More Concerns For TikTok As Whistleblower Says American Data Is Being Abused By Chinese Officials

The news about TikTok serving as an imminent threat to America’s national security and interest continues to grow as we speak. And now, a whistleblower is making more allegations of abuse of data belonging to US citizens.

It’s definitely not the type of news that any firm would wish to hear, especially when the Senate and Congress are racing ahead of time to give President Biden exclusive powers to ban the application as a whole in the nation.

The company was reported as mentioning how their command of data belonging to US users is so much weaker than that observed. This was sent out to the office of Senator Josh Hawley.

But a new whistleblower’s allegations are counteracting such claims. They stated how the firm is actually overstating its separation from China and instead, appears to be deeply involved with officials belonging to the Chinese government. Moreover, it further elaborated on how much emphasis is placed on the likes of Chinese software which may have backdoors and actually ends up using tools that enable employees to switch between user data in both the US and China.

Senators are now raising eyebrows at how serious of a situation this can turn out to be in the end and they’re also now contradicting all the statements made in the public eye by the company's top executives.

Last year in September, the whistleblower says the firm’s COO mentioned boldly how there was a strict checking system in place that held tight control over data getting accessed in places like the US. During that time, both Forbes and Reuters highlighted how employees were gaining the wrong types of access to user data in the US.

The whistleblower revealed how the access to data controls by TikTok is just superficial at its absolute best. One particular example is how so many officials from China’s communist party can alter between Chinese and American Data with nothing more than a simple button clicks through a tool called Dorado.

But if that news was not dramatic enough, the whistleblower explained to the Senator’s office how it has seen firsthand how engineers based in the country are flipping over to datasets that aren’t owned by China and using tasks that aren’t scheduled as a leading backup for data analysis and aggregation. So it would not be wrong to say that both TikTok and Bytedance are very similar in nature.

So many calls, as well as bans, are being announced for TikTok for leaking data to China but the app says it’s innocent in this regard and is doing everything to prove that all allegations made against it are indeed baseless.

TikTok says it is innocent and is not sharing user data of Americans and is committed to a strong deal of security and privacy for years.

They further fought back against the allegations by claiming that all the tools outlined were basically for the sole purpose of analysis and nothing else. And all data belonging to US citizens is protected and channeled by the American division of TikTok’s Data Security.

Is that convincing enough? Well, we’re not too sure about this.

H/T: Axios

Read next: TikTok Outlines New Data Policy To Convince EU Lawmakers That It’s Not A Security Threat
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

TikTok Outlines New Data Policy To Convince EU Lawmakers That It’s Not A Security Threat

TikTok has been making some major headlines recently after speculations hint at a potential ban of the app across the US.

Therefore, the app is doing whatever it can to prevent its ban in places like Europe as it fights to stay in the US. The company is working hard to convince respective lawmakers in this region that it’s not a leading security threat.

The initiative is called Project Clover and the respective guidelines are going to see the app put forward some major security gateways. This would govern employees with great access to various user information across Europe and even some huge data transfers seen outside the continent.

As mentioned in the past, data requests would only be needed to abide by data protection laws in place at the local level.

Moreover, the app says a security company owned by a third party would be responsible for taking a look at TikTok and its new security controls. In the same way, it would be busy conducting audits for the firm’s data practices.

In the same way, the third party would be working hard to look over things like data flows and even go about reporting some major incidents as we speak. The app says it is going to have some more information regarding this soon as plans are currently in place to collaborate with different partners so various technologies can get implemented.

As a whole, this would work to enhance and alter the respective data policies in place.

As per the TikTok app, a new internal team says it is busy working on the Project since 2022. And it really does hope to bring a greater change in this aspect by the year 2023. Meanwhile, the app also mentioned some more plans regarding the opening of new data centers situated in the likes of Ireland and Norway. These would again be operated and overlooked by third parties in the region and would be operable via the likes of renewable energy.

The firm hopes to start storing user data belonging to European users in a local manner by this year’s start. And that would cost the firm a staggering 1.2 billion Euros. But TikTok is not too worried on this front. They know that they’re leading the pack on this front as they wish to earn the trust of its users across the board and this was confirmed by the app’s Vice President today.

The announcement has arisen at a time when the European Commission opted to ban its own staff members from downloading the TikTok app on their work phones. If the firm’s new policy is enough to stop European lawmakers from putting forward additional limits, only time can tell.

