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Google AI Overviews could face aggressive regulatory measures in UK: A CMA investigation adds to a slew of regulatory challenges that are chipping away at Google鈥檚 dominance in search and advertising.

Australia, France, New Zealand, the UK, Taiwan, and the EU have banned TikTok on government devices. India, once its largest audience, banned the app in 2020 after a dispute with China. Canada鈥檚 move to shut down TikTok鈥檚 offices pertains to its owner ByteDance鈥檚 connection to Beijing and concerns over data security. However, that shutdown makes it tougher for the government to address its concerns.

Regulatory pressure mounts in EU: The European Commission is following in the footsteps of various US agencies, states, and schools by banning the TikTok app on devices. Will the rest of Europe comply?

TikTok, World Health Organization join forces to combat medical misinformation: After being scrutinized for the impact that misinformation on its platform has had on younger users, TikTok is taking a page out of YouTube鈥檚 book to fight it.

Short-form video offerings signal the platform鈥檚 push to become more than just a job-hunting site as it aims to compete for screen time with TikTok and Instagram.

Intensifying international pushback on social media: Led by the EU鈥檚 strict child safety measures in its Digital Services Act (DSA), Australia and the UK are pushing social media safeguards. In Australia, platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have one year to implement age-verification systems, which could use biometrics to comply.

Shein is losing share to Temu and TikTok Shop and facing a number of government investigations into its labor and selling practices. While Shein is angling to go public as soon as April, that could now be pushed into the second half of the year鈥攚hich would force the company to refile with the UK authorities, lengthening an already protracted process. Our take: Shein is in trouble.

This week, marketers lean on AI for creative campaigns, connected TV (CTV) audiences take action on ads, and TikTok maintains the most active audience across social platforms. Key stat: Consumers don鈥檛 want ads to feel so personal. Some 94% of consumers across the US, UK, and Canada prefer contextual ads over identity-based ads based on browsing history, per GumGum survey data.

Regulators slammed TikTok for failing to protect 175M EU users from potential Chinese access, fueling divestment and ban pressures worldwide.

TikTok continues to attract a lot of attention, both good and bad. The hype around its heavily engaged and coveted Gen Z audience is real. But concerns over alleged privacy violations have made it a target for regulators, and user trust of the platform has suffered as a result.

UK referral traffic from TikTok content to retailer websites grew by 378% between January 2022 and May 2023, according to a June 2023 report from Adobe. Getting appy: 鈥淓specially in the UK, retailers have digitized their loyalty programs, launching them through apps,鈥� Perkins said.

TikTok Shop is far from DOA, but early reports suggest its rollout hasn鈥檛 been easy. As TikTok works to build its livestreaming and in-app commerce business in the US, including by restructuring its commerce division, US merchants must decide whether the investment is worth it.

Citing security concerns, the bill now goes to Gov. Greg Gianforte, who banned TikTok on state-owned devices. TikTok is pushing back, but other states could accelerate all-out bans.

At the moment, TikTok Shops available to anyone in the UK, as long as they live in the UK and they're over 18. There are three shopping formats. So, that's live shopping, a shoppable short videos, and a product showcase, which is essentially a catalog of products, and you can sell through TikTok as a seller, creator, or partner. Sellers need to sign up as a merchant with TikTok and creators.

TikTok sister app Douyin is a livestream behemoth in China, where nearly 40% of internet users also engage in livestream shopping, according to our forecast. But in the US, the format hasn鈥檛 caught on in the same way.

Microsoft, Oracle, and billionaire investors are vying for a TikTok buyout, with ByteDance keeping a stake. The deal could reshape TikTok鈥檚 data security and advertising model.