What we know about the TikTok ban

Welcome back to Week in Review. This week, we look at the impacts of the impending ban on TikTok in the US, including “TikTok refugees” moving to the Chinese app RedNote, the rise of English speakers learning Mandarin on Duolingo, and more! Let’s get into it.

The Supreme Court upheld the law that will be effectively ban TikTok tomorrow. The decision marks the end of TikTok’s months-long legal battle against a law that essentially forces the app to shut down unless it divests its US operations. Starting Sunday, it will be illegal for app stores and internet hosting services to distribute TikTok. The company has warned that the app will go “dark” on Sunday, but it is unclear what exactly will happen when the ban takes effect.

US users get to RedNotea Chinese short form video app also known as Xiaohongshu, making it the No. 1 free app on the US App Store. RedNote hits many of the right notes for creators looking for an alternative to TikTok: It has a similar layout to Pinterest, is typically thought of as China’s answer to Instagram, and boasts a number of social shopping features. But the transition it has not been easy for some people.

TikTok users use Duolingo to learn Chinese in increasing numbers amid their adoption of RedNote before the TikTok ban. According to Duolingo, the app has seen about 216% growth in new Mandarin learners in the United States compared to this time last year, with a sharp peak in mid-January, as the adoption of RedNote took off.

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News

Mark Cuban wants to fund the next TikTok: The entrepreneur and investor said he is ready to fund a TikTok alternative built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, signaling the potential for an open social web powered by the same technology that underpins Bluesky’s social network. Read more

Bluesky gets a photo sharing app: An independent developer is building a photo sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. At launch, the app could tap into growing consumer demand for alternatives to Big Tech’s social media monopoly. Read more

“ChatGPT, remind me to do my taxes”: OpenAI has a new way for ChatGPT to work for you. Paying ChatGPT users can now ask the AI ​​assistant to schedule reminders or recurring requests in a new beta feature called Tasks. Read more

How to break with Meta: In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, more people are looking into how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. We’ve put together a helpful guide. Read more

UnitedHealth Hides Data Breach Notice: Change Healthcare, which lost more than 100 million people’s sensitive health data in a ransomware attack last year, said it has finished notifying those affected — but we found that UnitedHealth hid the breach notice for months. Read more

Nintendo finally announces the Switch 2: Nintendo has shared the first images of the successor to the wildly popular Nintendo Switch, featuring a larger console with a larger display, updated Joy-Con controls, and a less colorful design than its predecessor. Read more

The CEO of Sonos is out: Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is leaving the company after eight years on the job following a botched update to its software platform that was riddled with bugs and removed some long-standing features. Read more

Looking for a TikTok replacement? Try these: While there is no 1:1 replacement for TikTok, there are some viable options to consider that offer a similar experience. We’ve put together a list of different apps that are worth checking out to scratch the itch. Read more

Even the AI ​​doesn’t like to be interrupted: Google NotebookLM’s AI-generated podcast feature needed some “friendliness tuning” after it was found to be “adversarial” and snippy when interrupted by human callers. Read more

Apple pauses AI notification summaries: The company is facing backlash for generating inaccurate news alerts in news and entertainment apps. Apple said it also introduced changes to summaries in general to allow for greater transparency. Read more

OpenAI enters the local news game: Axios has announced a partnership with OpenAI. As part of the agreement, OpenAI will fund Axios’ expansion of its local newsletters in four new cities: Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Boulder and Huntsville. Read more

Turn steps into screen time: A new iOS app called Steppin blocks your social networking apps unless you walk a certain number of steps each day. By reaching daily step goals, users can unlock time on their most used social media platforms. Read more