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- The Know Daily - Thursday 25 April 2024
The Know Daily - Thursday 25 April 2024
š¤³ The TikTok ban explained, why women might need more sleep + Venice charges day trippers.
Read in 5m 24s ā Listening to Amy Winehouse ā
š¤³ Biden signed into law a bill to force a TikTok sale or else ban it in the US
š“ Why women might need more sleep than men
š®š¹ Venice introduces an entrance fee for day trippers
An āastonishing arrayā of wildlife has been discovered in Cambodiaās mangrove forests, following a comprehensive biodiversity survey. Despite 700 different species being identified - including hairy-nosed otters and cats that catch fish - researchers said they had probably ānot even scratched the surfaceā.
š¤³ Tick, tock
US president Joe Biden has signed into law a bill to force a sale of TikTok or else ban it outright. Hereās what you need to know.
What does the bill involve?
It gives TikTokās parent company - the Chinese tech firm ByteDance - 270 days to sell off its US operations, with a possible three-month extension if there are signs a deal is progressing. If this doesnāt happen, the video platform will be banned from US app stores.
The legislation also gives the White House new tools to ban or force the sale of other foreign-owned apps it deems to be security threats, noted Reuters.
Why has this happened?
Critics have long argued that TikTok could be forced to share its data on US users with the Chinese government, or āspread misinformation beneficial to Beijingā, Associated Press previously explained. TikTok denies that it has or would ever do so.
Nevertheless, US Congress this week voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill, with Biden signing it into law on Wednesday - less than three months after he joined TikTok with a video captioned ālol hey guysā.
What would a ban mean for users?
If TikTok is ultimately banned, it wonāt suddenly disappear from usersā phones. Rather, it would no longer be on US app stores, making it harder - although not impossible - for users to download TikTok and receive updates.
Creators have warned that a TikTok ban could impact their livelihoods, reported The Independent, with an estimated seven million US businesses selling products on the platform.
Will TikTok fight back?
You bet. A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the company plans to challenge the law in the courts - and this could see any potential ban pushed further down the road.
Itās unclear whether China would let ByteDance sell TikTok and particularly its ācoveted algorithmā, said The Verge. And as The New York Times pointed out, itās unclear who would have the resources to afford TikTokās āhefty price tagā.
šāāļø TRIVIA TIME
Princess Dianaās āfirstā work contract is up for auction - in which she might have lied about what to get a job?
A) Her work experience
B) Her exam grades
C) Her age
Scroll to the very bottom for the answer.
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