NewsBytes Briefing: TikTok files for injunction against ban, and more
As ByteDance's TikTok deal is likely to see more delays owing to China's pending approval, the video company is moving to prevent itself from getting banned by Trump administration. The service has filed for an injunction against the ban, set to go into effect from Sunday, arguing that the action would cause significant damage to its business. Here are other developments.
Facebook blocks ads claiming election victory
Facebook on Wednesday confirmed that it will be blocking ads claiming election victory before the results are officially declared. According to a communication representative from the company, Facebook will apply "information labels" to any misleading ad around the voting process or election outcome. Notably, social network will also ban political ads in the week leading up to the election day.
Twitter introduces voice DMs
Back in June, Twitter had started testing voice-based tweets on its platform. Now, to build on that effort, the company will explore the idea of voice-based DMs. The feature is being tested only in Brazil to begin with, but could be expanded to other regions if the initial feedback from the users is positive.
Tesla suffers network outage
Last night, Tesla owners were locked out of their cars and its companion app for nearly an hour, according to a report in TechCrunch. The outage stemmed from an issue that reportedly triggered from an internal break of their application programming interface (API) and affected their entire network. Now, the problem has been patched, and the cars and the app are working normally.
Other important developments to note
Among other things, Google is bringing COVID-19 markings to Google Maps to let users see which areas have more cases of the deadly disease. Then, TikTok banned ads promoting a harmful or negative body image, including those for fasting apps and weight loss supplements, while Instagram introduced countdown timer, trimming and editing tools, and the option to record longer videos in Reels (TikTok competition).
Finally, some COVID-19-related updates
India on Wednesday reported over 86,000 fresh coronavirus infections. The nationwide tally has now climbed to 57.3 lakh cases, while the death toll has touched 91,195. For vaccine, Johnson & Johnson started the final trials of a single dose vaccine, while reports have suggested that the UK is planning clinical COVID-19 challenge trials to check the efficacy of potential vaccine candidates.
