ByteDance — parent company of TikTok, facing US child privacy settlement and regulatory scrutiny over data collection practices.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
… th Porat told reporters in Helsinki. “This is Google’s first nuclear energy deal outside of the United States.” Nuclear power, as a source of large amounts of low-carbon energy, is one of the attractions Finland offers as companies including Microsoft and TikTok owner ByteDance …
Google to invest $15.1bn in Finland AI infrastructure, strike nuclear power dealJoy Online
… A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS Meta, Snapchat and its parent Snap Inc, YouTube and its parent Alphabet, and TikTok and its parent ByteDance still face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts over claims they knowingly designed their platforms to have features that are addicti …
Meta settles with US states over social media harmsJoy Online
… The deal stems from a 2024 suit by the Department of Justice, under former President Joe Biden, alleging that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, collected “vast amounts of data” on millions of users under the age of 13. …
TikTok to pay $400m to US in one of largest child privacy settlementsJoy Online
A U.S. appeals court on Monday allowed thousands of lawsuits to move forward against Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s, Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and Snap Inc’s, Snapchat over claims they designed their products to be addictive to young users. …
US court rules Meta, other tech firms must face thousands of lawsuits over social media addictionJoy Online
… House since the company’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, finalised a deal in January to split the U.S. …
TikTok US chief security officer to testify before US House on September 15Joy Online
… France would follow Australia, which enacted the world’s first ban for under-16s on platforms including Meta Platforms’ Facebook, Snap’s Snapchat, ByteDance’s TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube in December. …
French Parliament’s committee approves social media ban for under-15sJoy Online
… A 2022 law banned federal employees from using the app on government devices, citing national security concerns, but a department opinion released on Friday said it no longer applies, citing a deal by TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to transfer control of the app’s U.S. …
Federal employees can download TikTok on government devices, DOJ saysJoy Online
… Meta, Snapchat and parent Snap Inc, YouTube and parent Alphabet Inc., and TikTok and parent ByteDance are facing thousands of lawsuits in both federal and state court over claims they knowingly designed their platforms to have features that addict children and teens, fueling a …
Meta says US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties in August youth safety trialJoy Online
… osed to harmful and inappropriate content in direct violation of Florida law,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for companies that prioritise profit over children’s safety.” The lawsuit seeks a court order directing the platform, which is owned by ByteDance …
Florida sues TikTok, claiming it violates state child safety lawJoy Online
… Such regulations, for instance, meant Beijing’s approval was needed to secure President Donald Trump’s deal to keep TikTok available in the US after its sale by Chinese parent company ByteDance. …
China blocks Meta’s $2bn acquisition of AI start-up ManusAlphabet's Google will invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in AI infrastructure in Finland over the next two years, including three new data centres in the north and a 22-year nuclear power purchase agreement for up to 50% of one nuclear plant's energy output. The deal marks Google's biggest European investment and first nuclear energy deal outside the United States.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Alphabet's Google will invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in AI infrastructure in Finland over the next two years, including three new data centres in the north and a 22-year nuclear power purchase agreement for up to 50% of one nuclear plant's energy output. The deal marks Google's biggest European investment and first nuclear energy deal outside the United States.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Meta Platforms has settled claims brought by 29 states that the company designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children, misled consumers about safety, and improperly collected personal data from child users without parental consent. The settlement was reached during a federal court trial in California, averting what would have been a major test of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to the US to settle allegations that it and parent company ByteDance violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data on millions of users under 13. The settlement is one of the largest-ever over child privacy issues, following similar violations by YouTube ($170 million in 2019) and Epic Games ($275 million in 2022).
23 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A U.S. appeals court rejected appeals by Meta and TikTok seeking to overturn a lower court ruling requiring them to face more than 3,000 lawsuits alleging the companies designed their products to be addictive to young users. The court ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides a defense to liability rather than immunity from lawsuits, making the appeal premature.
11 August 2026 · Joy Online →
TikTok U.S. Chief Security Officer Will Farrell will testify before the U.S. House Select Committee on China on September 15, marking the first public testimony by a TikTok U.S. executive since ByteDance finalized a deal in January to split the app from its global business. The hearing will allow lawmakers to question the company about Chinese involvement and President Donald Trump's role in brokering the separation.
22 July 2026 · Joy Online →
A reconciliation committee of France's Parliament approved a bill to ban social media access for those under 15, with French President Macron seeking implementation by early September. The measure follows Australia's ban for under-16s and comes as European Commission President Von der Leyen has supported similar limits across the EU.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The U.S. Justice Department said federal employees can now download TikTok on government devices, reversing a 2022 ban after ByteDance transferred control of the app's U.S. operations to a joint venture with American investors holding 80.1% ownership and the algorithm secured in Oracle's U.S. cloud.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Meta disclosed in a court filing that four US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over allegations the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users and misled the public about their safety, ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California.
7 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Florida's attorney general filed a lawsuit claiming TikTok violated the state's law barring social media platforms from allowing children under age 14 to create accounts, alleging the platform allows underage users access and misrepresents exposure to violent or sexual content. TikTok says it is complying with the law and suspending accounts of users under 14 in Florida.
16 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Chinese regulators have prohibited Meta's acquisition of AI start-up Manus, worth approximately $2 billion, citing restrictions on foreign investment in the deal. Meta said the transaction complied with applicable law and anticipates an appropriate resolution.
27 April 2026 · Joy Online →