United News of Bangladesh

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order supporting a proposed deal that would place TikTok under majority U.S. ownership, a move he said addresses national security concerns while allowing the app to keep operating in the United States. The order gives American investors — including Oracle, Silver Lake Partners and others — a controlling stake of around 80% in a new U.S.-based venture, with ByteDance holding less than 20%. The arrangement still requires Beijing’s approval and final negotiations. The order also grants a 120-day reprieve for TikTok to continue operating. At a White House signing ceremony, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to move forward with the deal. Vice President JD Vance added that the agreement ensures “Americans’ data privacy is protected” and that U.S. investors will control TikTok’s powerful recommendation algorithm. TikTok’s new board will be controlled by U.S. investors, though ByteDance will hold one seat, excluded from security matters. Notable investors include Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Rupert Murdoch and Michael Dell, raising questions over potential political influence. TikTok’s algorithm to be licensed to US Joint venture led by Oracle and Silver Lake Trump’s order specifies that a licensed copy of ByteDance’s algorithm will be “retrained” exclusively with U.S. data to prevent Chinese interference. Analysts caution that even subtle changes could affect how TikTok operates and how its users — especially young people — engage with content. The app’s fate has been closely watched, with about 43% of U.S. adults under 30 relying on TikTok for news, according to a new Pew Research Center report. Beijing had initially denounced U.S. demands for TikTok’s divestment as “robbery,” but analysts say Chinese officials are now willing to compromise amid broader trade talks. Source: Agency 

Microsoft has blocked access to some of its artificial intelligence and cloud services for a unit of the Israeli military after finding evidence that its technology was being used in widescale surveillance of Palestinians. The move follows reports by The Associated Press and The Guardian earlier this year detailing how Israel’s Defense Ministry had deployed Microsoft’s Azure platform to support its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, said in a blog post Thursday that the company was acting to enforce its terms of service. An AP investigation in February revealed a surge in Israel’s use of Microsoft products after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, including large-scale AI translation and data storage services. Tesla shares jump as Musk buys $1B stake ahead of shareholder vote on record pay package The Guardian, in partnership with +972 Magazine and Local Call, later reported that Israel’s Unit 8200 developed an AI-driven mass surveillance system with Microsoft tools, analyzing millions of Palestinian phone calls daily. Microsoft has not confirmed which military unit is losing access but acknowledged the violations. Israeli officials downplayed the impact, while activists urged the company to cut broader ties with the military. Source: Agency 

YouTube will allow creators who were banned for violating its now-defunct COVID-19 and election misinformation policies to return to the platform, parent company Alphabet said Tuesday. In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, Alphabet attorneys said the decision reflects YouTube’s commitment to free speech, noting that the company values conservative voices and their role in civic debate. “No matter the political atmosphere, YouTube will continue to enable free expression on its platform, particularly on issues subject to political debate,” the letter stated. The move comes as major tech companies continue rolling back content moderation rules initially imposed during the pandemic and after the 2020 U.S. election. These restrictions, once aimed at curbing misinformation, have since drawn criticism from President Donald Trump and other conservatives who argue such measures unfairly silenced right-leaning voices. YouTube ended its policy against claims of widespread fraud in past U.S. presidential elections in 2023, and in 2024 retired its standalone COVID-19 misinformation rules, folding them into its broader medical misinformation policy. Prominent conservative influencers — among them Dan Bongino, now deputy director of the FBI — were previously banned under those rules. For creators, reinstatement also means regaining access to YouTube monetization, a major source of income through advertising. Alphabet’s lawyers alleged that senior officials in the Biden administration pressured the company to remove pandemic-related videos, even when they did not breach YouTube’s policies. “It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content,” the letter said, adding that YouTube consistently defended its practices on First Amendment grounds. Other tech leaders have echoed similar concerns. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accused the Biden administration of exerting pressure on his company during the pandemic, while Elon Musk claimed Twitter was coerced by the FBI before his ownership to suppress reporting on Hunter Biden. The U.S. Supreme Court last year sided with the Biden administration in a case challenging the government’s authority to counter misinformation on social media, particularly concerning COVID-19 and election security. YouTube has not yet provided details on how the reinstatement process will work.  

