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Trump Approves Oracle/TikTok Deal, Securing the App’s Future in the US

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trump approves oracle tiktok deal securing the apps future in the us

It looks like TikTok will live to fight another day after all.

Last Thursday, a consortium group, lead by enterprise computing giant Oracle, submitted its proposal on a takeover of the US operations of Chinese-owned TikTok, in order to address concerns raised by the US Government that TikTok could be sharing data with the Chinese government. The White House said that it would respond to the deal within 36 hours. 

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that he had agreed to the terms outlined in the Oracle-lead deal:

I have given the deal my blessing, if they get it done that’s great, if they don’t that’s okay too. I approved the deal in concept.”

That’s not exactly the final sign-off required, but it was enough for TikTok to put out an official statement on the new arrangement.

As noted by TikTok, the new deal will see Oracle become the ‘trusted technology provider’ for the app, which will include hosting all US user data, and ensuring that such remains separate from Chinese parent company ByteDance. How, exactly, that will work is not clear – theoretically, while TikTok remains under ByteDance ownership, it’s just as likely to share data with the Chinese regime as it was previously. But the technical details have reportedly been laid out in the full proposal, including the separation arrangements.

The full documentation also reportedly states that TikTok will have its own, separate board in the US, which would be approved by the US Government, and that that board will likely include “a former NSA or CIA official with a high-level security clearance”.

Essentially, Oracle will become the secure cloud provider for the app, while also taking a 12.5% stake in the company. Walmart is also included in the Oracle deal, and will take an 8% stake in the newly formed ‘TikTok Global’ entity. TikTok Global, which will operate separate from ByteDance, but will be licensed from the Chinese company, will list for an IPO early in 2021. 

Again, the specifics of how it will all work are not clear, but it appears that TikTok Global will be able to utilize all of TikTok’s current algorithms and systems, while operating a completely separate user database. 

Walmart’s interest is in eCommerce and on-platform selling, which has become a key component of the Chinese version of the app.

Douyin eCommerce

If Walmart can become the facilitator of the platform’s in-app purchase flow, that could help it establish a stronger link into the rising eCommerce sector – which has accelerated significantly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

For Oracle, the deal will help to further establish it as a key provider of cloud infrastructure. Oracle already provides cloud services to Zoom and other web entities, and through further investment enabled as part of the TikTok deal, it’ll not only be able to better showcase its capacity for such, but also boost its capability in line with increased need.

As noted by TikTok, the deal also includes a commitment from TikTok Global to establish a new US base of operations, which will employ 25,000 staff. President Trump says that deal will also include a $5 billion contribution toward an education fund.

Trump had initially called for the US Government to receive some form of payment for facilitating the takeover deal, but was dismayed to find that this was not possible under US law. The $5 billion education fund, however, essentially caters to the same purpose, all be it in a less direct manner. At the same time, Trump has also touted a new ‘patriotic education commission’ to help re-establish national pride and identity, which will likely be enabled by this new allocation.

So what does that mean for TikTok? 

Originally, TikTok was set to be removed from US app stores on Sunday, in line with the initial Executive Order, but in light of the latest developments, the Department of Commerce has now extended the timeline for the ban, giving it till September 27th to finalize details of the Oracle deal.

That means TikTok will likely continue to operate as normal, with users seeing no change as a result of the negotiations, at least at this stage.

In terms of what it means for the future of the app, as noted, it looks like the new ownership group has also avoided another key concern, with the deal seemingly allowing it to continue using TikTok’s algorithms, despite the introduction of a new Chinese law which stops the export of technological advancements in foreign trade deals. Licensing the algorithms from ByteDance appears to meet the CCP’s requirements, so TikTok should, more or less, continue on as it has been, with theoretically limited disruptions.

But then again, the new investment group will be looking to recoup its costs. That could see a bigger push on ads in the app, while the eventual separation of TikTok Global could see the new ownership group faced with challenges of content moderation and management, with limited assistance from the experienced leadership of ByteDance. 

That, eventually, could see TikTok lose momentum, and Walmart’s eCommerce push could also change the user experience. 

Potentially.

Mostly, these are all ‘what ifs’ at the moment, and no one really knows what’s going to happen once the full separation is in effect.

So, did the process achieve its intended goals?

In the initial Executive Order, the Trump administration raised concerns that TikTok could:

  • “Allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information – potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”
  • “Censor content that the Chinese Communist Party deemed politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.”

On the first point, it’s possible that a separate TikTok Global could ensure database separation and keep US user info out of the reach of the CCP. Without knowing the full technical details, it’s difficult to say, but some have already suggested that while it remains under Chinese ownership, the threat level remains here the same.

On the second, if TikTok Global utilizes the same algorithms, there’s the same potential for censorship – or potentially, similar censorship by the US Government, which will, as noted, have newfound influence over how the app works. 

But again, it’s mostly speculative. What we do know, right now, is that President Trump has given the green light to the basis of the deal. Once its officially in place, we should have more insight into its workings.

There are also further questions left unanswered as yet – will TikTok Global be allowed back into the Indian market? Did the fact that Oracle’s CEO served in the Trump transition team have anything to do with the deal? Will military personnel be able to use TikTok again?