But this new announcement dubbed project Texas is definitely a new venture. Moreover, we’re seeing this happen as the US division of ByteDance tries to work with Oracle to gain more trust from Americans so that all US traffic belongings to users in that region pass through this infrastructure. By the looks of it, it’s not doing a great job of convincing people.

Read next: TikTok's US Division Ready To Subject Itself To ‘Trust-No-One’ Level Of Scrutiny
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Global Marketing Spend Growth Decreases Amidst Economic Woes

The total amount of money that is spent on marketing is useful to consider because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up revealing the trajectory of the economy. The past few years have not been kind to the marketing industry, but in spite of the fact that this is the case there were some hopeful signs that could be seen back in 2022.

Global marketing spends increased by around 7.9% in 2022, reaching a record total of $1.568 trillion with all things having been considered and taken into account. However, 2023 has seen this growth rate decrease somewhat, and it is predicted that the growth rate will continue to be lower which will make the marketing industry somewhat less profitable than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the projected growth rate for marketing spends in 2023 is estimated to be around 5.3%. That will bring the total global marketing spend to around $1.651 trillion. This is a healthy growth rate, but it pales in comparison to what was occurring just a year prior.

The US continues to be a bright spot in terms of marketing spends, however. Ad budgets in the US are outpacing spends in other parts of the world in terms of growth. For example, in the US, it is estimated that marketing spends will increase by 5.9% in 2023 which is over half a point higher than what is being seen in other countries around the world.

This isn’t the first time that the US has outpaced the rest of the world either. In 2022, the US saw a marketing spending uptick of 8.5%, which outstripped the global spend increase by a similar margin. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future. The US is starting to become an increasingly significant player in the world of marketing. That could give the global superpower even more of an upper hand in yet another arena since it is not impacted by economic woes quite as much.

H/T: PQMedia

Read next: Only 9% of Americans Trust Self Driving Cars, New Poll Reveals
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

96% of Customers Are Annoyed By Marketing Texts, but 38% Still Buy Advertised Products

Getting a text that consists of nothing but marketing can be rather annoying. Some would go so far as to say that sending marketing messages over SMS or WhatsApp is rather old fashioned, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it can still be rather useful with all things having been considered and taken into account. For example, in a study conducted by Validity, it was revealed that 38% of customers that received SMS marketing ended up buying products.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that SMS and WhatsApp marketing can still be tricky. 96% of customers who participated in this survey revealed that they got annoyed whenever they received advertising through messaging channels. 28% of these customers ended up severing their ties to their favorite brands, and 14% wrote bad reviews for brands that were sending them an overwhelming amount of marketing texts.

49% of the people who responded to this survey said that receiving too many messages was the source of their annoyance. Brands would do well to avoid overdoing it because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up alienating customers instead of enticing them into buying products. Being strategic with the messages that they end up sending out can go a long way towards making them more effective than might have been the case otherwise.

Another thing that could rub customers the wrong way is if they receive a text message from a company they are not already familiar with. Establishing a relationship with a customer prior to sending out marketing messages to them is crucial. This goes to show that SMS and WhatsApp message based marketing is a great way to boost sales, but it can’t be used as a method for establishing a consumer footprint to begin with.

All in all, SMS marketing needs to be approached with caution. It can do a lot of good, but only if it is done in an appropriate manner.

Read next: What do people really think about the metaverse?
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Global EV Sales Increased by 65% YoY in 2022

Electric vehicles are an exciting new segment of the consumer market because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up combining the automotive and tech sectors into one massive industry. There have been a lot of positive signs that suggest that electric cars could be the next big thing, and the growth rate that was seen throughout 2022 seems to confirm that with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Based on the stats that are coming in, it appears that global electric vehicle sales increased by as much as 65% in 2022 as compared to the previous year. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the fourth quarter of 2022 alone saw an increase of 53% year over year, which reveals that this trend wasn’t a random occurrence but was rather a sign of things to come.

2022 saw global EV sales surpass the ten million unit mark. While that still doesn’t hold a candle to the total units sold in other automotive sectors, it still shows that this industry is breaking records on a regular basis. Current estimations predict that global EV sales could reach 17 million by the end of 2023.

That will represent a 70% uptick which is more or less in line with the growth rate we saw in 2022. Maintaining this growth rate is essential, and China is playing a huge role in keeping the trend moving in the right direction.

As many as 7 out of the top 10 EV brands were Chinese in origin. This seems to suggest that China will be a major player in this nascent industry. That has the potential to make America’s status as a global industry leader less pronounced than might have been the case otherwise. It could also lead to the trade war between China and the US escalating and reaching new heights. This might change the future of the industry, along with spurring a huge amount of innovation and research in both of these countries.

