TikTok reportedly stored a list of all users who watched LGBTQ+ content
TikTok has been accused of storing a list of users who watched LGBTQ+ content on the app. A former employee for the popular video platform told The Wall Street Journal that they were saved for "at least a year" and was done so to understand trends online and boost engagement. Employees across the US, UK and Australia raised concerns about the data collection to senior staff members in 2020 and 2021. They were said to be concerned about whether data could be shared with third parties or to blackmail TikTok users. While TikTok doesn't ask users for their sexual orientation, the former employee claimed it categorised videos under labels such as LGBT, short for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Staff members could allegedly view the information through a dashboard with claims that it included ID numbers. "The data represents users’ interests and isn’t necessarily a sign of someone’s identity," they said. "Users who engage with LGBT content on TikTok may not identify as LGBT themselves, just as there are people who enjoy baking content but aren’t bakers." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter A TikTok spokesperson told the outlet that the platform "doesn’t identify potentially sensitive information such as sexual orientation or race of users based on what they choose to watch," nor does the platform "infer such information." They added that the data collected "isn’t necessarily a sign of someone’s identity" and is, instead, there to represent people's interests. The spokesperson said before deletion, TikTok had "protocols" to ensure data was only viewed by authorised staff members. Indy100 reached out to TikTok for comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-05-10 18:29
Austria to join countries banning TikTok from government phones
VIENNA Austria will join the growing list of countries banning Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government employees' work
2023-05-10 17:47
Horrified mum says stranger 'spoke to her son for weeks' after hacking baby monitor
Baby monitors are a staple of any new parent’s toolkit, designed to put mums and dads’ minds at ease. And yet, one mother found her monitor the opposite of reassuring after a hacker managed to hack the device and use it to speak to her young son. Influencer Kurin Adele made the frightening claim in a TikTok posted on Saturday. In the clip, which racked up 6.1 million views in three days, Adele told viewers that she’d noticed over “the past couple of weeks to a couple of months” that her son had been unplugging his bedroom camera. On Friday night, she asked her husband to plug the device back in which, to her surprise, made her little boy very upset. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “My son starts crying and he's like, ‘I don't want my camera plugged in, I don't want my camera plugged in,’” she recounted. “‘Someone talks to me at night and it scares me, someone wakes me up and talks to me and I'm scared.’” The content creator said she and her husband “looked at each other completely terrified” before reassuring their child that he was safe and they wouldn’t be plugging the camera back in. She then explained that they immediately went to change the password to the app for the device, at which point they received a message from its manufacturer, Owlet. The pop-up read: “This password has appeared in a data leak, which puts this account at high risk for compromise. You should change your password immediately.” Furious, Adele continued: “Who the heck knows how long someone has had our password and has been messing with my son? Owlet never notified us. “The only reason we didn't know about this sooner is because our son thought it was us talking to him, so whoever was talking to him was telling him that it was his mum and dad.” She ended the clip by urging fellow parents to ditch their wifi cameras, claiming that “people are hacking into baby monitors left and right just to mess with people”. @kurinadele Get rid of your wifi cameras!!!!! #owletcamera #babymonitorhack Her video racked up more than 850,000 likes and 6,400 comments as fellow TikTokers rushed to share their horror at Adele’s discovery. “10th video I have seen of a baby monitor getting hacked,” one wrote. “As someone who designed networks for a living, I would NEVER recommend a wifi enabled camera. They're so easy to hack,” said another. “I’m a law student and we did a trip to the cyber police department and the guy also said to never get ‘smart’ baby monitors,” added a third. On Monday, Adele shared an update, saying Owlet had replied to her complaint about the whole affair after she sent them a “hate email”. “They responded with a very dismissive email, basically telling me that their data is super encrypted and there's no way that someone could hack in, but they'd like to look into it further,” she said. However, she went on: “About 20 minutes ago, I got an email directly from Owlet, It looks like they saw my video.” She went on to say that she felt “a little bit bummed” that the “only reason they're reaching out to me is because I have a platform and my video went viral,” before admitting that she was still “excited to see how they rectify the situation”. The mother-of-two, who’s expecting her third child, said she was keen to know whether they’d be able to find out who logged into their account, adding that she’d keep her followers posted on any updates. @kurinadele Owlet update!! #babymonitor #babymonitorhack #owlet #owletcamera At the time of writing, the mystery of the hacker had yet to be solved, and Adele’s most recent video was about a trip to Taco Bell. Indy100 has contacted Owlet for comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-05-09 23:23
TikTok's stomach-churning 'turbulence' trend explained
If you thought turbulence on a plane was bad, just wait till you find out what it means on TikTok. That’s right, a trend has emerged whose name was inspired by those unpleasant inflight jolts. Warning: This trend does involve some NSFW material. Head to the video-sharing app, and you’ll find a plethora of clips using the hashtag “turbulence” or close variations. Many of the most viewed options were created by content creator Just Jo, whose videos have been stitched and commented on by the likes of ishowspeed and Kai Cenat who have millions of followers between them. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Indeed, Just Jo is credited with kicking the whole craze off back in 2021. The streamer was performing a dance live on TikTok when he announced that there was a “whole bunch of turbulence” going on. Well, that doesn’t sound so bad, you may say to yourself, but the “dance” in question wasn’t your standard viral routine. Instead, it involved Just Jo slapping his penis loudly from side to side between his thighs – and thus, a new craze was born. Since then, he has published countless follow-ups, showing his skill at rhythmically clapping his gear, getting it to go at top speed, or simply explaining how it's done. @shackav He's unstoppable @JUSTJOOO Turbulence 😫 #justjoo #turbulence #thugshake #justjoofficial #viral #foryoupage Still, the one saving grace is that the… eh hem… physical mechanisms used to create the “turbulence” are never shown: the videos are filmed from the waist upwards. This leaves the viewer wondering if the slapping sound is really coming from the implied NSFW source, or whether it’s down to a pair of hands belonging to a hidden participant. Regardless, all we can say is this “turbulence” stuff is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-05-09 22:56
NBA Rumors: Is there any truth to Knicks-Giannis chatter?
