TikTok asks EU court to suspend EU gatekeeper label until its ruling
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS Chinese conglomerate ByteDance's TikTok has asked Europe's second highest court to suspend its
2023-12-02 02:50
US judge blocks Montana from banning TikTok use in state
By David Shepardson (Reuters) -A U.S. judge late on Thursday blocked Montana's first-of-its kind state ban on the use of
2023-12-01 07:49
Artist on TikTok receives backlash for 'slavery themed bathroom'
An artist on TikTok has faced strong backlash over a “slavery-themed bathroom” seen in a tour of her home. In a since-deleted post, artist and TikToker Hannah Polskin shared a video of her bathroom, showing various pieces of decoration that appeared to be influenced by African culture. Some of the wall decor included a picture of the African-American boxer Muhammad Ali, traditional African masks and a toilet roll holder made out of chains, raising many eyebrows due to its connotations with enslaved Africans and the Atlantic slave trade. Before it was deleted, the original video was shared by TikToker @jpgeez, who raised questions and concerns about the decor. He said: “So, I have questions. Is this your bathroom? Did someone ask you to style the bathroom like this? “I think the thing that I’m wondering about, and what I would imagine most people are wondering about, would be the toilet paper holder with the choice of the rest of the decor, you know.” @jpgeez #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo @Hannah Polskin just curious 😅 The TikToker reasoned that on their own, the pieces of art would be fine. But, when the chains are placed amongst African pieces, the connotations of slavery are hard to ignore. Responding to his video, one person wrote: “What in the Get Out bathroom.” Another wrote: “Living for the British Museum aesthetic.” Commenting on one of Polskin’s existing videos, someone asked the artist: “Btw what did you mean when you added the chain?” Another person said: “Are we gonna discuss the bathroom theme???” “The bathroom is actually diabolical,” one person commented. indy100 has contacted Hannah Polskin for comment. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.
2023-12-01 01:52
Woman left drenched wearing 'waterproof' North Face jacket goes viral in hilarious clip
A woman who was left soaked despite wearing what was supposed to be a waterproof jacket has gone viral. Walking in the rain is hardly fun at the best of times, but when you thought the waterproof jacket you were wearing would at least keep you dry, getting wet through just adds insult to injury. TikToker Jenn thought she would be safe wearing the waterproof jacket of the well-known brand North Face, but soon found a few issues with the outdoor brand’s clothing when she wore it on a rainy hike in New Zealand. In a viral video that has been viewed almost 11 million times, Jenn could be seen dripping with water as she walked and spoke into the camera. Jenn explained: “I’ve got a bone to pick with North Face. I bought this ‘rain jacket’ a couple of days ago because the tag in the advertising said that it was waterproof, as a rain jacket would be.” She laughed, before adding, “I’m 100 per cent sure that it’s raining outside and I’m soaking wet.” @fannypack310 @thenorthface i’m not mad i’m disappointed …and wet “Listen, I don't want a refund, I want you to redesign this raincoat to make it waterproof and express delivery it up to the top of Hooker Valley Lake in New Zealand,” she explained, before concluding, “Waterproof my a**”. In the comments, it appears she is not the first person to have an issue with North Face clothing. One person claimed: “North Face used to be necessary outdoor wear. EVERYONE wore them in Alaska. At some point their quality just wasn't there so we all switched to Patagonia.” Another said: “I’m a geoscience nerd who’s often in inclement weather in the field. North Face sold out. Get a GoreTex ArcTeryx jacket if you can.” In a follow-up video, Jenn revealed a pretty major update as it seems people from North Face noticed the viral clip. She explained that the marketing team saw the video and got in touch to fly Jenn in a helicopter to the top of a mountain in New Zealand and gave her brand new rain gear. @fannypack310 Replying to @rzamz @thenorthface made it out of my burn book People in the comments were dubious about whether the new products work as advertised. Someone asked, “But does the new rain gear work?”, to which Jenn responded, “We’ll see on my next rainy hike.” How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.