There’s more to come, but it looks like we’re moving into the next stage of the process.

Interim TikTok CEO Vanessa Pappas also posted this video clip:

Socialmediatoday.com

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YouTube Adds New Analytics Cards, Simplifies its ‘Product Drops’ Feature

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YouTube Adds New Analytics Cards, Simplifies its ‘Product Drops’ Feature

YouTube’s making some updates to its Product Drops feature within live streams, while it’s also adding some new analytics cards, and testing a new format for its TV app.

First off, on Product Drops. YouTube’s changing the requirements for Product Drops in live streams so that more creators will be able to include drops to highlight their items.

Up till now, Product Drops have only been available to creators who’ve connected their Shopify stores, or have access to Google Merchant Center, while creators have also had to plan Product Drops in advance, and schedule them via Live Control Room. But now, YouTube’s giving more creators more ways to access the feature.

As per YouTube:

“Any creators who have connected to their first party stores, or are participating in the YouTube Affiliate Program can set up Product Drops in the live control room on YouTube. This means that more creators will be able to use Product Drops to boost sales and engagement on their live streams.”

YouTube will also now enable creators to implement Product Drops at any time during a live stream, eliminating the pre-planned requirement.

“This will give creators more flexibility to react to the moment, and drive excitement in real time.”

YouTube says that many creators have seen good response to their Product Drops, with the interactive, engaging process helping to drive hype, and spark more response from viewers.

Product Drops are available via the Live Control Room in YouTube Studio. You can read more about how they work here.

YouTube’s also updating its Community Posts creation flow, in order to simplify the process, and ideally get more channels posting text-based updated in the app.

Community Posts remain a lesser element, though YouTube’s been working to make them a bigger focus throughout the year, by adding additional engagement elements like pollsquizzesdisappearing updates, and more.

Simplifying the creation process is another step in boosting awareness, and potentially driving more interaction with you YouTube audience.

YouTube’s also adding some new revenue analytics cards, including “Total Members” insights (which includes subscriber data) and “Where Members Joined From”, which will provide more insight into what’s driving channel growth.

YouTube’s also adding new data on why users have canceled their membership within the insights tab in YouTube Analytics.

YouTube analytics cards

As you can see in this example, the new card will show the reasons why people have opted to stop their subscription to your channel, based on responses provided in the cancellation flow.

Finally, YouTube’s also experimenting with a new format for its TV app, which will make it easier to access different elements.

YouTube TV app

As you can see in this example, shared by 9t05Google, the new format will include bigger buttons to access different elements, and further customize your YouTube experience on the bigger screen.

Connected TV is the fastest growing viewer segment for YouTube, with more and more people now looking to consume YouTube content on their home TV set. As such, it makes sense for YouTube to roll out more updates aligned with big screen viewing in order to feed into this usage.

Some handy updates, across various elements, which are worth noting as you go about managing your YouTube presence.

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Musk regrets controversial post but won’t bow to advertiser ‘blackmail’

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Elon Musk's comments at the New York Times' Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence

Elon Musk’s comments at the New York Times’ Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Slaven Vlasic

Elon Musk apologized Wednesday for endorsing a social media post widely seen as anti-Semitic, but accused advertisers who are turning away from his social media platform X of “blackmail” and said anyone who does so can “go fuck yourself.”

The remark before corporate executives at the New York Times’ Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence.

Earlier, Musk had apologized for what he called “literally the worst and dumbest post that I’ve ever done.”

In a comment on X, formerly Twitter, Musk on November 15 called a post “the actual truth” that said Jewish communities advocated a “dialectical hatred against whites,” which was criticized as echoing longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists.

The statement prompted a flood of departures from X of major advertisers, including Apple, Disney, Comcast and IBM who criticized Musk for anti-semitism.

“I’m sorry for that tweet or post,” Musk said Wednesday. “It was foolish of me.”

He told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin that his post had been misinterpreted and that he had sought to clarify the remark in subsequent posts to the thread.

But Musk also said he wouldn’t be beholden to pressure from advertisers.

“If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money?” Musk said. “Go fuck yourself.”

But the billionaire acknowledged that there were business implications to the advertiser actions.

“If the company fails… it will fail because of an advertiser boycott” Musk said. “And that will be what will bankrupt the company.”

Musk, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel earlier this week, insisted in the interview that he holds no discrimination against Jews, calling himself “philo-Semitic,” or an admirer of Judaism.

During the interview, Musk wore a necklace given to him by a parent of an Israeli hostage taken in the Hamas attack on October 7. The necklace reads, “Bring Them Home.”

Musk told Sorkin that the Israel trip had been planned earlier and was not an “apology tour” related to the controversial tweet.

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TikTok Encourages Creators To Make Longer Videos, With Focus On Ad Revenue 11/30/2023

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TikTok Encourages Creators To Make Longer Videos, With Focus On Ad Revenue 11/30/2023

With a need to expand its advertising business, TikTok is now fully focused on the output of long-form videos.

A new report by The Information shows the company’s recent efforts to convince
creators to put out longer videos in order to provide more room for ad placements.

According to the …



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