Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Tiktok is likely one of the hottest social media platforms worldwide, with a billion energetic month-to-month customers as of early 2022. The short-format movies supply enjoyable, snackable content material. Whereas all of us love spending some minutes (or hours) swiping by way of entertaining movies, most individuals don’t actually know the place TikTok even comes from. Let’s get you in control on who owns TikTok, its story, and why it’s such a controversial platform.
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Who created it, and when was TikTok made?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
The brief reply is that ByteDance created Tiktok in Beijing, China. There’s a for much longer response that’s fairly convoluted. The reality is that TikTok has undergone a number of title adjustments, and it nonetheless has a Chinese language model that operates individually.
The primary model of TikTok was A.me, and its preliminary launch was in September 2016. ByteDance then rebranded the app to Douyin, which suggests “vibrating sound.” This occurred solely months after the launch, in December 2016.
TikTok first appeared underneath its present title in September 2017, however solely in a restricted quantity of markets. It solely grew to become obtainable worldwide after ByteDance merged with one other Chinese language social community, Musical.ly. This didn’t occur till August 2018.
Who owns TikTok?
At present, Chinese language firm ByteDance owns TikTok. Zhang Yiming is the proprietor and founder. Although he was CEO of ByteDance till November 2021, the corporate is now led by Shou Zi Chew.
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Why is TikTok so fashionable?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TikTok and its Chinese language model are international hits. Douyin had over 100 million customers inside a 12 months and over a billion video views per day. It additionally shortly reached the highest lists in lots of international locations solely months after its international launch.
What’s it that made TikTok so successful? Except for the enjoyable movies, dances, lip-syncing, and different enjoyable clips, TikTok had some essential catalysts. The Merge with Musical.ly gave TikTok an excellent push ahead, giving it direct entry to the remainder of the globe, and serving to it purchase an already-active neighborhood. All Musical.ly and TikTok accounts consolidated right into a single app.
Quickly after the merger and international enlargement, TikTok acquired broad help, together with from celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, Tony Hawk, Will Smith, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, and others.
TikTok is solely a enjoyable app with entertaining movies which can be simple and fast to devour. It’s addictive and private. Folks take pleasure in sharing experiences, following developments, and viewing thrilling clips.
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Why are international locations banning TikTok?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
If TikTok is so nice, why are some international locations banning it, and others proceed attempting to? There are a number of causes for this. Some imagine TikTok accommodates nudity, obscene language, offensive content material, and different immoral parts. There are additionally habit issues, as customers are inclined to have problem placing the cellphone down.
All ethical agendas apart, although, the primary fear (a minimum of to the USA) is privateness. Upon request, ByteDance should cooperate with Chinese language authorities. This might threaten US nationwide safety, as TikTok collects a considerable amount of details about its customers. Right here’s what the US Division of Commerce needed to say about TikTok: “Whereas the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok will not be an identical, they’re comparable. Every collects huge swaths of information from customers, together with community exercise, location knowledge, and shopping and search histories. Every is an energetic participant in China’s civil-military fusion and is topic to obligatory cooperation with the intelligence companies of the CCP. This mixture leads to the usage of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable dangers to our nationwide safety.”
TikTok was created by ByteDance, the present proprietor of the app.
The unique model of TikTok is Douyin. That is additionally the present Chinese language model of the applying.
TikTok is presently banned in China, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It has additionally seen momentary bans in Indonesia and the USA.
Principally for safety causes, because the app collects a lot private data from its customers, and is obligated to collaborate with Chinese language authorities if requested. Moreover, some folks have ethical causes to shun TikTok. These embrace its potential to create habit, in addition to publicity to inappropriate content material.