2023-12-01 01:22
TikTok in process of obtaining Indonesia e-commerce permit - state media, citing minister
JAKARTA Short video app TikTok is in the process of obtaining an e-commerce permit from Indonesia's government, state
2023-11-29 10:52
TikToker Noah Glenn Carter starts GoFundMe after family home burns down
TikToker Noah Glenn Carter has started a GoFundMe after losing his family home in a fire. Influencer Noah Glenn Carter is known for his videos explaining internet news and drama and has previously commented on controversial clips showing birthday spankings and TikTokers “begging” their followers for money. Carter has once again gone viral but for a tragic reason, after revealing his childhood home in Alabama caught on fire while he was sleeping inside. In a TikTok video, Carter filmed the house ablaze from afar and explained that he was on the second story when the fire broke out. It is unclear how the fire started. Carter explained: “I had to climb out of a window but I’m alive. Everybody’s safe. Nobody was hurt.” In another video, an emotional Carter shared pictures of what the inside of the house looked like before it burned down, showing the rooms decorated for Christmas. Then, he shared what it looks like now, having been reduced to rubble by the fire. @noahglenncarter TikTok · NoahGlennCarter He urged followers not to take things for granted after he and his family lost almost everything in a matter of moments. The TikToker has set up a GoFundMe page that has raised almost $11,000 in 13 hours, explaining that his family “need help going forward”. At the time of writing, 840 separate donations have been made, with many people leaving messages of support with them. One donor wrote: “You’re an amazingly positive creator and I always enjoy your videos. I hope you get everything situated soon. Godspeed to you and your family.” Another said: “Nobody should experience their house, memories and safe place to be destroyed. Good luck.” Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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
2023-11-28 23:16
'Time traveller from 2671' shares earth-shattering predictions for this December
You might think the most stressful things on the cards this December are last-minute Christmas shopping and large family gatherings. But, if you believe the word of a mysterious self-styled “time traveller from the year 2671”, life is about to get a whole lot more chaotic. Apocalyptic weather events, secret underground communities and even the elixir of life await us in the coming weeks, according to Eno Alaric. In a TikTok, which has racked up 2.3 million views in just one week, he claimed we should all brace for the following events, starting next Monday… December 4 “A project known as ‘Extraction’ begins, where explorers find entire civilizations underground,” Alaric says. “It is run by Elon Musk, and what they find is truly incredible, there are intelligent species smarter than humans.” December 8 “A family of four megalodons are found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench,” he writes, referring to the giant shark species that became extinct millions of years ago. “This discovery leads to many other extinct species to be found, like the sabre tooth tiger and pterodactyls." December 19 “A new type of storm forms, called ‘Electric Hail’ where lightning and hail mix. “It causes the hail to shock and burn everything it touches, the worst are third-degree burns.” December 28 “Scientists discover a new fruit underground, it slows down ageing “Known as ‘Astrum’, whoever eats this adds 200 years to their lifetime, and only five of them can be eaten per person.” Well, at least it’s not all bad then, eh? Though, we’re not sure we’d want to live another 1,000 years in a world blighted by electric hail and resurrected monsters. @radianttimetraveler December is for the ones… #fyp #fypage #timetravel #timetraveler #radianttime #viral #xyzbca #entertainment Inevitably, these grand predictions have been met with ridicule by many, with a number insisting they’d rather just know when the latest Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game is going to be released. Some pedants even pointed out that the megalodon was a shallow-water shark which wouldn’t have been able to adapt to the deep waters of the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the ocean) in just a few million years. And for anyone still needing reassurance that Alaric isn’t to be trusted, his previous outlandish claims have failed to pass. On October 3, for example, an alien ship was due to fall to Earth during a large meteor shower, containing a “hostile species”. “This alien escapes the pod as soon as it lands and begins to [wreak] havoc on large cities,” he said back in August. Then, on November 6, the Sun was supposed to “let out an unknown energy” that would cause a new type of disease, leading people to “lose control of their minds and act similar to zombies’.” @radianttimetraveler The issues of the end of 2023… #fyp #foryou #timetravel #timetraveler #radianttime #viral #xyzbca #entertainment All we can say is, our time-travelling friend has been sharing his apocalyptic accounts of the future since 2022, and we’re impressed with how much he’s come up with. If nothing else, he’s created ample fodder for sci-fi fans. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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
2023-11-28 22:22
Woman learns her boyfriend is cheating during his proposal
