What's the deal? Trump may leave TikToks algorithm under ByteDances control Everything insiders are saying about Trumps plan to save TikTok. Ashley Belanger Jan 27, 2025 2:39 pm | 2 Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIt was apparently a busy weekend for key players involved in Donald Trump's efforts to make a deal to save TikTok.Perhaps the most appealing option for ByteDance could be if Trump blessed a merger between TikTok and Perplexity AIa San Francisco-based AI search company worth about $9 billion that appears to view a TikTok video content acquisition as a path to compete with major players like Google and OpenAI.On Sunday, Perplexity AI submitted a revised merger proposal to TikTok-owner ByteDance, reviewed by CNBC, which sources told AP News included feedback from the Trump administration.If the plan is approved, Perplexity AI and TikTok US would be merged into a new entity. And once TikTok reaches an initial public offering of at least $300 billion, the US government could own up to 50 percent of that new company, CNBC reported. In the proposal, Perplexity AI suggested that a "fair price" would be "well north of $50 billion," but the final price will likely depend on how many of TikTok's existing investors decide to cash out following the merger.ByteDance has maintained a strong resistance to selling off TikTok, especially a sale including its recommendation algorithm. Not only would this option allow ByteDance to maintain a minority stake in TikTok, but it also would leave TikTok's recommendation algorithm under ByteDance's control, CNBC reported. The deal would also "allow for most of ByteDances existing investors to retain their equity stakes," CNBC reported.But ByteDance may not like one potential part of the deal. An insider source told AP News that ByteDance would be required to allow "full US board control."According to AP News, US government ownership of a large stake in TikTok would include checks to ensure the app doesn't become state controlled. The government's potential stake would apparently not grant the US voting power or a seat on the merged company's board.A source familiar with Perplexity AI's proposal confirmed to Ars that the reporting from CNBC and AP News is accurate.Trump denied Oracles involvement in talksOver the weekend, there was also a lot of speculation about Oracle's involvement in negotiations. NPR reported that two sources with direct knowledge claimed that Trump was considering "tapping software company Oracle and a group of outside investors to effectively take control of the app's global operations."That would be a seemingly bigger grab for the US than forcing ByteDance to divest only TikTok's US operations."The goal is for Oracle to effectively monitor and provide oversight with what is going on with TikTok," one source told NPR. "ByteDance wouldn't completely go away, but it would minimize Chinese ownership."Oracle apparently met with the Trump administration on Friday and has another meeting scheduled this week to discuss Oracle buying a TikTok stake "in the tens of billions," NPR reported.But Trump has disputed that, this weekend saying that he "never" spoke to Oracle about buying TikTok, AP News reported."Numerous people are talking to me. Very substantial people," Trump said, confirming that he would only make a deal to save TikTok "if the United States benefits."All sources seemed to suggest that no deal was close to being finalized yet. Other potential Big Tech buyers include Microsoft or even possibly Elon Musk (can you imagine TikTok merged with X?). On Saturday, Trump suggested that he would likely announce his decision on TikTok's future in the next 30 days.Meanwhile, TikTok access has become spotty in the US. Google and Apple dropped TikTok from their app stores when the divest-or-ban law kicked in, partly because of the legal limbo threatening hundreds of billions in fines if Trump changes his mind about enforcement. That means ByteDance currently can't push updates to US users, and anyone who offloads TikTok or purchases a new device can't download the app in popular distribution channels."If we can save TikTok, I think it would be a good thing," Trump said.Could Trumps plan violate divest-or-ban law?The divest-or-ban law is formally called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. For months, TikTok was told in court that the law required either a sale of TikTok US operations or a US ban, but now ByteDance seems to believe there's another option to keep TikTok in the US without forcing a sale.It remains unclear if lawmakers will approve Trump's plan if it doesn't force a sale of TikTok. US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who co-sponsored the law, issued a statement last week