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards
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Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against multiple social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
The school boards, including three in the Greater Toronto Area, have launched lawsuits seeking $4.5 billion in damages against Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, the owner of both Facebook and Instagram, for creating products that they allege negligently interfere with student learning and have caused “widespread disruption to the education system.”
But at an unrelated news conference in Ottawa on Friday, Ford said that he “disagrees” with the legal action and worries it could take the focus away from “the core values of education.”
“Let’s focus on math, reading and writing. That is what we need to do, put all the resources into the kids,” he said. “What are they spending lawyers fees to go after these massive companies that have endless cash to fight this? Let’s focus on the kids, not this other nonsense that they are looking to fight in court.”
Four separate but similar statements of claim were filed in Ontario’s Superior Court of JusticSocial media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards pervasive problems such as distraction, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, a rapid escalation of aggression, and mental health challenges,” Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the director of education with the Toronto District School Board, said in a news release issued Thursday.
“It is imperative that we take steps to ensure the well-being of our youth. We are calling for measures to be implemented to mitigate these harms and prioritize the mental health and academic success of our future generation.”
The school boards are represented by Toronto-based law firm Neinstein LLP and the news release states that school boards “will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached.”
These lawsuits come as hundreds of school districts in the United States file similar suits.
“A strong education system is the foundation of our society and our community. Social media products and the changes in behaviour, judgement and attention that they cause pose a threat to that system and to the student population our schools serve,” Duncan Embury, the head of litigation at Neinstein LLP, said in the new release.
“We are proud to support our schools and students in this litigation with the goal of holding social media giants accountable and creating meaningful change.”
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