The topic of many rumors and official leaks, the OnePlus 12 has launched during an event in China with a heady collection of specifications which includes Qualcomm’s new flagship processor – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Besides the powerful SoC and the repositioning of the alert-slider, an old favorite returns with wireless charging making its […]
Come comment on this article: Here’s what you need to know about the OnePlus 12 now that its officially launched (in China)
Utah has sued TikTok over child safety issues and the company’s China-based ownership, CNBC has reported. In the complaint, attorney general Sean Reyes called the app “an addictive product” and accused it of misleading users about its relationship with China-based parent company ByteDance. The state recently enacted some of the strictest social media laws in the country, requiring parental permission for teens to use social media.
The lawsuit compares TikTok to a slot machine that provides “dopamine manipulation” trigged by swiping up on videos. That addictive nature is particularly harmful for the “not-yet-fully-developed” brain of young users and can create a dependence on the app, the state claims. It noted that the US Surgeon General has warned about mental health harms around social media, and cited excessive TikTok usage based around the company’s own (redacted) figures.
“What these children (and their parents) do not know is that TikTok is lying to them about the safety of its app and exploiting them into checking and watching the app compulsively, no matter the terrible effects it has on their mental health, their physical development, their family, and their social life,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit also delves into TikTok’s links to China. “To avoid scrutiny from its users (and regulators), TikTok has also misled Utah consumers about the degree to which TikTok remains enmeshed with and under the control of ByteDance, it’s China-based parent company.”
TikTok previously said that it has dedicated more than $ 1.5 billion on data security, and has rejected allegations that it’s spying for the Chinese government. The company also recently opened a Transparency and Accountability Center in an effort to fend off regulators and potential bans.
The federal government has yet to take any concrete action against social media platforms, but states have been more active. Utah recently passed a law requiring parents to get permission before teens can create accounts on TikTok, Snap and other platforms. It also mandates curfew, parental controls and age verification features. The state didn’t go as far as Montana, however, which outright banned the use of TikTok. Tomorrow, a judge will hear arguments in TikTok’s lawsuit seeking to overturn that ban — a case that could open the company up to more scrutiny and set precedent around the US.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/utah-sues-tiktok-over-child-safety-issues-and-its-links-to-china-085516390.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Having announced its Magic 4 series during MWC 2022, Honor has surprised us with the release of the Magic 4 Ultimate which aims to take on the likes of the OPPO Find X5 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. Packing in requisite flagship features such as an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Qualcomm’s […]
Come comment on this article: The Honor Magic 4 Ultimate could be the camera powerhouse we need (if it goes on sale outside of China)
Foldable smartphones are coming on strong at the tail-end of 2021 with OPPO’s recent unveiling of its Find N device and Honor’s teasing of the Magic V foldable earlier today. Little is known about the Magic V so far other than it’s a foldable smartphone that will unfold into a tablet in the same sort […]
Come comment on this article: The Magic V is Honor’s first foldable smartphone, will launch in China ‘soon’
The US Commerce Department has announced new rules related to the export and resale of cyber intrusion software. Once the limits come into effect in 90 days, companies that want to sell their hacking tools to countries “of national security or weapons of mass destruction concern” will need to obtain a license from the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The policy also covers nations that are under a US arms embargo.
Per The Washington Post, the rule is complicated. There are already many limitations on the export of intrusion software. Similarly, there are opportunities for companies to obtain exceptions. The main point is that the policy would cover the sale of software to countries like China and Russia. It would also limit the sale of programs like NSO’s Pegasus spyware, which some governments have used to target dissidents and journalists.
“The United States Government opposes the misuse of technology to abuse human rights or conduct other malicious cyber activities, and these new rules will help ensure that US companies are not fueling authoritarian practices,” the Commerce Department said.
Among the 42 countries involved in the Wassenaar Arrangement, a pact that sets voluntary export controls on military and dual-use technologies, the US is one of the last to impose limits on the sale of hacking software. Part of the reason for that is that the country has spent years working on the rules to ensure they don’t prevent cybersecurity researchers across the globe from working together to discover new flaws.
Check out Google’s latest virtual tour that lets you walk China’s Great Wall and also offers lots of interesting information on the famous structure.