insisting that "ByteDance divesting remains the only real solution to protect our national security and guarantee Americans access to TikTok."Krishnamoorthi declined Ars' request to comment on whether leaked details of Trump's potential deal to save TikTok could potentially violate the divest-or-ban law. But debate will likely turn on how the law defines "qualified divestiture."Under the law, qualified divestiture could be either a "divestiture or similar transaction" that meets two conditions. First, the transaction is one that Trump "determines, through an interagency process, would result in the relevant foreign adversary controlled application no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary." Second, the deal blocks any foreign adversary-controlled entity or affiliate from interfering in TikTok US operations, "including any cooperation" with foreign adversaries "with respect to the operation of a content recommendation algorithm or an agreement with respect to data sharing."That last bit seems to suggest that lawmakers might clash with Trump over ByteDance controlling TikTok's algorithm, even if a company like Oracle or Perplexity serves as a gatekeeper to Americans' data safeguarding US national security interests.Experts told NPR that ByteDance could feasibly maintain a minority stake in TikTok US under the law, with Trump seeming to have "wide latitude to interpret" what is or is not a qualified divestiture. One congressional staffer told NPR that lawmakers might be won over if the Trump administration secured binding legal agreements "ensuring ByteDance cannot covertly manipulate the app."The US has tried to strike just such a national security agreement with ByteDance before, though, and it ended in lawmakers passing the divest-or-ban law. During the government's court battle with TikTok over the law, the government repeatedly argued that prior agreementalso known as "Project Texas," which ensured TikTok's US recommendation engine was stored in the Oracle cloud and deployed in the US by a TikTok US subsidiarywas not enough to block Chinese influence. Proposed in 2022, the agreement was abruptly ended in 2023 when the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) determined only divestiture would resolve US concerns.CFIUS did not respond to Ars' request for comment.The key problem at that point was ByteDance maintaining control of the algorithm, the government successfully argued in a case that ended in a Supreme Court victory."Even under TikToks proposed national security agreement, the source code for the recommendation engine would originate in China," the government warned.That seemingly leaves a vulnerability that any Trump deal allowing ByteDance to maintain control of the algorithm would likely have to reconcile."Under Chinese national-security laws, the Chinese government can require a China-based company to 'surrender all its data,'" the US argued. That ultimately turned TikTok into "an espionage tool" for the Chinese Communist Party.There's no telling yet if Trump's plan can set up a better version of Project Texas or convince China to sign off on a TikTok sale. Analysts have suggested that China may agree to a TikTok sale if Trump backs down on tariff threats.ByteDance did not respond to Ars' request for comment.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 2 Comments

The incoming president signed a suite of executive orders last weekYURI GRIPAS/POOL/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockIn the first week of his second term, US president Donald Trump has thrown the countrys scientific apparatus into chaos, while at the same time anointing a new tech oligarchy. With a blitz of executive orders, hes set the US on a path that will derail climate goals, biomedical research and pandemic readiness.On 20 January, the first day of his presidency, Trump declared a national energy emergency and proposed expanding fossil fuel production on federal land, including a controversial move to open Alaskas Arctic National

We followed the No. 1 ranked female eater, Miki Sudo, and her husband, Nick Wehry, as they trained for one of the last Major League Eating contests of 2024 the Norms hotcake eating championship in Las Vegas. Over the past three decades, competitive eating in America has evolved from a casual hobby into an increasingly ambitious sport. These athletes train their bodies like machines, crafting every meal and strategizing every bite to beat the competition. Major League Eating, the sport's governing body, works with sponsors to host about 70 contests annually, with up to five figures in prize money.Show more