The Milwaukee Bucks are headed for an offseason of change and the New York Knicks are reportedly monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo. Is this real life?Giannis Antetokounmpo still has two full years and a player option year left on his current contract. Milwaukee is a long way away from any hypothe...
2023-05-09 03:20
How to Redeem BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Souvenir Tokens
How to redeem your BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Souvenir Tokens during the CS:GO tournament and when they expire.
2023-05-09 02:47
Russian forces lash out indiscriminately as Ukraine increases military pressure on frontline towns
Ukrainian-held Mala Tokmachka, just over a mile from Russian-held territory in the Zaporizhzhia region, has been left ghostly and battered by shelling. News of Russia's evacuation of occupied towns along the southern front cannot come soon enough.
2023-05-09 00:28
'Bridesmaid for hire' claims she caught groom cheating on wedding day
A woman, who works as a bridesmaid for hire, has turned to TikTok with claims that she caught a groom cheating on his wedding day. Jen Glantz (@bridesmaidforhire) insinuated to her 1.1 million viewers that it wasn't just the once. Jen mimed along to Doja Cat’s 'Ain’t Sh**' song, which says: "This happened one, two, three times too much." In a follow-up video responding to a comment hoping Jen told the bride, the professional bridesmaid explained: "The first time I told the person getting married, she said she already knew. But she didn’t want to make it a thing. And she just wanted to marry the person anyway, even though he was cheating." She continued: "The second time this happened, I told the groom that he better tell the bride that he’s cheating on her or else I will. And he did. They also still got married." It didn't take long for people to chime in on her claims, with one writing: "I’ve been waiting for this. I went to a wedding, and we found the groom in bed with the bridesmaid." Another commented: "I work at a resort… I have seen grooms ask for an extra room in the middle of the night with another woman." Meanwhile, a third suggested: "Florist here!! I could write a book." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @bridesmaidforhire No joke. It didn’t end well. #cheating #wedtok #groomsreaction Jen, who has worked as a professional bridesmaid for almost ten years, had the idea to launch her unique career path after being a bridesmaid for many of her friends and family members. She started off by advertising the service as a 'bridesmaid to hire' on Craigslist and said she received over 300 responses. Jen's prices start at around $2,500, telling the US Sun: "I always say 'I’m the on call therapist, the personal assistant, the social director, and the peacekeeper who deals with all of the drama." She continued: "The only catch is that when people hire me, they hire me to go undercover. So I use a fake name, a fake backstory of how I know them from their real life. "Most of the time the person they’re marrying has no idea." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-05-08 21:45
When Does the League of Legends MSI 2023 Inkshadow Event End?
The League of Legends MSI 2023 Inkshadow Event ends on June 6, but the shop will remain open until June 12.
2023-05-04 23:30
Sony rumoured to be putting ads in free-to-play PlayStation games
Sony looks set to start dropping ads into games to encourage developers to make more free-to-play games.
2023-04-10 15:38
Ghostwire: Tokyo May 2 Update: New Emotes, Bug Fixes, and More
A brand new update has been rolled out for Ghostwire: Tokyo. Here's everything players can look forward to in the latest patch.
2023-04-10 15:38
FIFA 22 TOTS Token Swap System Leaked
EA Sports has implemented token swap systems into different promos throughout FIFA 22. Now, it has been leaked that token swaps system will return for the TOTS promo.
2023-04-10 15:38