News & Reviews:   Bytedance

Less than 24 hours after announcing that it was halting operations in the United States, TikTok is back in action early this morning. Previously, we mentioned how TikTok and other apps were banned. In an official announcement, TikTok thanked President Donald Trump, who will be sworn in today, for allowing the company to continue operations. So, what should you know about it?

As of 19 January 2025, TikTok has been officially banned in the US. However, that's not the only app that has been banned. To be more specific, it is ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok that got blocked so in turn, its other apps are also restricted in that country.

Following the ban-or-divest law passed in the US last year, TikTok has gone dark today, with users blocked from viewing videos in the country. Furthermore, the TikTok app has also been removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The news about TikTok is all the rage these days. We recently reported that Elon Musk could be in talks of acquiring the operation business in the US but it's best to take it with a pinch of salt. Today, two different news outlets are saying TikTok could get a 270-day extension or be shut down on Sunday.

As a fresh reminder, TikTok by ByteDance could potentially be shut down in the US if the company is not sold by 19 January 2025. That's basically next Monday if nothing is done, just before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.

When we started 2025, it was announced that both Tencent (WeChat) and ByteDance (TikTok) had acquired a social media license to operate in Malaysia. Meta and Telegram will also join the list soon but now, the Malaysian government is considering if LinkedIn is required to apply for it too.

As we kick off the new year, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced both Tencent (WeChat) and ByteDance (TikTok) have been granted licenses to operate in Malaysia. Meanwhile, Meta has also begun the process of obtaining the license for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

For the uninitiated, TikTok is owned by ByteDance and according to Reuters, the company is planning a new AI model that is trained with Huawei chips. Dubbed the Ascend 910B chip, it will be training a large-language AI model to employ better pattern recognition to make decisions.

If you're following the TikTok vs US story, you probably know the company was told to sell or face a permanent ban. TikTok has refused and retaliated with a lawsuit last month, so the latter outcome seems inevitable. But reports now claim TikTok is looking for ways to get around the issue.

Previously, we shared how the Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) held a meeting with Meta and TikTok today. Well, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has announced the result of the meeting, which has resulted in both companies pledging commitment to address online safety and monitoring criminal-related content on their platforms.