Meta is offering creators thousands to post exclusive short-form videos on Instagram reels.The deals require creators to post a certain number of reels to Instagram each month.Read the exact terms of contracts Instagram sent creators.Instagram wants to be the first place creators go to post short-form videos.And it's attempting to do so with piles of cash.With TikTok's US future in limbo, Meta has been contacting creators and their teams with deals offering thousands of dollars in exchange for exclusive video content posted to Instagram reels. The payouts described to Business Insider ranged from $2,500 to $50,000 a month and required the content to be exclusive to Instagram for three months. The Information first reported on the program last week.BI viewed contracts and spoke with several talent managers whose clients have received these offers. The managers requested anonymity to protect business relationships. Their identities are known to BI.Typically, the deals are being sent to creators with more than 1 million followers on TikTok.Not every contract is the same. One manager told BI they couldn't see a clear pattern as to why some creators were offered more money than others.The payouts are grouped into tiers:Tier 1: $50,000 a monthTier 2: $25,000 a monthTier 3: $15,000 a monthTier 4: $5,000 a monthTier 5: $2,500 a monthHowever, even the promise of a big payday hasn't been enough to lure some TikTok creators. This underscores the challenges Meta may face in usurping TikTok's short-form dominance."To try and change consumer behavior, or at least the perceived acceptance of consumer behavior, by stemming down another platform, I just don't think is the right way of handling it," a second manager said.Instagram is offering deals worth up to $300,000 over six monthsHere's a glimpse into an offer that has been sent to several creators for a total of $300,000 over six months:Creators would be required to post new, never-before-seen short-form video content to Instagram in the form of reels.Over the course of six months, creators would post at least 10 new reels to their Instagram accounts each month.This content must be exclusive to Instagram for three months.Videos must be at least 15 seconds and no longer than three minutes.Creators must post 25% more to Instagram reels than their next largest short-form video platform.They must share two of the reels a month as an IG story.Once a day, engage with fans via comments, shares, or replies.Must post twice a month on their primary platform (TikTok or YouTube), promoting their content on Instagram and encouraging their fans to follow them on Instagram via the link in their bio.Instagram may promote the creator's content through paid ads on TikTok, Google, and potential app stores.If creators meet these requirements, they will earn $50,000 each month for the duration of the six-month deal.The second talent manager with knowledge of these deals said some of their clients turned down the offer, citing reasons like exclusivity and overall frustration with Meta. Some said posting multiple reels a day felt "cheugy," a Gen-Z term for out of touch."It's not a good deal," the second manager said. "Having to track that you're posting 25% more to reels than TikTok makes this untenable."The manager added: "Some clients are taking it because the money is good for them, and I've seen some clients pass."Here are the terms for a second offer that has been sent to several creators for a total of $90,000 over six months:Creators would be required to post new, never-before-seen short-form video content to Instagram in the form of reels.Over the course of six months, creators would post at least eight new reels to their Instagram accounts each month, totaling 48 videos.This content must be exclusive to Instagram for three months.Videos must be at least 15 seconds and no longer than three minutes.Creators must post more short-form video content overall to Instagram during this period than any other platform, such as TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, or X.If creators meet these requirements, they will earn $15,000 each month for the duration of the six-month deal.Meta is also offering bonuses to lure TikTok creatorsWord is getting around about Meta's offers in the influencer industry, two talent managers told BI."Meta is being really bullish on locking these in," said a third talent manager who has seen similar offers from Meta.This isn't the only trick Meta has up its sleeves to woo TikTok creators amid a still looming ban or sale.Meta launched a "Breakthrough Bonus" program last week. The program pays "eligible TikTok creators to help jump-start their growth on our apps," a spokesperson told BI. The program will pay up to $5,000 within a three-month period for posting reels to Instagram and Facebook.Meta declined to comment on the specifics of these deals.