Read next: Only 9% of Americans Trust Self Driving Cars, New Poll Reveals
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Meta Revives Smartwatch Plans in Preparation for AR Glasses Release

Meta's highly anticipated smartwatch is back and making headlines once again! With a splurge of features, this device will be connected with augmented reality glasses and hit the market by 2027! According to Reuters, Meta has been winding down its development of two unreleased smartwatches, which were part of their ambitious plan to design one of the greatest smartwatches available. It might not be the case, according to Alex Heath of The Verge, who saw a road map of Meta's upcoming releases in an internal presentation.

These two products look like they were created with fitness fanatics in mind, as evident by their health-tracking functions that virtually anyone with a fitness goal desires. In addition, users also gain access to close connectivity between apps and social media upon purchasing this watch. While the cost and release date are yet unknown, it is safe to say that these smartwatches will not be cheap, given their capabilities.

The new smartwatch will reportedly be closely linked to Meta's upcoming AR glasses, which will cover digital information onto your vision and offer a hands-free augmented experience. The watch will serve as a remote for the glasses, allowing users to access data quickly and easily without having to take off their glasses or fumble around with buttons on their wrists.

While details remain scarce regarding exactly when we'll see these products released, it's clear that Meta is committed to creating a product that offers users a seamless experience between on-the-go convenience and augmented reality capabilities. With their revolutionary combination of wearables, Meta aims to make accessing data easier. Meta will allow us to see the world in an entirely new way by providing users with a portable, immersive interface.

The need to stay connected is a battle that Meta has been waging with their smartwatches. To keep up, they added features such as cameras and detachable screens--perfect for video calls on the go. And with its most recent products, the company is setting a new standard for augmented reality and mixed-reality wearable technology.

Meta's journey with smartwatch technology seemed all but assured - their product featured a camera and detachable screen, allowing for video calls on the go. However, preferences have shifted among Generation Z to more traditional tech, such as watches without any extra functions - opting for invisibility instead of unpleasant wearables even though user preference targeting has in the past generated remarkable ad revenue.

It seems that Meta's story is far from finished pouring billions into an augmented reality world with minimal customer buy-in which could even spell the company's end. Only time will tell if Meta can make a comeback against the odds or if they've finally met their match.

Read next: Messaging Is Coming Back To The Facebook App
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

TikTok Helps Creators Make More Money By Enabling A Paywall For Premium Content

TikTok is undoubtedly one of the most popular apps in the world of social media today.

With millions of users signing up to be a part of this platform, there must be something fabulous about it, right?

Well, it’s definitely dominant and has led the list of top social media apps around the globe. There have been some massive competition from archrivals like YouTube Shorts and that is what keeps the firm on the tip of its toes.

It’s no wonder why TikTok is working hard to assist its creators in making more money through the app. This way, it can target those users that tend to go to other apps for better opportunities.

Keeping all of this aside, we’re seeing the app make some great changes in recent times. It is going to add a new feature called Series that enables creators’ premium content to receive a paywall.

The TikTok series gives rise to some great new offers that enable creators to put up videos on the app as an integral part of its collection. Moreover, this is where you’ll see content get protected with the likes of a paywall.

In case you’re wondering what really makes this new feature special, well, the answer is simple. You can say hello to content that is longer in terms of format design. These are some short clips that arise between 10 seconds to just 60 seconds. But as you know, TikTok is not against offering support for longer-duration content.

Creators can be seen putting up clips that are nearly 10 minutes in duration. But with the help of this new Series feature, creators can go well above the limit and publish videos that are 20 minutes long. On the other hand, you’ll find collections that comprise at least 80 videos.

This feature really gets interesting with time, and you can consider it to be one that has a lot of long-form content. Moreover, it would be of added value and benefit for viewers too. As of now, this feature is only up for grabs to a selected number of creators on the app.

However, the app does mention how it is making some plans of having the program open up to so many different types of creators in the future soon.

TikTok mentioned in a recent public post how this feature is still working in its initial days and that means it is busy monitoring the response it gets for it. And depending on what feedback it receives with time, they hope to make changes accordingly.

For now, there are a lot of things on the line and this might be a new way for people to earn more money through the app. Similarly, it’s a wonderful incentive to make others feel good regarding the content up for grabs when they pay.

So you might want to keep an eye out for this, in case you’re interested.

Read next: Americans Aged 50 And Above Are Increasingly Embracing Smartphone Technology And Social Media, New Study Proves
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World