On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to address concerns about the app's national security implications, consumer privacy, data security practices, and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Chew has sought to reassure the public that the company is taking steps to protect user data, but a recent incident involving a reporter's data has raised questions about the company's commitment. The hearing will be closely watched to see if Chew's testimony is enough to allay the concerns of U.S. policymakers.
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Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) has become a vocal supporter of TikTok, defending the platform against bipartisan efforts to ban it. Bowman argues that he hasn't seen any evidence of espionage and that the platform provides a space for content creators to share their ideas. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer is expected to testify before a House panel this week, which could affect the debate over the app's future in the U.S. and Bowman's support.
Amazon is cutting 9,000 jobs in the coming weeks, the second largest round of layoffs in the company's history, as part of its efforts to streamline operations and reduce costs. The job cuts will mostly impact people working in Amazon Web Services, People Experience and Technology Solutions (PXT), advertising and Twitch, and will be completed by the end of the year. CEO Andy Jassy said the job cuts were not announced with the ones in January as the company wanted to give employees time to adjust to the news.
The US government has issued an ultimatum to the Chinese owners of the popular video-sharing app TikTok, demanding they sell their stake in the app or face a US ban. Internal data from the app suggests that the number of monthly active users in the US has jumped by 50% in the past three years, with 100 million people now using the app regularly. The Biden administration is now following in the footsteps of the Trump administration in its attempt to rein in the app, and the response to the ultimatum and the testimony of TikTok's CEO will be closely watched.
The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into Chinese tech giant ByteDance, the parent company of the popular social media app TikTok, over allegations of improper access to the personal information of US citizens. The investigation involves a subpoena to ByteDance and interviews by the FBI, and follows the firing of four ByteDance employees in December. The Biden administration is now considering a possible nationwide TikTok ban if ByteDance does not divest itself from the app. The investigation is ongoing, and it is unclear what the outcome will be.
YouTube has restored former President Donald J. Trump's channel, more than two years after it was suspended for inciting violence. The decision was made after careful evaluation of the risk of real-world violence and the chance for voters to hear from major national candidates. This is the latest move by major tech companies to restore access to Trump's accounts, with certain restrictions.
Key takeaways: YouTube announced that it will restore former President Donald Trump’s channel, which has been suspended since the weeks following the January 6th attack…
Virgin Orbit Announces Operational Pause and Furloughs Nearly All Employees Amid Financial Struggles
Virgin Orbit Announces Operational Pause and Furloughs Nearly All Employees Amid Financial Struggles
Virgin Orbit, founded by Richard Branson in 2017, is pausing operations and furloughing nearly all of its employees in an effort to shore up the company's finances. This operational pause will have a major impact on the company's operations and Virgin Orbit is hoping to secure a funding lifeline in order to continue providing its services. An update on go-forward operations is expected in the coming weeks.