The Sniper Elite series returns with this bloody side story from the French occuption where your British gun hero has to turn WW2 away from a German super weapon winTech17:47, 27 Jan 2025Sniper Elite ResistanceIf you fancy shooting Nazis in their privates this game is definitely for you.Sniper Elite: Resistance takes the tried and tested game engine from previous titles in the series and gives it a new story set in WW2.And this time its all about your very British special forces hero Capt Harry Hawker, taking to occupied France to help batter back the German invaders with your sharpshooting skills.If you played 2022s Sniper Elite 5 youll get a sense of deja vu here as this new version borrows wholesale a lot of that titles gameplay mechanisms.And the story is a well trodden formula - destroy Germanys secret new weapon that can win the war - with you taking to big open maps and trying to complete several missions to progress the story using a combination of stealth killing and sniper gunshots.For those with a bloodlust, the slow-mo camera is back which sees a particularly good long-distance shot fly through the air in cinema-style before pummelling into a baddies body.The maps are big and open, ideal for long shotsREAD MORE: Daily Star's newsletter brings you the biggest and best stories sign up todayREAD MORE: Daily Star's best games of 2024 rated from Call of Duty to multi-player that blew upThats when you get a look at the bloody insides of the victim being smashed and crushed in real time by the bullet passing through them.Great gamers will soon be using this technique to produce horrible but comic-looking scenes of skulls, hearts and private parts being blasted apart.Its one of the Sniper Elite series main selling points and it looks detailed and as gruesome as ever here on PS5.The game plays well, theres a good mix of different styles of play on-the-go.Youll find yourself with an Uncharted-like behind-the-back camera angle as you move Harry quietly around graphically lush areas packed with Nazis on patrol, trying to sneak your way past some while quietly killing off others with brutal melee takedowns.Theres wall, building and ledge climbing as you traverse levels that are well made and have plenty of height and depth to them as well as physical ground space.And then of course when you find a nice perch, its all about looking across the vast map to pick of German villains from after with your sniper gun.Its got a nice pace to it, with all-out carnage erupting sometimes when you start shooting and the Nazis pinpoint your hidey-hole and come looking for you in a gang.That often ends in death but the game has generous save points to return to so you can try an alternative way of approaching the level.One annoying thing is the lack of awareness the Nazi bot-controlled enemies have.There are times they run right past you from behind to then reposition in front of you and take pot shots. It's poor and can ruin the illusion that they're anything but cannon fodder.The graphics are good but not in the highest levels of quality for PlayStation. They feel more B-movies than blockbuster.And the voice acting is incredibly cliched.But theres plenty of replayability in the co-op and multiplayer modes on offer. And the against-the-clock propaganda challenges - which are small, repeatable levels that test the players skills in stealth, combat and sniping - are also fun.Shout out too to the returning Invasion mode, where players can invade another gamers campaign mission as an enemy sniper. That becomes a cat and mouse fight as both players can earn points by taking out their opponent.There are plenty of Nazis to killSniper Elite: Resistance is well made, and offers a strong challenge for gamers who like a slower pace to their gun games than the likes of Call of Duty.It offers nothing particularly new though and isnt top tier when it comes to both gameplay and graphics.Xbox gamers with Game Pass get access to it on day one, so well worth a try.But Playstation gamers may want to wait until a price drop before stealthily trying this one.VERDICT 3/5Article continues belowReviewed on PS5. Review code provided by the publisher.RECOMMENDED

