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Brilliant. And so clearly our present and likely future. What I find most interesting about TikTok is that in China, it is a robust learning tool for kids, and controlled access...and here? What is TikTok but that shiny object to focus upon? (And what about the kids?!)

At 9:44pm last Friday, Trump created $60B+ in wealth through a memecoin. By Monday, he was president and discussing TikTok acquisition. What happens when attention directly creates wealth, wealth instantly enables power, and power captures more attention? I explore how Trumpcoin and TikTok reveal the birth of the 'Attention Singularity' - where political power, market dynamics, and narrative control merge into a self-reinforcing system that moves faster than traditional constraints. https://lnkd.in/gX4KMfUm

I was waiting for this. It's a manic monday. ByteDance/TikTok filed their emergency motion to stay the enforcement of the order from Friday; and so too did "Creator Petitioners" and Based Politics, Inc. Generally, an emergency order to show cause requires showing a) irreparable injury, b) likelihood of success on the merits, and c) substantial harm/public interest (public policy) [i.e. wax poetic when you fail the first two]. ByteDance got bold. The irreparable harm that they suggest aligns with that of the Creator Petitioners: the loss of their First Amendment freedoms, loss of creators, talent, advertisers, etc. This creates a strange tug of war between Free Speech and National Security. A lot of the argument from both petitions assumes TikTok is the only way to exercise the speech (and that might be the basis for the US and the court to reject this prong); though in a business sense, ByteDance makes the compelling argument that the temporary ban would irreparably harm the company if it is lifted later. Likelihood of success on the merits (argued out of order in the ByteDance petition because they just lost big time). They aren't likely to succeed on the merits. The lower court granted broad deference to the other branches of government regarding national security. The platform hangs their hat on the government's use of the word 'could,' as in, TikTok's foreign ownership 'could' be a threat. They also argue why it is likely that the Supreme Court would grant Certiorari, but I don't know if that's the same thing as "success on the merits." There's no harm to the government because they waited this long to enact the Act, and they even extended time to comply (again, putting national security on a weird burner). Arguing public interest here comes down to the ideology of preserving speech vs national security. SHOULD the petitioners get this emergency relief? It would be nice. ByteDance has some threadbare arguments, but still arguments. The Creator Petitioners have a bigger battle uphill, as their interests could be met very coldly by the court, in the way that these judges don't understand the business, but I wait to be pleasantly surprised.

Sunday Scaries 053 It's the start of a new year of Sunday Scaries, and I could have opted not to cover THE THING. A year ago, we discussed the Florida Joker and the next installment of GTA, that remains in the distant horizons (assuming, given all of the things we talked about this year, that we ever make it). Fine. Ok. Whatever. The Thing it is: Before we broke for the weekend, DC Circuit Court Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg authored the opinion upholding the constitutionality of the United States's enforcement of the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" aka the "TikTok must got down at all costs Act." Chinese company ByteDance and US subsidiary TikTok Inc. challenged, on 1st Amendment grounds, the implementation of the Act which requires the Chinese parent company to divest its interests in the famous platform. The court disagreed, applying strict scrutiny (even though it argued it didn't need to), to determine that the Act was narrowly tailored to accomplish legitimate ends (national security from data collection and content manipulation by China). Without having to dig too deeply into national security details, and accepting the other branches' findings (checks and balances working to the delight or dismay of everyone), the court rejected ByteDance's contentions that the restriction of speech wasn't adequately justified. Will this go to the Supreme Court? Would they reverse? Doesn't seem likely. The big issue now is that the requirement under the Act to divest falls on a tight deadline of January 19, 2025. Business Insider (our link for the day) provides a roster of hopefuls that could swoop in and buy TikTok (or a shell of its former self). I'll spare you the paywall issue: Kevin O'Leary, the shark who knows his way around a royalty deal would take TikTok for pennies on the dollar, but would fail to capture the coveted algorithm. The crown jewels. Go get the McRib today, but just the bread, not the meat: Next! Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin would use his free time not joining the next Trump Administration to attempt to domestically rebuild the TikTok's tech: a Big Mac with homemade patties and special sauce. Next. Bobby Kotick formerly of Activision with OpenAI Sam Altman: a McChicken sandwich conceived by AI from prompts like Foghorn Leghorn and Chicken Little. Hm. Frank McCourt and his "Project Liberty" philanthropic approach to taking TikTok back for America... McDonald's is simply 1:1 synonymous with America. Even if we find the Who, can they do it in time? Most voluntary sales take a long time that TikTok doesn't have. The suitors don't include the crown jewels. The platform will be a covered, undrivable corvette in the driveway after the deadline, while competitors peck holes in the tires. What of the creators and all of the licenses flying about? I need comfort food. https://lnkd.in/eRzNdvea

