TikTok's future in the United States is totally up in the air. Should the United States government get its way, the app will be banned starting Sundaythough there may be ways to still use it. The Supreme Court could step in to save it, as couldMassachusetts Senator Ed Markey, or even incoming president Donald Trump. The only thing absolutely certain is that Congress, in concert with the Biden administration, wanted TikTok sold to an American company, or out of Americans' hands.The thing is, ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, owns and operates other apps within the U.S. None of these apps are currently in talks to be banned, but they all should, in theory, have many of the same concerns that caused the government to go after TikTok. ByteDance is based in China, and, as such, would be beholden to the Chinese government should the latter ask for the data of any American users.In fact, the law that sets TikTok on the course to be banned on Sunday makes it clear no ByteDance app is safe. At the top of the law, it says the act's goal is, "To protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications, such as TikTok and any successor application or service and any other application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Ltd. or an entity under the control of ByteDance Ltd."The following is every app ByteDance and its subsidiaries currently operate in the U.S. that I could find. As such, it is possible that each is in danger of a future ban, at least under the current lawthough some are likely smaller targets than others. TikTokThis is the big one: ByteDance, of course, owns TikTok, the app at the center of all this national security drama. You might be addicted to the app yourself. What you might not know, however, is that the TikTok we know started out life not as a ByteDance property, nor as "TikTok" itself; rather, the app was originally called Musical.ly, and was designed for users to post short videos lip-syncing to popular songs. It amassed a large following, which caught ByteDance's attention, just as it had its sights set on expanding its short-form social media app, Douyin, globally. ByteDance went international with a new version of Douyin, TikTok, in 2017, and almost immediately after, acquired Musical.ly for nearly $1 billion. The rest, of course, is history. TikTok has become a world-wide phenomenon, capturing the attentions of one billion users. 170 million of those users happen to be in the U.S., which makes you wonder how a looming ban of the appwill affect TikTok's bottom line. TikTok LiteIf you have an Android device, you might have seen TikTok Lite before. This app is TikTok, only a lighter, more streamlined version. Like other "lite" apps, this one is designed for phones with limited RAM, data, or unstable connections. TikTok Lite is not that popular, especially when compared to TikTok proper. It only has 100,000 downloads compared to TikTok's more than one billion. It gets left out of the ban discussion, but if I had to guess, I would say ByteDance would cut service to TikTok Lite in addition to the main TikTok app. TikTok Studio and TikTok Shop SellerTikTok Studio isn't made for consumers. Rather, it's an app for TikTok creators to manage posts on their accounts. Similarly, there's TikTok Shop Seller Center, an app for users who sell products on TikTok to manage their digital shops. These apps are likely convenient for these users now, but who would want to use them if TikTok itself is gone?CapCutIn the past, if you wanted to get into video production, you need to spend quite a bit of money: You needed a camera, a computer, and editing software, none of which came cheap, and most of which required a good deal of technical know-how. These days, anyone with a smartphone can make videos. Many of us interested in doing so have turned to CapCut, which just so happens to be owned by none other than ByteDance. To say CapCut is popular is a wild understatement. The app has over a billion downloads on Android alone, and is also available on iOS, Mac, Windows, and even on the web. Like other video editors, CapCut offers tools for chopping up your clips into content to post on your socials, but there are a number of extra features available as well. That includes templates to get a part of your video started, video effects, AI features, music integration, stock videos, and more. All these features aside, the reason CapCut is so popular has likely just as much (if not more) to do with the fact that it is owned by the same parent company as TikTok. That means a few things: CapCut offers an easy workflow from editing to posting on TikTok; TikTokers use the app and promote it themselves; and ByteDance can advertise CapCut on TikTok as much as it wants. HypicOn the other side of the editing aisle, there's Hypic, ByteDance's photo editing tool. This app isn't nearly as big as CapCut, but it's still pretty large (over 10 million downloads on the Play Store). The app offers standard photo editing tools, but also other perks: There are AI-powered tools, such as cutouts, background removal, and filters; a feature that lets you add "trending" makeup to images; and other options, like stickers and templates.Lemon8In protest of the government's potential ban on TikTok, users are flocking to other Chinese-based social media apps in protest. One such app is Lemon8, a "lifestyle" social media platform. Like TikTok, Lemon8 also supports video sharing, but that's not its only focus. Users can also post images, including to carousels, offering an Instagram-like experience. Plus, you can engage with multiple types of content at the same time, akin to Pinterest. As Jessica Maddox, associate professor of digital media technology, tells NBC News, If those three apps came together and had a baby, it would be Lemon8." Marvel SnapMarvel Snap is a popular mobile card game, incorporating character from the Marvel universe. Players draw decks of 12 cards, and play for control of three locations. Whichever player controls at least two locations after six turns wins. While Marvel itself might be an American property, the game is operated by Nuverse, a ByteDance subsidiary, which potentially places it in the crosshairs of the U.S. government.Land of EmpiresLand of Empires is another game owned by Nuverse. This title is a strategy game that pits you against an enemy army of demons. Like other strategy games, you fortify your lands, fight enemies in combat, and engage in large battles. It's not quite as popular as Marvel Snap, but it's not all that niche, either, sporting over a million downloads on the Play Store. LarkChances are, you've never heard of Lark. (I certainly hadn't.) Lark offers a collection of business apps and services. The standalone Lark app for iOS and Android is described as a "team collaboration" app, which, for all intents and purposes, means its basically a Microsoft Teams or Slack competitor. Lark has features like in-app messaging and video calling, as well as collaborative document sharing. This probably isn't something you'll ever use on your own, but rather a service you use through your company. Should the government's attention on ByteDance grow wider, however, your company may have to consider alternatives. Tokopedia and Tokopedia STARTTokopedia is a shopping service based out of Indonesia, but it has apps available to users in the U.S. Also available from the company is Tokopedia START, an app that appears to have been made for a 2022 tech conference. Tokopedia, as you may have guessed, is a subsidiary of ByteDance