The entire landscape of phone owners is being bifurcated into those with access to on-device generative AI and those without. MyiPhone 14 Pro and Iare on the wrong end of that dividing line. My device is cut off from the latest features by two years, a mere 2 GB of RAM, and the devices smaller neural processor. Now that the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup is on the horizon, and the $1,300 S25 Ultra looks so much like an iPhone, Im reminded how much owners of older devices will miss out, not just on newfangled AI, but everything else. In my job, I get to use more of the latest phones than most people, but those devices are all siloed to my work. My life and schedule depend on my iPhone 14 Pro. Two years ago, I switched from Android to the iPhone, Apples flagship phone. Since then, the mobile landscape has changed drastically. The difference is seen not so much in landmark hardware features but in software compatibility. The iPhone 15 Pro was the first device supposed to receive promised support for AI features, and now the iPhone 16 lineup should all be getting access to Apple Intelligence.According to Bloombergs prolific Apple rumormongerMark Gurman, most of Apples AI features should arrive by April. Image Playground is just one Apple Intelligence feature exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16. Florence Ion / Gizmodo Apple fans will have to wait months for promised AI features, but Samsung beat Apple to on-device AI assistants with its Galaxy S25 series. The AI encompasses a confusing mix of both on- and off-device AI features. Like Apple, the Korean tech giant also promised users data would be kept secure on its SOC behind its own Knox security, while all data sent to the cloud would be end-to-end encrypted. Its clear Samsung wants the iPhone crowd to consider the switch. The Galaxy S25 lineup looks like iPhones with flat, titanium sides and sloped corners. Ill admit that the phone had me in its throes when holding the new device with its light frame and intriguing on-device AI features. It was entirely familiar, not just because I used the $1,300 Galaxy S24 Ultra for work. There was a pang of betrayal plus a mix of envy and wrath. I felt like Gollum clutching the One Ring for the first time as I glared at passing tech reporters with wild, spiteful eyes. But then, I had to remind myself that AI has yet to deliver its promise. I only experienced a short demo with the Gemini-based agentic cross-app AI. I will have to trust the AI to take my information from an email and accurately transcribe it into a calendar event. Even if it works nine times out of 10, how can I truly trust it if the AI turns around and screws up my schedule? If I spend most of my time checking the AIs work, thats time I could have just spent doing the task myself.So, what am I truly missing? I find the Android versus IOS debate largely nebulous, though, on the whole, Android already has features iOS is still catching up to. None of those missing capabilities make or break my enjoyment of my phone, in any case. To hone in on the feelings of both me and plenty of past-gen iPhone buyers, the thought that we spent $1,000 on a new phone only to be left behind stings. Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo Its worse because Apple is normally better than most at supplying software support for older devices. According to Apple, all Macs sporting an M-series processor will get AI. That means a four-year-old MacBook will connect to get Apple Intelligence features. Its different for phones, despite most of Apples excuses centering around the latest A16 and A17 Bionic CPUs and their AI processing capabilities. The iPhone 15 Pro had 8 GB of RAM. The iPhone 14 Pro had 6 GB. Because of that limited memory, every generation of iPhone will leave me and many other iPhone buyers further behind unless we upgrade.Every phone maker would prefer we buy a new phone every year, but I dont believe in changing my tech like a pair of pants. And the weird thing is we still dont know if theyre features we want. Generative AI is so unreliable that Apple has already pulled its beta for notifications summaries. So why should we care? While older devices may get new UI improvements and a few crumb features, Apples new focus is on providing AI that can work across apps. Samsungs recent Galaxy Unpacked is an example of what to expect. Apples next software release will be wholly centered on AI. We will need to wait at least a month for a full release of Apple Intelligence, enhanced Siri beta, and more. Do we expect Apples next WWDC to be anything but an AI extravaganza? Samsung has been better about providing some AI capabilities to older devices, but the Galaxy S23 lineup and even the S24 will be limited compared to the S25. Theres a reason Samsung gave the S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra 12 GB of RAM. Its clear that agentic AI is memory intensive, and we still have yet to see it in full glory with either Samsungs or Apples devices.Even if you dont care about or want AI, you still lose. The techno-feudalism of todays Android versus iOS debate isnt helped by owners being further divided between the AI haves and the AI have-nots.