Receiving a marriage proposal from the person you love is supposed to be one of life’s great joys. But for one woman, that triumph swiftly transformed into trauma as she learned of her partner’s infidelity just as he was popping the question. Tiffany Lyn shared her jaw-dropping story to TikTok, racking up more than 1.8 million views and 200,000 likes in just two days. In the first of two clips, she explained that she had been with her then-boyfriend for two years and, although she was “madly in love with him”, didn’t feel that they were ready for marriage. Nevertheless, one day he decided to surprise her and took her to Orlando for “a little bit of fun at the amusement parks”. Once they got there, he signed up to be a contestant in a competition that was being staged there. “So right before the show is about to start, and he's about to start to compete, he hands me over his cell phone and says, ‘Babe, please film this, I want you to see what's going to happen,’” Tiffany recounted. “And I'm just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cute. How much fun! Like, this is my dream come true.” The contest then kicked off, during which the boyfriend took on three or four challenges, and won. “So here I am with his little cell phone filming, all excited, all proud of my man,” she continued. But, just then: “He starts to receive text messages that are popping up on the screen. “The text messages turned out to be from his mistress that he's been messing with the whole time we are together.” Tiffany explained that the so-called mistress was clearly really angry in her texts, suggesting that the boyfriend had messaged her just hours before to call things off. “I guess that morning he had texted her to let her know like, ‘Hey, it's over between us because I'm about to get engaged today,’” the TikToker said, adding: “And she threw a s**t fit even though she herself was married.” Returning to that earth-shattering moment, she went on: “At this point, my heart absolutely drops and I want to vomit. “And I'm sitting here in a crowd with hundreds of people, maybe even thousands of people, trying to keep my hands steady and filming what's happening as he's proposing and announcing it to this whole freaking stadium full of people. “But I really know what's happening as I'm seeing these texts flash across the screen.” She then stressed that she’s “not the type of girl that likes it when people see [them] sweat” and so, since the proposal had been blasted all over the big screen and all the onlookers were "so excited" for her, she maintained her composure, exited the stadium, and waited for her partner outside. “Once he shows up, he immediately gives me a huge hug, tells me that he loves me, and of course, does the proposal again to my face,” she recalled. However, there were still “so many people watching” so she quickly grabbed him and dragged him into the nearest restaurant in the theme park she could find. Reliving the scene, she went on: “I bring him over to the bar area and I sit him down and I tell him everything that I know. He didn't try to deny [it], he knew that he was caught. And for the next 30 minutes, he proceeded to just tell me everything that he thought I wanted to hear, and I was just numb. “The only words that I can manage to muster up at this point were, ‘Baby this two-carat diamond ring. It's just not gonna be enough’.” @tiffanylyynn Cheating Fiance Story time. What would you have done?! #cheater #cheatingboyfriend #cheatingfiance #datingstorytime #datingnightmares #datinglife #datingover40 #datingover40ishard #datinginyour30s #datingover30 #datingover40 @Tiffany Lyn On that note, Tiffany ended her story; waiting a day before posting a part two. In the second clip, she revealed that she “didn’t say yes” and so they drove home the same day “in awkward silence.” “But about two days later, the unhealed version of myself that I was, I agreed to put the ring on and play fiancée,” she admitted. “Maybe two or three months at the most went by after that proposal and, of course, we fell apart,” she continued. “He was never gonna win my trust back. It was never gonna work. I had so much invested in this relationship that it was really hard to break it off immediately. Again, we're human and I'm not messy. So I really tried to give it a go.” But, she confessed: “It took about two years and $10,000 (£7,922) of therapy just to finally be right again with myself.” She went on to share that she had returned the ring to her now-ex because she “didn’t want anything from him” and felt that it was “tainted”. “The best thing I ever did was leave that relationship with my head held high,” she stressed. “And, ultimately, I educated myself with all tools that I needed to make sure that I never associated with another man like that ever again. “Proof in point, he's never had a single successful relationship after that. He married someone after me, lasted about a year, and anything he's ever done since then, it's all gone. “His life is miserable. I didn't have to do that to him, he did that to himself.” @tiffanylyynn Failed Marriage Proposal part 2! @Tiffany Lyn #storytime #cheater #cheatingboyfriend #cheattok #cheatingfiance #datingstorytime #nightmare #susistory Fellow TikTokers were quick to voice their support for Tiffany, who revealed that the whole thing had happened some 10 years ago and that she was now in a “very loving relationship.” “LOOOOOVEEE how you presented this for how it was. It’s so hard to let go after investing so much,” one wrote. “I’m glad [you] kept using the phrase ‘we are human’ because that is so true,” added another. “It’s easy to say [what you’d do] over comments but it’s gonna be harder when it’s your relationship.” Meanwhile, others shared their own harrowing experiences, with one writing: “I caught my [ex] banging my [ex] best friend on my kitchen table. “I was holding my [two-year-old] son while pregnant [with] my youngest daughter when I walked into that.” And others insisted that she should have kept the engagement ring, with one suggesting she should have sold it to pay for her therapy. She conceded: “Sometimes I do regret not selling the ring and just taking myself on a magical vacation… but I didn't. So that's my story. “All I can say is learn as much as you possibly can about narcissists and protect yourself against them.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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