Mobile | Digital Trends
The United States government has clearly been targeting Huawei with trade bans and legislation lately, but it doesn’t seem like it’s ever quite enough. We though there might be a turning point after a new rule was in the works that would allow US companies to collaborate with Huawei on 5G development, but a new […]
Come comment on this article: The US government keeps piling on Huawei, but China considers retaliation
Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a statement in the early hours of Saturday morning detailing Apple's worldwide response to COVID-19. Among the steps taken is news that the company will close its retail stores worldwide until March 27th. The only exceptio…
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Having launched its brand new flagship smartphones, the Find X2 and Find X2 Pro, earlier today, we were expecting the company to also take the wraps off of its much-teased square-faced smartwatch. Rather disappointingly, the OPPO Watch has been held back for a separate launch in the west, but it was unveiled in China earlier […]
Come comment on this article: The OPPO Watch is official (in China) with square-faced design, cellular connectivity, and ColorOS
Meet the Samsung W20 5G, an incrementally improved Galaxy Fold set to release in China. It’s pretty strange for Samsung to launch a better model of their daring folding phone so soon, but it’s not quite the Galaxy Fold 2 that you might be expecting. Small changes, better 5G The W20 5G isn’t a fully […]
Come comment on this article: Samsung quickly releases an improved Galaxy Fold for China
E-cigarette sales bans are quickly becoming an international phenomenon. China's tobacco regulators have asked online shopping companies to "temporarily" close online stores that sell e-cigarettes — effectively, it's banning e-cig sales on the inte…
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Buying a Tesla in China could be more expensive in the very near future. The automaker will increase prices on its cars in the country this Friday, according to Reuters. That potential price lift is said to be in response to the yuan weakening agains…
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China has blocked Wikipedia to varying degrees over the years, but now that censorship appears to be farther-reaching. A recent Open Observatory of Network Interference report has shown that China started blocking Wikipedia in all languages sometime…
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Following their flurry of devices released since CES 2019, Nokia has launched a new premium mid-ranger which offers an improved design but lesser processor than its smaller sibling. Leaks of Nokia’s upgrade premium mid-ranger first appeared a few months ago, and finally now the company has gone live with the device; the Chinese variant anyway; […]
Come comment on this article: Nokia launches weird X71 (8.1 Plus) in China
It won't surprise you to hear that China keeps a tight lid on homegrown social networks, but it's now doing more to stifle free expression on outside networks, too. The New York Times reported that Chinese law enforcement recently began a crackdown…
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NSA official Rob Joyce told guests at a Wall Street Journal security conference that hacking-related Chinese activity had been climbing in recent months. He was concerned the country was "prepositioning" itself to attack "critical infrastructure" suc…
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Earlier this week a report broke that Chinese spies were eavesdropping on Donald Trump’s phone calls from his personal, unsecured iPhone, which obviously carries a ton of political implications that your local Android site probably isn’t qualified to evaluate. And while that kind of accusation and potential carelessness really isn’t great for anyone involved, China […]
Come comment on this article: China suggests President Trump switch to Huawei phones after wiretapping accusations
When Google's chief privacy officer admitted to the Senate that the company is working on a secret project called 'Dragonfly,' he refused to say what it is. According to previous reports, Dragonfly is the codename for the censored search engine Googl…
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Amazon and Apple have an unusual ally in their attempt to shoot down Bloomberg's claims of Chinese hardware surveillance: the US Department of Homeland Security. The agency joined the UK's National Cyber Security Centre in saying it had "no reason to…
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Google's parent company Alphabet is continuing its push for a presence in China with a new Waymo subsidiary, based in Shanghai. Waymo – one of the world's leading autonomous car designers — has confirmed it has set up a legal entity in the cou…
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Google refused to confirm if it's truly been developing a censored search engine for China after reports about the project's existence came out, but it might soon have no choice but to come clean. A group of six Democratic and Republican Senators led…
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The Hyperloop race is much of a political battle as it is a technical one, with companies grabbing territory like players starting a game of Risk. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, the crowdsourced enterprise that has lagged behind rivals in som…
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The ZTE saga has been an interesting (and confusing) story for the past few months. After pretty clearly violating US trade restrictions with Iran, ZTE was heavily sanctioned earlier this year, which didn’t make China happy, either. Then it turned out that the sanctions were going to force ZTE out of business, which, while pretty […]
Come comment on this article: China may have convinced the US to ease up on ZTE sanctions
The Honor 10 is official from Huawei’s subsidiary brand, and it packs in a lot of the same features as Huawei’s latest P20 smartphone. That’s not to say they’re identical, as Honor has included a few original tweaks and is much more aggressive on pricing, but if you’re looking for something similar to the P20 […]
Come comment on this article: Huawei’s Honor 10 is official in China, with a heavy nod to the P20
Google's presence in China has increased marginally in recent times, but those excited about a rumoured optimized version of Maps for the country will be disappointed to learn the claims are untrue. Earlier this week Japan news site Nikkei reported t…
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Although the LG G6 launched several months before the much improved V30, it’s finally dipping its toes into Oreo waters. The V30 started receiving Android 8.0 Oreo in South Korea on December 26th, so it’s nice to see LG paying attention to the G6 as well. This only a beta version and limited to China […]
Come comment on this article: LG’s G6 is finally getting a taste of Oreo, but only in China for now
China is opening up its roads to self-driving cars. The Beijing Municipal Transport Commission released a statement today saying that on certain roads and under certain conditions, companies registered in China will be able to test their autonomous v…
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Toyota recently announced plans to design and build EVs with Mazda in the US, but it has big plans elsewhere, too. The automaker will produce electric cars in both China and India starting in 2020, it said in a pair of press releases. Up until now, T…
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A Chinese court has ordered Samsung to pay up $ 11.6 million in a patent dispute with Huawei. It’s not all good news for Huawei, however, which originally requested a hefty $ 12.7 billion.
