TikTok

TikTok to be banned from Australian government devices

Key points:

  • The Victorian government says it will work with its federal counterparts to adopt restrictions to TikTok on government devices
  • Similar decisions have been made by governments in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand
  • TikTok has fiercely denied its app poses a national security risk

Australia becomes the last nation in the "five eyes" intelligence alliance to block the app, following similar decisions by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

TikTok's in-app browser can monitor your keystrokes, including passwords and credit cards, researcher says

New research has revealed some of the data popular apps can track and collect while using in-app browsers.

Key points:

  • In-app browsers increase security and privacy risks
  • A computer scientist says big tech undermines trust in e-commerce
  • TikTok denies it is storing user data but confirms the existence of code

Software engineer and security researcher Felix Krause has assessed what code is injected onto a website to gather user activity when it is opened through an app.

TikTok overtakes Google as most used internet site

The viral video app gets more hits than even the ubiquitous American search engine, according to Cloudflare, an IT security company.

The rankings show that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June this year, and has held the number one position since August.

Last year Google was first, and a number of sites including TikTok, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix were all in the top 10.

Cloudfare said it tracks data using its tool Cloudflare Radar, which monitors web traffic.

TikTok named as the most downloaded app of 2020

The Chinese video-sharing platform is the only app not owned by Facebook to make the global top five of downloads.

In its home country, TikTok's owner ByteDance also holds the top spot with the Chinese language video app Douyin.

TikTok's continued popularity emerged even after former US President Donald Trump tried to ban it in America.

Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey started in 2018 and the company still dominated the chart.

TikTok tests Snapchat style vanishing video stories feature

TikTok Stories will allow users to see content posted by accounts they follow for 24 hours before they are deleted.

It comes as WhatsApp rolls out a feature for users to post photos or videos that vanish after they are seen.

This week rival social media platform Twitter shut down its Fleets disappearing stories feature.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, told the BBC: "We're always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience."

TikTok adds tougher parental controls

New features include the ability to change the youngster's settings remotely to block them from carrying out searches, and to prevent strangers from seeing their posts.

Children can still override these limitations but not without their parents being told.

The action comes a fortnight after BBC Panorama raised safety concerns.

The documentary highlighted how predators have abused the platform's recommendation engine to target some of its youngest users.

Warning over 'dangerous' DIY beauty trends on TikTok

Examples include applying bleach to whiten teeth, removing moles at home, and using eyelash glue to make lips appear larger, BBC News has discovered.

When these videos went viral, they encouraged others to copy the so-called "beauty hacks", which could cause permanent harm, the groups warned.

TikTok told BBC News the videos did not violate its community guidelines.

TikTok deleted 49 million 'rule-breaking' videos

About a quarter of those videos were deleted for containing adult nudity or sexual activity, the business said, in its latest transparency report.

The video-sharing app also revealed it had received about 500 requests for data from governments and police, and had complied with about 480 of them.

The US has suggested it is "looking at" whether to ban the Chinese-owned app.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that downloading TikTok would put citizens' "private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party".

TikTok 'family safety mode' gives parents some app control

It will let parents link their own TikTok accounts to their child's - and turn features on and off remotely.

That includes a "restricted mode" that tries to filter out inappropriate content, and turning off messaging.

TikTok has an age limit of 13, but many pre-teens still use the Chinese-owned app.

A recent survey by UK media regulator Ofcom found that TikTok was used by 13% of all children aged 12-15 in 2019 - up from 8% the year before.

What does the new feature do?