Posts Tagged: asks

Senator asks Apple and Google to ban TikTok from their app stores

TikTok is facing yet another call from a prominent lawmaker for the app’s ban, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to Apple and Google urging the companies to ban TikTok from their respective app stores.

In the letter, Bennet says that “TikTok, in its current form, [is] an unacceptable threat to the national security of the United States.” The letter, addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, repeats many of the same points that have been raised by other lawmakers seeking to ban the app.

Specifically, Bennet raises the possibility that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could be compelled to “use its influence to advance Chinese government interests,” via TikTok. “Like most social media platforms, TikTok collects vast and sophisticated data from its users, including faceprints and voiceprints,” Bennet writes. “Unlike most social media platforms, TikTok poses a unique concern because Chinese law obligates ByteDance, its Beijing-based parent company, to ‘support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work.’”

TikTok has long denied that such scenarios could play out, and has attempted to downplay its ties to China. In a statement to CNN the company said Bennet’s letter “relies almost exclusively on misleading reporting about TikTok, the data we collect, and our data security controls.”

Apple and Google didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

While it seems unlikely either company would take such a drastic step based on a letter from one senator, it highlights the mounting pressure and scrutiny on TkTok. The company has spent the last two years negotiating with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in order to secure its ability to continue to operate in the US. But that process is reportedly stalled, and the company has been waging a new charm offensive in an attempt to win over critics.

TikTok has also been sharing more details around its partnership with Oracle to safeguard US user data and comply with US regulators’ concerns. But lawmakers seem to be in no rush to let TikTok off the hook. The app has already been banned from federal devices, and numerous state governments have passed bans of their own. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify at his first Congressional hearing next month,

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Twitter reportedly asks some laid-off staff to return

Mere days after cutting its workforce in half, Twitter is asking some employees to return, according to Bloomberg. Citing two sources within the company, the outlet reports management at Twitter has come to the realization it either let some workers off by accident or without realizing their experience was essential to building the features Elon Musk wants to bring to the platform.

Twitter did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. Platformer’s Casey Newton was the first to report on the company’s plan, sharing messages from one of its internal Slack channels. One post suggests the company is in need of Android and iOS developers.

A decision to bring back some employees would cap off a chaotic weekend at Twitter. The company began Friday by laying off approximately 3,800 employees, a move that gutted teams across the company, including those responsible for developing new accessibility features. On Saturday, the company began briefly rolling out its new paid verification system. One day later, the company reportedly made the decision to delay the release of that feature until after the US midterm elections.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Amazon asks workers to request leave if they continue staying at home

Amazon warehouse workers wanting to stay home to avoid COVID-19 will soon have to make a formal request. The online retailer is asking staff staying home to either report to their shifts starting May 1st or else request a leave of absence. A spokespe…
Engadget RSS Feed

FBI asks Apple to help unlock iPhones of suspected naval station shooter

The FBI is once again asking Apple to help it access iPhones for the sake of an investigation. The bureau has sent a letter to Apple's general counsel requesting the company's help in unlocking the two iPhones of Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, the man be…
Engadget RSS Feed

Samsung is really ashamed of the Galaxy Fold’s design, asks iFixit to remove their teardown

A few days ago iFixit posted a teardown of Samsung’s currently unreleased Galaxy Fold, and they were pretty direct in pointing out some of the design flaws of the phone. Apparently, though, Samsung isn’t very happy with the situation, and they’ve pressured iFixit to pull the teardown guide from their site. There’s no better way […]

Come comment on this article: Samsung is really ashamed of the Galaxy Fold’s design, asks iFixit to remove their teardown

Visit TalkAndroid


TalkAndroid

House chair asks tech CEOs to speak about New Zealand shooting response

Internet companies say they've been scrambling to remove video of the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, but US politicians are concerned they haven't been doing enough. The Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Bennie Thomp…
Engadget RSS Feed

Bragi asks court to block sales of OnePlus ‘Dash’ products

Bragi isn't willing to wait for the court to resolve its dispute over OnePlus' use of the word "Dash." The audio device maker has filed for a preliminary injunction that would block OnePlus from using the Dash name in association with its products w…
Engadget RSS Feed

Anne Frank Center asks Facebook to remove Holocaust denial pages

The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect is calling out Facebook for allowing Holocaust denial pages on its site. And the center is doing so through a petition in which it's requesting Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg take them down. "When these page…
Engadget RSS Feed

Facebook survey asks users if it is ‘good for the world’

Facebook has scrambled to win back trust after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the leaked 'ugly truth' memo. The company has made it easier for users to delete their data, dump third-party apps in bulk and started rolling out news verification to…
Engadget RSS Feed

Qualcomm asks Samsung to supply all the Snapdragon 820 chips

The Snapdragon 820 processor is set to power many of the major smartphones released in 2016, and according to the latest reports, Qualcomm has exclusively tasked Samsung to build the chips.

The post Qualcomm asks Samsung to supply all the Snapdragon 820 chips appeared first on Digital Trends.

Mobile–Digital Trends