TikTok CEO Chew: Montana’s Ban on the App ‘Unconstitutional’ 

In this photo provided by the Montana Governor's Office, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signs a law banning TikTok in the state, May 17, 2023, in Helena, Mont. (Montana Governor's Office via AP, File)
In this photo provided by the Montana Governor's Office, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signs a law banning TikTok in the state, May 17, 2023, in Helena, Mont. (Montana Governor's Office via AP, File)
TT

TikTok CEO Chew: Montana’s Ban on the App ‘Unconstitutional’ 

In this photo provided by the Montana Governor's Office, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signs a law banning TikTok in the state, May 17, 2023, in Helena, Mont. (Montana Governor's Office via AP, File)
In this photo provided by the Montana Governor's Office, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signs a law banning TikTok in the state, May 17, 2023, in Helena, Mont. (Montana Governor's Office via AP, File)

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Tuesday the US state of Montana's ban of the app was unconstitutional and that he was confident his company will prevail in a lawsuit challenging the decision.

The Chinese-owned company filed a lawsuit on Monday against Montana's decision to ban TikTok from operating in the state to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by China.

"We believe that the Montana bill that was recently passed is simply unconstitutional," Chew told the Qatar Economic Forum organized by Bloomberg.

US lawmakers and state government officials have called for a nationwide ban on the video-sharing app, which is used by more than 150 million Americans, over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform.

"The Chinese government never asked us for US users' data and we will not provide even if asked," Chew said.

Chew said his company has worked with Oracle to keep US users data stored in the United States.

"Today by default, all US data is stored in the Oracle cloud service already," he said.

"We have built over the last two years something we call internally 'Project Texas', which ensures that American data is stored on American soil by an American company and overseen by American personnel," Chew added.

In March, a congressional committee grilled Chew about whether the Chinese government could access user data or influence what Americans see on the app.

But calls to ban TikTok nationwide or give the Biden administration new powers to crack down or ban TikTok have not advanced in Congress.

Montana could impose fines of $10,000 for each violation by TikTok and additional fines of $10,000 per day if it violates the ban. The law does not impose penalties on individual TikTok users. It is not clear how Montana would enforce a TikTok ban.



Meta to Start Using Public Posts on Facebook, Instagram in UK to Train AI

Meta AI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Meta AI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Meta to Start Using Public Posts on Facebook, Instagram in UK to Train AI

Meta AI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Meta AI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Meta Platforms will begin training its AI models using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram in the UK over the coming months, the company said, after it had paused the training in the region following a regulatory backlash.

The company will use public posts including photos, captions and comments to train its generative artificial intelligence models, it said on Friday, adding that the training content will not include private messages or information from accounts of users under the age of 18.

The update follows Meta's decision in mid-June to pause the launch of its AI models in Europe after the Irish privacy regulator told the company to delay its plan to harness data from social media posts.

The company had then said the delay would also allow it to address requests from Britain's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

"Since we paused training our generative AI models in the UK to address regulatory feedback, we've engaged positively with the ICO ... this clarity and certainty will help us bring AI at Meta products to the UK much sooner," Meta said on Friday.

Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will start receiving in-app notifications from next week explaining the company's procedure and how users can object to their data being used for the training, Meta added.

In June, the company's plans faced backlash from advocacy group NOYB, which urged national privacy watchdogs across Europe to stop such use of social media content, saying the notifications were insufficient to meet EU's stringent EU privacy and transparency rules.