2023-11-27 23:46
Gen Z and Millennials are finally uniting following comedian's rallying cry
It’s no secret that pesky Gen Zers on social media love mocking their elders – in particular millennials. And for Iliza Shlesinger, a 40-year-old comedian, it’s time for them to stop. The performer is done with the younger generation picking apart millennial humour, skinny jeans and awful slang, and has taken to TikTok to speak her truth. On 13 November, she posted one of her standup performances, where she asked members of her live audience if any were Gen Z. A small cheer went up, and Shlesinger responded that they are not “so bold outside of a TikTok comment section”. She went on to recount some of the things Gen Zers have called millennials in recent years – “cheugy”, for example, which describes what they see as outdated fashion. But instead of going for all-out war, Shlesinger wants the enmity to stop, pointing out that both generations are at the mercy of the housing crisis, and that both lost out more than Gen X and boomers in the pandemic. She said: "You're angry, and I get that. We are angry too, but we have heartburn and our backs hurt, but we are right there with you." She added that the only reason the two generations are at loggerheads on TikTok is that they are the only two that use the app. It is “violence by proximity,” she said. The video went viral, with millions of views and thousands of comments, including many Gen Zers who said they completely understood millennials’ plight. One said: "It's the younger Gen Z that hates on millennials older Gen Z stands proudly with millennials." Another added: "Love you millennials!" Shlesinger summarised it neatly: "Never forget, we forged social media. Never forget that we walked on Instagram so you could run on TikTok." Never a truer word was spoken. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter 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.
2023-11-24 21:52
Debates about 'Lightning McQueen's Piston Cup wins' are going viral as Cars becomes surprising trend
Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, and Lewis Hamilton are legends of their sport, but fans of the 2006 film Cars also believe Lightning McQueen is also up there as one of the GOATs. The debate began in a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show where a viewer - Danny in Wisconsin - asked the host where McQueen's Piston Cup wins would rank him amongst the sporting GOATs. “When you think about the GOAT of sports… where do you rank a guy like Lightning McQueen with seven Piston Cups?” he asked. It's fair to say Smith had a strong opinion on this topic, where he brought in the achievements of another character from the film - Strip ‘The King’ Weathers. “I would tell you, he wouldn’t be the GOAT… When you talk about Strip ‘The King’ Weathers and Lightning McQueen, they’re both tied with seven Piston Cups. How can you be the GOAT if you’ve got something tied with you? Sorry, that ain’t going to work,” he argued. Smith then accused Danny of trying to “catch him” out with Strip’s equally impressive record of seven Piston cups, equal to McQueen's. “You didn’t think I knew about Cars, did you? You slept on a brother,” the host said. He continued: “Strip Weathers has seven Piston Cups. I am not about to sit and argue with a grown-ass man about the movie Cars… you should have brought me someone who didn’t have as many Piston Cups." To which Smith then asked why the Cars characters were the subject of the debate rather than Fast & Furious. Danny shot back, making the point that Cars is “real to little kids” – but Smith was prepared with a rebuttal. “You’re not a little kid! You’re 21. You would have a point if you were seven years old [and] calling me. What are you doing, wearing a diaper?” he screamed there off-road and then proceeded to hang up on Danny. The clip has since gone viral receiving a whopping 28.1m views, and 140,000 likes. Meanwhile, there has also recently been further debate where Cars fans are ranking the characters in terms of their achievements. Many argued that Lightning McQueen is the GOAT - he does have main character energy after all. @alexcolemann @benlikessports Jackson Storm get ready to leaen chinese buddy🫡 However, not everyone agrees... One person said: "Strip Weathers won in 4 different eras. that’s all I’m gonna say." "Gotta be the King Strip Weathers ALL DAY," another person wrote. Someone else added: "Strip Weathers was the Messi of cars." "Strip weathers dominated in his own gen 2 era along with the gen 3off-road and gen 4 cars and he’s #2? The longevity over McQueen puts him at 1 in my book," a fourth person commented. Guess we'll all have to watch Cars again... How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.
