Perplexity AI, a US-based search engine company, has submitted a bid to merge with TikTok US, as per a recent report by Reuters. The proposal, submitted to TikTok’s parent company ByteDance on Saturday, was first reported by CNBC and confirmed by a source familiar with the discussions.

TikTok suspends app within United States

Only months after overwhelmingly backing the law, lawmakers and officials were now fretting about the ban, with all eyes on whether Trump can swoop in and find a way to save the app.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law supported by President Joe Biden and Congress that requires the app's owner ByteDance to either sell TikTok or cease US operations by January 19.

Noyb, an Austrian privacy advocacy group, filed a series of complaints against TikTok, Xiaomi, AliExpress, Temu, Shein, and WeChat, alleging violations of European Union data privacy regulations.

The report estimated the value of TikTok's US operations at between $40 and $50 billion.

A Moscow court has fined TikTok three million roubles (around $28,930) for failing to comply with Russian legal restrictions on the distribution of specific types of information, according to a recent report by Reuters.

Trump was fiercely opposed to TikTok during his 2017-21 first term, and tried in vain to ban the video app on national security grounds.

Albania announced a one-year nationwide ban on TikTok, the popular short-video app owned by China's ByteDance, on December 21, citing concerns over the app's influence on children following the fatal stabbing of a teenager last month.

US lawmakers have recently instructed Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and Apple to prepare for the removal of TikTok from their app stores by January 19.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The vibrant TikTok community in Bangladesh took centre stage last night as TikTok hosted the TikTok Creator Awards 2024 in the capital. Held for the second consecutive year in the country, the event celebrated the creative brilliance of Bangladeshi content creators who have revolutionised digital storytelling and entertainment.  

A US federal court has ruled that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, must sell its US operations by January 19, 2025, or the app will be banned nationwide. The decision is being seen as a major win for the Justice Department, which has raised concerns about TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government, but it is a significant setback for ByteDance.

With how addictive social media is, the thought of putting your device down seems like a nightmare. Why get any work done when you can scroll and watch eye-catching reels instead?

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is suing a former intern for 8 million yuan (about $1.1 million), accusing him of deliberately disrupting its artificial intelligence (AI) training operations. The lawsuit, filed in Beijing's Haidian District People's Court, has sparked widespread interest in China owing to its unique nature.

A critical ruling that could shape the future of TikTok in the United States is expected from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by December 6. The case centres on a controversial law requiring ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is valuing itself at approximately $300 billion through a new share buyback program, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Canada has ordered TikTok to shut down its Canadian business, citing national security risks. Canadians will still be able to use TikTok, as the decision does not block general access to the app.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his government will introduce legislation to prevent users under 16 from accessing social media platforms, citing the risks of online harm.

Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media platform TikTok, accusing the company of exposing their teenage children to content that allegedly contributed to their mental health decline, and for two of them, the cause of suicide.