The post China court orders Samsung to pay $ 11.6 million to Huawei in patent dispute appeared first on Digital Trends.
You probably don't think of China as a clean energy champion given its frequent problems with smog and continued dependence on coal power, but you may have to rethink your views after today. The country's National Energy Administration has revealed t…
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The popularity of Huawei‘s budget conscious e-brand, Honor, has grown in leaps and bounds in 2016, spurred on by the warm reception the Honor 8 received when it launched back in August, helping it sell more than 1.8 million units. It’s recently been rumored that the company would soon launch a successor to the 5X, […]
Come comment on this article: Huawei confirms Honor 6X will launch on October 18th in China
In China, where 80 percent of movie theaters built in the last 10 years have 3D projectors, movie studios often release "exclusive," three-dimensional adaptations of movies that won't actually see a 3D release stateside. While that can be lucrative f…
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For the third straight year, Samsung’s revenues from phone sales in China decreased. Because of the likes of Huawei and Xiaomi now controlling the Chinese market, Samsung might have to rethink its strategy in the country.
The post Samsung's electronics sales decline in China and Europe for third consecutive year appeared first on Digital Trends.
Is there alien life out there? Now that it’s finished building its FAST radio telescope – the largest of its kind in the world – China hopes to find out.
The post China has just finished building the world’s largest alien-hunting telescope appeared first on Digital Trends.
Stepping into the ring to fight over China and its prime smartphone market are the country’s own smartphone makers, as they begin to acquire patents by way of licensing deals, acquisitions, and a whole lot of money.
The post China smartphone makers snap up patents in fight for market dominance appeared first on Digital Trends.
Xiaomi is releasing a variant of its Redmi S phone, the Redmi 3S, for the Chinese market in June. The budget handset starts at an attractive $ 106, and its attractive price point and all-metal construction put it neck-and-neck with the competition.
The post Xaomi’s Redmi 3S starts at only $ 106 and is bound for China appeared first on Digital Trends.
Whether it’s been because it gave away 30,000 VR headsets, or because its 3rd flagship has been spotted being certified at China’s TENAA, or even because the specifications of the upcoming OP3 have leaked all over the internet, OnePlus has been in the news a fair amount recently. Today, the cheeky upstart handset maker […]
Come comment on this article: The OnePlus 3 will launch on June 15th at an event in China
We’re wondering why ZTE didn’t hold a big event for the V7 Max and A910 Android phones. The V7 Max offers premium specs for a competitive price, while the A910 offers solid specs for budget-conscious consumers,
The post ZTE quietly launches V7 Max and A910 in China with impressive specs for the money appeared first on Digital Trends.
After its Chang’e-3 lander discovered a new type of moon rock this year, China says it now plans to send a probe to land on the moon’s dark side in 2018. No other space program has attempted this feat in the past.
The post China plans to land a probe on the dark side of the moon in 2018 appeared first on Digital Trends.
Google wants to have a presence in China again with the possible launch of the Google Play Store in the country next year. According to Reuters, Google will comply with Chinese law on filtered content.
The post Google's Play Store may finally return to China in 2016 appeared first on Digital Trends.
Chinese brand LeTv has announced another new phone. The Le 1s is an all-metal device with a surprisingly high specification, but it’ll be sold at a low price. The company still intends to launch in the U.S., but is keeping quiet on when that will happen.
The post Le 1s News: LeTv’s flagship racks up more than 11 million pre-orders, goes on sale in China appeared first on Digital Trends.
Apple today announced an expansion of its renewable energy and environmental protection initiatives in China, including a new multiyear project with World Wildlife Fund to significantly increase responsibly managed forests across China. The new program aims to protect as much as 1 million acres of responsibly managed working forests that provide fiber for pulp, paper, and wood products. “Forests, like energy, can be renewable resources,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives. “We believe we can run on naturally renewable resources and ensure that we protect — and create — as much sustainable working forest as needed to produce the virgin paper in our product packaging.” Apple also announced its intent to expand its industry-leading renewable energy projects to manufacturing facilities in China.
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