TikTok

Oracle and a group of investors, such as Microsoft, are vying over TikTok's global operations. If both sides agreed, it would mean that ByteDance would keep a minority of the state in TikTok while the app's algorithm, data collection, and software updates would all be taken over by Oracle.

Perplexity AI revised its TikTok merger proposal, offering the U.S. government a 50% stake in the new company to address security concerns while keeping ByteDance's partial involvement. The deal comes amid pressure from the Trump administration and U.S. law requiring TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent or face a ban.

Doubao is a ChatGPT-styled conversational Bot developed by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok and launched in August last year. The AI chatbot has more than 51 million monthly active users in China, outpacing other Chinese tech giant competitors such as Baidu's Wenxiaoyan (12.5 million users), and Moonshot AI's Kimi (10 million users).

Less than a day after, the app went offline in U.S. App stores, TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday after President Trump said he would revive the app's access in the U.S when he returns to power on Monday. Apparently, the newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump has ordered for a 75 day extension on enforcing a law that would effectively ban TikTok in the US, marking one of his first acts in the office.

Indonesia is considering a law to restrict social media access for children to protect them from online dangers, though concerns about privacy and data security have arisen. Many parents support the measure, but advocates call for a balance between child protection and digital rights.

TikTok will resume operations in the US after the President-elect pledged to restore access, proposing a 50% stake in the platform—despite previously attempting to ban it. The news has sparked widespread celebration on social media.

Mr. Chew will join other prominent tech executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. Some are also speculating that Trump's committee invitation to Mr Zhou could also hint at Trump's commitment to protect TikTok from the possible ban that could come as soon as Jan 19.

As TikTok faces a potential US ban or forced sale over security concerns, Tron founder Justin Sun has expressed interest in acquiring the platform. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is considering selling TikTok’s US operations to Elon Musk. What will be TikTok’s fate?

With the potential TikTok ban, millions of users are migrating to Xiaohongshu, which has quickly gained popularity, especially among content creators. The platform is becoming a new hub for viral trends, memes, and crypto discussions, blending Chinese and Western cultures.

Rumours has been spreading that the Chinese officials are discussing a possible option that involves selling at least a portion of the US version of TikTok to Musk's X, after reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. The discussions, if they were true, would mark a stark reversal in China's stance on a Tiktok sale just days before the ban in the United States would come into play.