TikTok has banned the social media account promoting Alex Gibney's upcoming Musk documentary just before its wider release, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Distributor Bleecker Street was told Friday that a permanent suspension was coming, and TikTok has not responded to requests for comment. The move follows TikTok's earlier refusal, alongside X, to run paid ads for the film, even after YouTube and Meta reversed similar rejections.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-17
Speaking at the DBS Asia Future Forward Conference in Singapore, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said AI could enable significant breakthroughs in physics, biotech, chemistry and materials science within two to three years. He cited ByteDance's Seed research team, which released Protenix-v2 in April, a model aimed at predicting biomolecular structures for potential use in drug discovery.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-12
Hinge is piloting a feature in India that prevents users from taking screenshots of dating profiles, aiming to curb the practice of sharing matches' photos and messages online without consent. The move follows growing criticism of creators and accounts who build audiences by posting screenshotted dating app exchanges, pickup lines, and profile prompts for mockery. Dating coach Chad Franklin, who posts client DMs to 512,000 TikTok followers, says users increasingly fear becoming an unwitting viral 'main character.'
wired.com
· 2026-10-09
Meta confirmed it has banned advertising from TikTok's parent ByteDance in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, extending to third-party advertisers promoting TikTok campaigns there. A Meta spokesperson said the company has no obligation to run ads for a competitor seeking to draw users away from its apps. The move follows TikTok's earlier removal of Instagram and Facebook profile links.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-09
Meta has banned advertising from TikTok parent ByteDance across its platforms in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, effective Thursday. The policy covers ByteDance ads, paid marketing messages, and third-party ads linking to TikTok. Meta spokesperson Christopher Sgro called it a normal business practice of not promoting a competitor's app.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-09
New York's lawsuit against TikTok alleges the company ran experiments in which thousands of users, including teens and children, believed they had activated 'Algo Refresh,' a feature meant to reset their content recommendations, but their feeds never actually changed. Users outside the experiment group who enabled the same feature got a fully working version. The suit is one of more than two dozen state cases accusing TikTok of designing its platform to be addictive to children and misrepresenting its safety tools.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-08
A TikTok user posting as The Dreadful Studio recorded himself answering an AI avatar's interview questions for a management role entirely in made-up, nonsensical speech. The bot grew visibly irritated, calling the responses a waste of its time, declaring him unqualified, and ending the call.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-08
New York's updated lawsuit against TikTok alleges the company ran experiments in which thousands of users, including minors, believed they had activated safety features like an algorithm-reset tool when in fact nothing changed. The filing also cites an internal TikTok product manager who objected to the test, calling a 'placebo group' incompatible with the feature's stated goal of giving users control over their algorithm. TikTok says such testing is a routine part of validating new features.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-08
Meta is testing a Facebook layout in India that opens directly into a full-screen, immersive video feed, with a possible US rollout in 2027. Separately, researcher Radu Oncescu found an Instagram test letting Reels appear as the first screen on app launch, with sound on by default, while Stories stay at top and the regular feed is reached by swiping. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the Instagram test is live in some countries and said users can revert to the old layout.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-08
Multiple TikTok creators are endorsing inexpensive knockoff AI glasses sold on TikTok Shop and other marketplaces, claiming they lack the recording indicator present on Meta’s official glasses. These imitation devices are priced between $40 and $100, significantly cheaper than Meta’s several-hundred-dollar product. Influencers highlight the absence of the blinking recording light as a key selling point, suggesting it offers more discretion for users.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-08
A TikTok creator known as The Dreadful Studio recorded an AI-powered job interview avatar responding with anger after the user answered interview questions in made-up gibberish. The avatar accused the applicant of wasting its time and questioned whether they could speak English, while its facial expression shifted between smiling and scowling as the exchange continued.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-06
The term 'unalive' has emerged as a euphemism for death or killing on platforms like TikTok, where explicit language risks algorithmic censorship. Its usage has become widespread in online conversations, even extending into spoken language in some cases, reflecting changes in digital communication norms.
anildash.com
· 2026-10-06
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