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Tsunoda frustrated with 15th in Red Bull qualifying debut
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Rain forecast adds new element to combustible Japanese GP
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Ukraine mourns 18 killed in Russian missile strike
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Germany's Mueller to leave Bayern Munich after 25 years
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India's Modi clinches defence, energy deals in Sri Lanka
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Verstappen snatches 'special' pole for Japan GP with lap record
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Cambodia hails opening of naval base renovated by China
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Verstappen snatches 'insane' pole for Japan GP in track record
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Thousands rally for South Korea's impeached ex-president Yoon
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New Zealand hammer Pakistan by 43 runs to sweep ODI series 3-0
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Myanmar quake death toll passes 3,300: state media
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India's Modi in Sri Lanka for defence and energy deals
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'No one to return to': Afghans fear Pakistan deportation
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Fractious Republicans seek unity over Trump tax cuts
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America's passion for tariffs rarely pays off, economists warn
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Trump's global tariff takes effect in dramatic US trade shift
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North Korea's Kim fires new sniper rifle while visiting troops
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Norris fastest in McLaren 1-2 as fires again disrupt Japan GP practice
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Vital European defence startups still facing hurdles
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'I don't have a voice in my head': Life with no inner monologue
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Pakistan chasing 265 to win shortened third New Zealand ODI
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US soybeans, energy: Who is hit by China's tariff retaliation?
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Green, Sengun lift Rockets over Thunder, Celtics clinch record
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Ariya downs defending champ Korda to advance at LPGA Match Play
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Ovechkin ties Gretzky's all-time record of 894 NHL goals
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Under-pressure Doohan vows to learn from Japanese GP smash
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Harman goes four clear at Texas Open
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McLaughlin-Levrone, Thomas cruise to wins at opening Grand Slam Track
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Russian strike kills 18 in Ukrainian president's home city
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US cardinal defrocked for sex abuse dies at 94
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Lula admits 'still a lot to do' for Indigenous Brazilians
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England, Germany and Spain on mark in women's Nations League
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Bayern's Musiala to miss Inter first leg with injury
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Judge orders return to US of Salvadoran man deported in error
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'Class' Freeman eases Northampton past Clermont and into Champions Cup quarters
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Amadou of Malian blind music duo dies aged 70
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Freeman hat-trick eases Northampton into Champions Cup quarters with Clermont win
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Defiant Trump dismisses stock market's tariff plunge
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Musiala injury sours Bayern win at Augsburg
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Peruvian schoolkids living in fear of extortion gangs
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Top seed Pegula rallies to oust defending champ Collins in Charleston
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Amadou of Malian blind music duo Amadou & Mariam dies aged 70
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California to defy Trump's tariffs to allay global trade fears
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Bayern's Musiala subbed off with injury days out from Inter clash
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Russian strike kills 16 in Ukraine leader's home city, children among dead
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NBA fines Grizzlies' Morant for imaginary gun gesture
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Trump tariffs offer opportunity for China
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UK comedian Russell Brand charged with rape
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Marsh, Markram help Lucknow edge Mumbai in IPL
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Trump gives TikTok extra 75 days to find buyer
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TikTok's journey from fun app to US security concern
As a law that could get TikTok banned in the United States is poised to go into effect, here is a look at the rise of the video-sharing social media platform.
- Genesis -
In 2016, Beijing-based ByteDance launched Douyin, an app for sharing short videos, in the Chinese market.
ByteDance released TikTok for the international market the following year, shortly before buying "lip-synching" app Musical.ly and merging it into TikTok.
The social network became a hit, with its algorithm serving up endless collections of short, looping and typically playful videos posted by users.
- Pandemic boom -
TikTok's popularity soared during the Covid-19 pandemic declared in 2020, as people enduring lockdowns relied on the internet for diversion and entertainment.
As a result, authorities worldwide began eyeing TikTok's influence and addictive appeal.
TikTok became one of the most downloaded apps in the world, as officials grew increasingly wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access user data.
India banned TikTok in July 2020 due to tensions with China.
- Targeted by Trump -
While Donald Trump was US president in 2020, he signed executive orders to ban TikTok in the United States.
Trump accused TikTok, without proof, of siphoning off US users' data to benefit Beijing and of censoring posts at the direction of Chinese officials.
Trump's decision was made as his government clashed with Beijing on an array of issues.
During a failed bid for reelection in 2020, the Republican continued to campaign on an anti-China message.
Between legal challenges and Trump's loss to Joe Biden in that year's presidential election, the executive orders did not take effect.
- Billion mark -
In September 2021, TikTok announced it had one billion monthly users worldwide.
But concerns grew about TikTok users facing risks of addiction, propaganda and spying.
In 2022, BuzzFeed reported that ByteDance employees based in China had accessed TikTok users' non-public information.
ByteDance tried to cool privacy concerns by hosting user data on servers managed in the United States by Oracle.
The move did not ease concerns, however, with TikTok banned from devices used by the US military.
An array of other government agencies and academic institutes followed suit, forbidding members from using TikTok.
TikTok's Singaporean chief executive Shou Chew was grilled by members of the US Congress during a six-hour hearing in March 2023.
- Sell or go -
TikTok was back in the hot seat in the United States in 2024 when President Joe Biden authorized a law requiring TikTok to be banned if ByteDance does not sell the app to a company not associated with a national security adversary.
Washington's stated aim was to cut the risk of Beijing spying on or manipulating TikTok users, particularly the 170 million US users of the app.
TikTok remains adamant that it has never shared user data with the Chinese government or done its bidding at the social network.
ByteDance sued the US government, arguing the law violates free speech rights.
A final decision in that case was made Friday by the US Supreme Court, which upheld a law going into effect on January 19.
In a major defeat for TikTok, the court ruled that the law does not violate free speech rights and that the US government had demonstrated legitimate national security concerns about a Chinese company owning the app.
President-elect Trump, who returns to office on Monday, has signaled he might intervene on TikTok's behalf.
The company, however, has said that unless the outgoing Biden administration makes "definitive" assurances that the law will not be implemented, it would be forced to "go dark."
I.Meyer--BTB