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that's it's ordering Block, the creator of Cash App and parent company of Square, to pay up to $120 million in "refunds and other redress to consumers" and a $55 million fine over how the company handled fraud on its payment platform.Per the CFPB, Cash App's Terms of Service at one point claimed that any bank linked to an account for transferring funds was responsible for addressing disputes around fraudulent charges, something that's not generally true under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Block would use that claim to avoid assuming responsibility, and when it would investigate a complaint, it relied on "intentionally shoddy investigation practices to close reports of unauthorized transactions in the companys favor," CFPB's statement explains.Accessing any kind of customer service for Cash App was a challenge, too, according to the CFPB. Block included a customer service number on Cash App cards and in the app's Terms of Service, but calling it would it ultimately lead users to "a pre-recorded message directing consumers to contact customer support through the app." And reaching out to the company through the app or physical mail often led to delayed or confusing responses.Besides the up to $175 million in fees Block owes, the CFPB is also directing the company to set up a live 24/7 customer support line. Block has agreed to comply with the order. "While we strongly disagree with the CFPBs mischaracterizations," the company shared on its blog, "we made the decision to settle this matter in the interest of putting it behind us and focusing on whats best for our customers and our business."The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken an increasingly aggressive approach towards regulating payment apps and digital wallets in the last year of the Biden Administration. The CFPB expanded its purview from just banks to wallets and payments apps in November 2024, and came after the payment app Zelle not even a month later.These attempts at regulation are facing pushback, too. NetChoice, a trade association for online companies, and TechNet, "a bipartisan network of technology CEOs," are both suing the CFPB over its efforts to clean up digital payments, with familiar claims of government overreach and that the CFPB failed to explain the risks it was addressing when it decided to regulate payment apps in the first place.Update, January 16, 5:36PM ET: This story was updated after publishing to clarify that the cost of Block's combined CFPB fine is up to $175 million, rather than $175 million.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/cfpb-fines-block-175m-over-cash-apps-lax-fraud-controls-210749768.html?src=rss

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Dimension Studio introduces Project Evergreen, which presents directly animatable MetaHumans with motion capture in real-time rendered on an LED volume for in-camera VFX. Based on demonstration in a forested riverbed, actors performed live alongside the motion-capture puppeteered MetaHumans to exemplify cutting-edge advancement in virtual production using Vicon cameras that have no digital interaction with physical environments. Award-winning DOP Dave Penn teams up with Dimensions Callum Macmillan and James Dinsdale to explore this technologys breakthrough potential for the future of filmmaking.The post Project Evergreen: Real-Time MetaHumans on LED Volumes by Dimension Studio appeared first on Vfxexpress.