Artificial intelligence has joined the list of pressing global challenges world leaders and diplomats will address this week at the United Nations’ annual high-level meeting. Since the launch of ChatGPT about three years ago, AI’s rapid progress has stunned the world. Tech firms continue to race ahead with more advanced systems, even as experts warn of dangers ranging from engineered pandemics to mass disinformation and urge stronger safeguards. The U.N.’s recent adoption of a new governance structure marks its most significant attempt yet to rein in AI. Earlier international efforts — including three summits hosted by Britain, South Korea, and France — produced only non-binding pledges. Last month, the General Assembly approved the creation of two bodies: a global forum and an independent scientific expert panel. The move is seen as a milestone in shaping international AI governance. On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council will hold an open debate on the responsible use of AI, including compliance with international law and its role in peace processes and conflict prevention. The following day, Secretary-General António Guterres will launch the Global Dialogue on AI Governance during the annual meeting. The forum will serve as a platform for governments and stakeholders to share ideas and strengthen cooperation. It is scheduled to convene formally in Geneva in 2026 and in New York in 2027. Trump reveals Murdochs and Dell could be part of TikTok deal Meanwhile, recruitment will begin for 40 experts — including two co-chairs from developed and developing nations — to join the new scientific panel. The body is being compared to the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which oversees the annual COP climate conferences. Chatham House researcher Isabella Wilkinson called the creation of the new bodies “a symbolic triumph” and “the world’s most globally inclusive approach to governing AI.” But she cautioned that the mechanisms might remain “mostly powerless,” pointing to the U.N.’s slow bureaucracy compared with the speed of AI’s development. Ahead of the gathering, a group of prominent AI specialists urged governments to establish “red lines” for the technology by the end of next year, setting minimum global safeguards against the most serious risks. The group includes senior staff from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. They are pushing for a binding international agreement, noting past treaties banning nuclear tests and biological weapons. “The idea is simple,” said Stuart Russell, an AI professor at the University of California, Berkeley. “As with medicines and nuclear plants, developers should be required to prove safety before gaining market access.” Russell suggested U.N. oversight could mirror the International Civil Aviation Organization, which coordinates global safety standards among national regulators. Rather than fixed rules, he argued for a flexible “framework convention” that can adapt to rapid advances in AI. Source: Agency 

Under a deal backed by the Trump administration, Oracle will take the lead in overseeing TikTok’s algorithm and security in the U.S., as part of a newly formed American joint venture. Final terms are still being finalized between several partners, including Oracle, investment firm Silver Lake, and possibly billionaires Rupert Murdoch and Michael Dell. The U.S. government will not have ownership or a board seat in the new venture, according to a senior White House official. President Trump is expected to sign an executive order confirming that the agreement addresses national security concerns. China must also approve the framework, and regulatory review is still required. This proposal is part of a long-standing push to separate TikTok’s U.S. operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, due to fears of data misuse and manipulation. The issue has been a key point in ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. According to the Trump administration’s timeline, a group led by Oracle and Silver Lake will take over U.S. operations of TikTok — a process that may extend into early next year. This means the divestiture could occur nearly a year after the app was originally slated to be banned under bipartisan legislation that Trump repeatedly postponed. The new U.S.-based entity will be granted a licensed version of TikTok’s core recommendation algorithm, which keeps users engaged by curating personalized video feeds. Oracle will be tasked with overseeing and securing the data of U.S. users. U.S. officials have raised concerns that the original algorithm, developed by ByteDance, could be influenced by the Chinese government to manipulate content in subtle, hard-to-detect ways. A House Select Committee on China spokesperson emphasized that any shared algorithm with ByteDance would violate U.S. regulations. The bipartisan law requires TikTok to sever algorithmic ties with its Chinese parent to be compliant. A U.S. official noted that the licensed algorithm will be retrained using American data to ensure it operates safely and ethically — though it’s unclear how different the U.S. version will be from TikTok elsewhere. Significant changes could risk alienating users, said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with eMarketer, who noted that cultural dynamics are just as critical as technology in social media. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt assured that users will still be able to access global content. “TikTok users in the U.S. will be able to view videos from international users and vice versa,” she stated. The situation is reminiscent of Elon Musk’s controversial $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, which led to major changes, including its rebranding to “X.” Any changes to TikTok under the new arrangement, however, are expected to be more gradual and less visible. What’s clear is that Oracle and Silver Lake are poised to play a major role in TikTok’s U.S. operations. Oracle, known for its database and enterprise software, has since expanded into AI and cloud infrastructure. Larry Ellison, Oracle’s co-founder and now chairman, remains a key figure, with a net worth estimated at $390 billion. He also played a financial role in Skydance’s $8 billion merger with Paramount, a deal orchestrated by his son, David. Silver Lake has a history of major tech investments, including Dell and Skype. Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Technologies, may become one of the investors in the new TikTok venture, as suggested by Trump in a recent interview with Fox News. Trump also mentioned Rupert Murdoch as a potential investor. There are also reports that venture capitalist Marc Andreessen is seeking to join the investor group. Andreessen was involved in Silver Lake’s 2009 acquisition of Skype. ByteDance is expected to retain a minority stake of no more than 20% in the U.S. entity, which will be governed by a board dominated by American investors. ByteDance will be allowed one board member, though that individual will not be involved in security matters.