🚨 Attention TikTok users! 🚨 TikTok is facing a potential shutdown in the U.S. on January 19 unless the Biden administration steps in. This could impact millions of users and creators across the country. What are your thoughts on this looming deadline? Let’s discuss how this could change the social media landscape. Stay tuned for updates! #TikTokBan #SocialMedia #TechNews #BidenAdministration #DigitalFreedom #SaveTikTok

The clock's ticking on the potential TikTok ban in the United States. If the ban goes into effect, what challenges could it create for the collection & preservation of TikTok content in your investigations? Read more here 👉 https://snip.ly/a5wrfg #dfir #osint #ediscovery #socmint #tiktok #digitalinvestigations

It feels like the clock is ticking even faster on the #TikTokBan now that the Supreme Court has upheld the decision. If the ban goes into effect, it could make #TikTok data collection a big challenge for investigations and legal discovery. Check out the article below to learn more about what the ban could mean. Have a question? Ask us in the comments!

Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against TikTok, marking a major headway in the platform's fight to remain operational in the U.S. The decision upholds legislation requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest ownership or face a ban starting January 2025. The Court sided with the US Government currently, deferring to Congress’ handling of the cited free speech and national security concerns. TikTok argues the ban infringes on the First Amendment rights of its 170M U.S. users and the growth of the digital economy, while lawmakers cite concerns over ByteDance’s potential data-sharing with the Chinese government. The stakes are high: - A ban could disrupt creators and small businesses reliant on TikTok- while creators could still use the app, it might be buggy and not have new features.  Competitors like Meta and YouTube stand to gain. - The debate fuels broader discussions about tech accountability and foreign ownership. - US app stores who continue to host TikTok after the ban could face major fines. So what’s next? President Biden can grant a one-time, 90-day extension of the deadline, but there has been zero indication that he will do so. TikTok plans to appeal, but the Supreme Court could decide not to hear the case. If they do, there would be a stay - or pause - on the ban, but there will still be a fight. Both parties had asked the appellate court to expedite the case to be heard before the ban goes into effect, but there is no indication that the Supreme Court is in any rush to review the case. As this battle heads to either a ban or the Supreme Court, the outcome could reshape the social media world and set a precedent for how governments regulate global platforms. As for President Trump, the ban would go into effect a day before the Inauguration, so he doesn’t have much power here. There are a lot of rumors and speculation out there, so experts like us are being counted on for the realities. What do you think about the ban and how it can shake up the creator economy?

After EU threats to block it, #TikTok suspends its reward-to-watch feature (gift vouchers...) amid safety and addiction concerns among children, in first use of new digital laws. The EU Commission believes this new feature could be as “addictive as cigarettes”. Our kids need a safe online space and #socialmedia as well as gaming companies should be the first ones to make sure what they create is so. #digitalmarketing #digitalcommunication #digitalstrategy #marketing #communication #DirCom https://lnkd.in/evz_-j5i

Appeals court to hear challenges to TikTok ban in US: A US appeals court set a date of 16 September to hear arguments on challenges to a law which would ban TikTok unless parent company ByteDance agrees to divest US assets. US President Joe Biden signed legislation on 24 April which gave ByteDance until 19 January to sell TikTok or face a ban. For several years US politicians have expressed concerns TikTok is a threat to national security due to its Chinese ownership. Reuters reported a group of TikTok users filed a lawsuit in May seeking to block the law after ByteDance filed a similar motion. Its app is used by around 170 million Americans. The news site stated TikTok and ByteDance must file their legal briefs by 20 June, while the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has until 26 July. Reuters reported TikTok and the DoJ want a ruling by 6 December in case the results need to be reviewed by the US Supreme Court. ByteDance previously stated it will shutter the short-form video platform in the US rather than sell it. If the ban goes through, Apple, Google and other entities would not legally be able to offer TikTok in app stores or provide web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications. The post Appeals court to hear challenges to TikTok ban in US appeared first on Mobile World Live. http://dlvr.it/T8QlSZ