Out for insurance companies in 2025: providing coverage for people whose homes are in the path of natural disaster. In: offering coverage for celebrities and executives who get dragged for bad tweets. Insurance agency Samphire Risk is creating cancel culture insurance for those who fear the woke mob may one day come for them, according to a report from the Financial Times. So lets say you get canceled. You tweet something like, why dont you go tell the homo and transgender parents to start teaching their kids better morals? or perhaps say a Black woman is like if the muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby. Just what can Samphire Risk, a Lloyds of London-backed firm, do for you? Well, under the companys cancel culture insurance policy, which it calls Preempt, youthe canceledget crisis management communications services designed to help you minimize the damage done by online outrage. Youll get 60 days of comms work after your inciting offense that will work to negate negative coverage both on social media and in traditional media. Youll also get access to a 24/7 hotline, in case you fire off a tweet at 3 am while youre buzzing off an Ambien and need someone to step in before the markets open. Additionally, the policy provides a team of researchers and analysts who can identify any potential reputational issues that you may need to get out in front of. Its kinda weird timing for launching this product. After all, were back in the Trump era and this time social media companies are fully on board, with Elon Musk turning Twitter into a right-wing propaganda arm and Meta bending all its content moderation policies across Facebook and Instagram to invite the worst people you know to share their thoughts on marginalized people without consequence. Its the Wild West out there again, people drop the R-slur and it barely registers. But that probably wont stop the most risk-averse (and rich) from snagging some extra protection, just in caseeven though cancel culture basically does not exist, especially for rich people. Youd be hard-pressed to find someone of means and power who has faced such backlash that theyve lost everything. Lost an opportunity,a show,some money, surewe usually just call those consequences for your actions. But most people take a beat away from the limelight and return, often to more fanfare than when they left. Mel Gibson, famously canceled for being extremely antisemitic and racist, has a new movie out. It was the highest-grossing at the box office over the weekend, and the dude is doing press tours calling Trump daddy.Meanwhile, a meteorologist in Milwaukee got fired for acknowledging on her Instagram that Elon Musk performed two very Nazi-like salutes. Gonna go ahead and guess shes not the demographic that the cancel culture insurance company is looking to protect.

FD Residence / Padovani ArquitetosSave this picture! Evelyn MllerHousesSo Paulo, BrazilArchitects: Padovani ArquitetosAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:700 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Evelyn Mller Lead Architect: Lucas Padovani More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Located in the interior of So Paulo, this vacation home was designed to host friends and family amidst a setting that fosters close contact with nature and breath-taking panoramic views. Set below street level, the house stands out for its volumetry, which subtly reveals a half level and the upper block. The L-shaped layout and the intelligent use of steel structure allow for large spans, creating a sense of openness and fluidity both internally and externally. The facade, a sophisticated blend of wood slats and dark tones combined with concrete slats, harmonizes with the surrounding landscaping, giving the composition a sense of lightness. Wide and slender eaves rest on the house's volume, surrounding the entire upper floor and becoming a key feature in both design and functionality.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Internally, the residence opens to a spacious social area with a high ceiling, facilitating a dynamic and fluid connection between the various spaces. The light tones highlight the vastness of the interiors, creating a balanced contrast with the exterior, and offering a visual and sensory experience that is both striking and subtle. This expansive space not only integrates the social and gourmet areas but also provides a more intimate and cozy outdoor living space, with a lower ceiling that invites relaxation. The transition between the interior and exterior is seamlessly achieved with large glass openings that expand the sense of openness. The outdoor area extends to a panoramic view of the lake at the far end of the lot while also opening up to the pool and social spaces positioned parallel to the house. The architectural experience offered by the residence extends beyond the built spaces, reaching into the surrounding landscape.Save this picture!Save this picture!With the darker, more subdued tones of the facade, the house subtly blends into its environment, always aligned with the landscaping and maintaining a vast dialogue with light and the way it connects and interacts with its surroundings, offering a unique space.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePadovani ArquitetosOfficePublished on January 27, 2025Cite: "FD Residence / Padovani Arquitetos" [Residncia FD / Padovani Arquitetos] 27 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025553/fd-residence-padovani-arquitetos&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Get Over 300 Blender Add-ons & more https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4-Q7MyUxdZEvTkrEyhzQIBCWrwtZoSmG Interior Design Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4-Q7MyUxdZFl_1YpXrDGoScl1kKua9RH Visit the Channel @architecturetopics Support My Shop And Get Free Assets https://buymeacoffee.com/architecturetopics Follow Me on Social Media!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/architecturetopics101/ Download Blender 3D https://www.blender.org/ _________________________________________________________________ Sub .........Visit the Channel for more dope jiggly wiggly stuff @architecturetopics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------#3d #blender #blender3d

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