2023-11-23 22:29
Woman told to call the police after finding creepy hidden ‘love shack’ in her house
A woman lived what could easily have been the opening to a horror movie when she discovered a secret room in her house. The homeowner, who goes by the username BigBrah1 on TikTok, shared a video of the spine-tingling find, last month. In the clip, she showed how she’d uncovered the hidden space by opening a cabinet in her bathroom to find a secret door. Pushing it open, she revealed a room decorated with rainbow-coloured hand and footprints and the words “Love Shack” painted across the wall. It was also decked out with drawings and the names of three girls written on a piece of paper. The TikTok has racked up more than 7 million views and 600,000 likes in the past month, with viewers sharing their alarm at the concealed lair. @bigbrah1 what do i do ? #horror#horrortok#hiddenroom#hiddenroominmyhouse#halloween#scary#90s#analoghorror#fyp#scarytiktoks “It was either a fun little hideout, or the creepiest thing ever,” one wrote. “Absolute weirdest vibes,” said another. “Love shack? The feet?” “That is so obviously a room decorated for children that says LOVE SHACK!?? HUH!!” added a third. “It’s giving abduction vibes,” noted a fourth. In a follow-up, BigBrah offered some context surrounding her surprise discovery, explaining that it was located in the basement bathroom of her home, which made it “even creepier”. She said that she was now using it for storage and had given it a fresh coat of paint, but stressed that it was “still creepy as hell”. “This is definitely made for children because you cannot stand in here at all,” she added. Still, responding to some commentators who suggested she should report it to law enforcement, she said: “I don't like coming down here, but I will not be calling the police because [...], what the hell do you want me to tell them?” @bigbrah1 Replying to @garfield ty for all the support !! 🫶🏻 A fellow TikToker replied to her update by saying: “I would be digging into the history of the home for sure. The people who owned it. Or built it. So odd. Gives off not good vibes.” “So you think someone built a child-sized insulated room for no reason?????” wrote another. “What do you mean you don’t know what to tell the police[?]” But others dismissed all the hysteria, with one insisting: “That's just a teenager's secret spot, you guys overanalyse everything.” Another pointed out: “This looks like the ultimate 90's kid hideout. Lots of us loved the song ‘Love Shack’ by the B-52's.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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
2023-11-22 20:51
TikTok model left horrified after AI deepfake shows her getting dressed
A model was left horrified after discovering that someone had created a deepfake video of her getting undressed and posted it online. Model and TikToker Nadia Zalecka was mortified to find that she was one of a rising number of influencers being targeted for illicit content using artificial intelligence. Zalacka has more than 80,000 followers on TikTok, and was alerted to the compromising video by one of them. Speaking to the Daily Star, she explained that the person responsible had taken one of her videos before changing her face and name, before making her undress. @nadiazalecka “It’s so so scary. One of my TikTok followers came across it and tagged me. People need to realize how bad it actually is.” As well as saying that saying her likeness had been used before on dating sites, as well as having her likeness used on the “AI Undress” website. She added: “It was so scary seeing my video being manipulated so easily, it’s flooded with comments praising and supporting this fake person and little do they know it’s completely fake and my body is being used.” It’s another disturbing instance of deep fake technology being used for sinister subject matter. The surge in deepfakes has prompted many high profilers to come forward and speak out including MrBeast and Tom Hanks. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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
2023-11-21 23:29