Decades before the first personal computer hit the shelves, American industrial designer Brooks Stevens popularized the phrase planned obsolescencedefining it as instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessaryushering in an epoch of products made to be disposable.The rise of planned obsolescenceBefore the 1920swhen lightbulb and automotive manufacturers began intentionally shortening product lifespans to sell more inventory in the face of highly saturated marketscraftspeople built products to last, and repair culture was a way of life. The shift toward designing for disposability marked a cultural and economic transformation, turning durable products into replaceable commodities. While manufacturers were limiting product longevity, brands used design and marketing to position products as symbols of status and stylefavoring novelty, prioritizing convenience over lasting value, and encouraging frequent upgrades to keep up with the Joneses. Products became less about enduring utility and more about staying current with ever-changing trends.In the intervening century, planned obsolescence became common practicefrom fast fashions fleeting trends and never-ending product releases to techs closed ecosystems and walled gardensplaying naturally into our desire for status and novelty. While this approach worked for the last 100 years, the climate crisis, resource wars, and a growing desire for personalized products all signal that we are overdue for a new product development model that prioritizes repairability and adaptability to meet the needs of both people and the planet.The path forwardModular design offers an alternative to disposable products by addressing two critical demands of modern consumers: personalization and sustainability. Developing modular systems can enable tech to adapt to individual needs and evolve alongside its owner by empowering users to customize, upgrade, and repair their productsallowing customers to forge meaningful, lasting relationships with their objects while saving money and reducing the amount of e-waste diverted to landfills.Alongside social pressures, global right-to-repair laws, EU eco-design standards, and tax incentives like Swedens repair service discounts are driving the rise in modular design, encouraging repairability, reducing waste, and fostering sustainable, adaptable products for a more circular economy. For brands, these regulations necessitate more thoughtful, durable designs, while consumers gain greater autonomy to repair and extend the life of their products.Modularity in actionMany modern brands have followed the traditional product development path outlined in Stevens definition of planned obsolescence, but emerging and established brands are embracing modularity and including repair as an integral part of the customer experience. In fashion, Patagonia offers its Worn Wear repair service to keep its products out of landfills, and Nike designed its ISPA modular footwear for disassembly and repair with replaceable parts. In consumer electronics, brands like Framework and Gridstack create modular products that grow with users and can be upgraded or customized to meet changing needs. In interiors, brands like Thuma offer products that customers can configure to fit various space and storage needs for a lifetime of modern functionality and optionality. And in the energy sector, products like Teslas Solar Roof offer expandable systems that evolve with changing energy demands.Beyond hardware, digital products are incredibly well-suited to modularity, enabling users to adapt their experiences to their unique needs. Platforms like Squarespace offer modular templates and drag-and-drop design blocks to empower users to build tailored websites quickly. Similarly, Notions modular approach to productivity lets users create personalized workflows, databases, and notes to manage their tasks and goals.However, modular design is not without its challenges. Designing and developing products that can be customized and repaired requires companies to invest more in thoughtful engineering, durable materials, and user education, increasing upfront costs and lead times. Many legacy brands will likely try to maintain the planned obsolescence status quo, but market pressure and resource scarcity will eventually require companies to change. Despite this, modular design has a unique advantage: It enables companies to introduce innovation through upgrades and add-ons without discarding the core product.The vision: Modern heirloomsTo address our role in disposability culture, we need to rethink our relationship with consumerism. For modular design to succeed, it must transform our perspective on productsfrom temporary conveniences to investments in adaptability and longevity. Repairable and customizable products foster emotional attachment by giving users a sense of ownership and responsibility, making them more likely to care for and maintain their items. And when products can adapt to evolving needs, they deepen connections with users and extend their lifespans. Rather than leaving future generations with overflowing landfills and oceans full of microplastics, we must focus on designing products with longevity in mindmodern heirlooms designed to be cherished, cared for, and passed down.Dan Harden is CEO and principal designer at Whipsaw.

Promotion: design studio Mickus Projects has created a 3D-printed honeycomb-shaped bioplastic chandelier, informed by the work of Danish midcentury designer Poul Henningsen.The translucent Hedron Pendant features a bulbous but subtly striated lampshade finished in an intricate hexagonal pattern, which wraps a stem with a delicate but illuminating LED light source.Mickus Projects 3D-printed the chandelier from 100 per cent corn- and sugar-derived polylactic acid a lightweight and readily available bioplastic that does not contain any fossil fuel- or petroleum-based materials.The Hedron Pendant was designed by Mickus ProjectsWhen crafting the lampshade, the studio took cues from the work of Henningsen. The late designer is remembered for his series of glare-free shaded lamps, created to emit warm and soft light.Ben Mickus, founder of Mickus Projects, and an architect by training, previously lived in Copenhagen, studying and drawing inspiration from Danish modern design.When designing the Hedron Pendant, Mickus Projects sought to apply Henningsen's trademark analysis of reflection patterns and combine this process with a renewable material and a parametric design process."The result is a lampshade made up of an array of tapered cell walls, precisely angled to bounce light twice from the internal LED source to the softly diffused light exiting the fixture," explained Mickus.A bioplastic lampshade emits soft light"Also, the 3D-printing approach to fabrication does not involve any cutting or glueing, and does not produce any waste," he added. "The lampshade uses the least amount of material to create a rigid yet intriguing form."As well as Henningsen, Mickus Projects drew inspiration from forms found in nature in particular, the shape of honeycomb, turtle shells and multifaceted insect eyes.The chandelier's stem is made from standard lamp components with a custom CNC-cut bracket, which supports the shade without the need for additional fasteners or moving parts.Inspirations include the shape of honeycomb, turtle shells and multifaceted insect eyesAn additional white ceramic coating is offered as an optional extra to enhance the intensity of shadows created by the otherwise translucent lampshade.The Hedron Pendant was designed for both indoor and outdoor installation and is suitable for a range of residential, commercial or hospitality settings.Mickus Projects explained that the lighting comes in a series of sizes at different price points to create as wide a selection of lighting as possible."This ranges from an intimately scaled night light to a lobby-scaled chandelier," said Mickus. "Biophilia meets paranormal in this carefully crafted pendant."For more information, visit the brand's websitehere.Partnership contentThis article was written by Dezeen for Mickus Projects as part of a partnership.Find out more about Dezeen partnership contenthere.The post Mickus Projects unveils bioplastic Hedron Pendant chandelier appeared first on Dezeen.

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What may be the first commercially available book saved in DNA is the latest example of how consumers might use molecular data storage.

The cryptocurrency industry has pushed President-elect Donald J. Trump to establish one, creating real political momentum behind the plan.