Japanese automaker Nissan is developing vehicles with self-driving technology as it works to turn around its struggling auto business. In a recent demonstration of the technology developed by British company Wayve, a Nissan Ariya sedan outfitted with 11 cameras, five radars and a next-generation sensor called LiDAR maneuvered its way through downtown Tokyo, braking for red lights as well as pedestrians and other cars at intersections. It's set to be available in 2027, although Nissan did not give the models or other details. It's an already-crowded field. The self-driving car market is estimated to reach $2 trillion by 2030, according to market researcher IndustryARC, riding on the back of advances in AI, sensor technologies and data processing capabilities. Japan’s top automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., has a partnership deal with Waymo, another self-driving technology developed by Google. Waymo has also arrived in Japan, in partnership with a cab company, but it’s still in the testing stage. Other automakers are also working on autonomous driving technology, including Honda Motor Co., General Motors and Mercedes-Benz, as well as companies outside the auto industry like Amazon and its subsidiary Zoox. Nissan's push comes at a time when the overall Japanese auto market is facing serious challenges because of President Donald Trump's tariffs. Nissan especially is struggling. It has slashed jobs and appointed a new chief executive, Ivan Espinosa, to attempt a turnaround. The maker of the March subcompact, Leaf electric cars and Infiniti luxury brand posted losses for the April-June period, following a fiscal year of red ink.

The White House on Saturday said that an emerging agreement with China over TikTok will ensure U.S. oversight of the app’s operations, with Americans holding a majority on a new governing board and U.S. companies taking control of its closely guarded algorithm. The development comes amid long-running tensions between Washington and Beijing over whether TikTok, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, would retain control of the algorithm that determines what users see on the platform. Although Congress passed legislation mandating a TikTok ban set to take effect in January, President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued extensions, allowing the app to continue operating while negotiations proceed over a potential sale of its U.S. operations. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Oracle would handle TikTok’s data and security, while six of the seven board seats overseeing U.S. operations would be held by Americans. “The algorithm will also be controlled by America,” she added. Oracle did not comment on the matter. Speaking to reporters after a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, Trump said: “We have great American patriots that are buying it — very, very substantial people, people that love our country. And they’re very smart technologically, and they will not let anything bad happen to TikTok.” The algorithm, which drives TikTok’s content feed, has been at the center of U.S. concerns. Officials have warned it could be manipulated by Chinese authorities to shape narratives in subtle ways that are difficult to trace. Leavitt said the administration is “100% confident that a deal is done,” with only the signing remaining. “The president’s team is working with their Chinese counterparts to do just that,” she said. While Trump praised Xi as “a gentleman” in the talks, he remained vague on the critical issue of China’s role in the algorithm. “It’s all being worked out,” he said. “We’re going to have very good control.” A statement from Beijing following the call did not clarify whether China had agreed to ByteDance selling a controlling stake. Leavitt said Trump recognized the need to “protect Americans’ privacy and data while also keeping this app open,” noting that “TikTok is a vital part of our democratic process.” Public opinion on TikTok remains divided. A Pew Research Center survey found that one-third of Americans currently support a ban, down from 50 percent in March 2023. Another one-third oppose it, while the rest remain undecided. Among those favoring a ban, 8 in 10 cited concerns over user data security as their primary reason. Leavitt expressed optimism that the deal would soon be finalized. “Now we just need this deal to be signed,” she said. “And that will be happening, I anticipate, in the coming days.”  

Nvidia, the world’s leading chipmaker, announced Thursday that it will invest $5 billion in Intel and collaborate with the struggling semiconductor giant on products for artificial intelligence (AI) and personal computers. Under the agreement, Nvidia will buy Intel common stock at $23.28 per share, pending regulatory approval. The two companies will work together on custom data center chips forming the backbone of AI infrastructure and on PC chips integrating Nvidia technology. “This historic collaboration tightly couples Nvidia’s AI and accelerated computing stack with Intel’s CPUs and the vast x86 ecosystem — a fusion of two world-class platforms,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said. “Together, we will expand our ecosystems and lay the foundation for the next era of computing.” Intel will produce custom chips for Nvidia’s AI platforms, while for PCs, it will build chips that incorporate Nvidia technology. The partnership aims to “seamlessly connect” both companies’ architectures. The deal provides a much-needed boost for Intel, once a Silicon Valley pioneer that dominated the personal computer era but fell behind after missing the mobile computing revolution triggered by the iPhone in 2007. Intel has struggled amid the AI boom that has propelled Nvidia to the world’s most valuable company, reporting nearly $19 billion in losses last year and $3.7 billion in the first half of 2025. The company also plans to cut a quarter of its workforce by year-end. Meanwhile, Nvidia has surged as demand for its specialized graphics processing units (GPUs) grows, powering advanced AI systems. Following the announcement, Intel shares rose 30% in premarket trading, while Nvidia added 3%.

President Donald Trump has once again extended the deadline to keep TikTok operational in the United States, pushing it back to December 16 to allow time for finalizing a framework deal reached with China. The executive order, signed on Tuesday, marked the fourth time Trump has bypassed federal law to prolong the deadline for TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets or face a ban. Congress had initially set the deadline for January 19 this year, one day before Trump began his second presidential term. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump reiterated that he would discuss the framework with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. He also noted that several companies are interested in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations, with details expected to be revealed soon. “I hate to see value like that thrown out the window,” Trump remarked before leaving the White House for a state visit to the United Kingdom with First Lady Melania Trump. The framework deal emerged after high-level talks in Madrid between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Bessent said the goal was to transfer TikTok’s American operations to U.S. ownership but declined to elaborate on the details. China’s international trade representative Li Chenggang told reporters that both sides had reached a “basic framework consensus” to resolve TikTok-related issues, reduce investment barriers and expand trade cooperation. Trump has warmed to the idea of keeping TikTok alive, believing it helped him appeal to younger voters in the 2024 election. However, U.S. lawmakers remain concerned about the app’s potential security risks stemming from its data collection practices. Analysts caution that the prolonged negotiations may ultimately have limited impact. “The U.S.–China deal on TikTok may look like a breakthrough, but it risks being a Pyrrhic victory,” said Dimitar Gueorguiev, a political science professor at Syracuse University. He noted that TikTok’s once-vaunted algorithm has lost much of its mystique as rivals replicate its features. “Any U.S. buyer is therefore purchasing market share and user base, not transformative technology.”  

 New York's Attorney General unveiled proposed regulations on Monday aimed at enforcing a new state law that targets addictive social media content for children and teens, including guidelines for age verification and parental consent. The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, passed last year, prohibits social media platforms from showing algorithmically curated content to users under 18 without parental approval. Instead, young users would only see posts from accounts they follow. The law also restricts platforms from sending notifications to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., a measure intended to reduce late-night screen time. The proposed rules detail how companies should determine users’ ages and obtain valid parental consent. The Attorney General’s Office said platforms may choose from existing methods of age verification, provided they are both effective and privacy-conscious. To verify age, companies could request users to upload a photo or confirm an email address or phone number through cross-referencing with existing data, according to the proposed guidelines. Minors who wish to receive algorithm-driven content or overnight notifications must first allow the platform to seek consent from a parent or guardian. Supporters argue that personalized feeds, powered by user data and engagement algorithms, contribute to increased social media usage among youth and are linked to rising rates of anxiety and depression. “Children and teenagers are facing alarming levels of mental health issues, driven in part by addictive social media features,” said Attorney General Letitia James in a statement announcing the proposed rules, which are now open for a 60-day public comment period. While similar age-verification laws are gaining momentum across the U.S., they have faced pushback from digital rights advocates who raise concerns about user privacy and free expression. Over 20 states have passed such laws, with several currently facing legal challenges. James’ office acknowledged that platforms like Instagram have already introduced some form of age verification, a development it called encouraging. However, it added that voluntary efforts alone have been insufficient to meet the protective standards set by the SAFE Act. Once the rules are finalized, social media companies will have 180 days to comply with the new regulations.