Business
TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It
New Delhi, located in India, has recently been in the news. The immensely popular Chinese application TikTok may face expulsion from the United States, as legislation prohibiting the video-sharing software has obtained congressional endorsement and is currently its route to President Biden for his formal consent.
The app was prohibited in India approximately four years ago. This is a summary of the events:
Indian TikTok users stopped using the app in June 2020, according to the Chinese internet company ByteDance. New Delhi swiftly prohibited the widely used application and numerous other Chinese applications in response to a military confrontation on the India-China border.
TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It
A total of twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers lost their lives, resulting in a significant deterioration of relations between the two major Asian powers.
The government justified its actions by citing privacy concerns and asserting that Chinese apps pose a significant risk to India’s sovereignty and security.
The decision received significant backing in India, particularly from those who had been advocating for a boycott of Chinese products following the fatal clash in the remote Karakoram mountain border area.
“Prior to this, there was a significant uproar, with the prevailing discourse questioning the permissibility of Chinese companies engaging in business activities in India while a military confrontation is ongoing,” stated Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy specialist and the creator of the technology website MediaNama.
Pahwa noted that India had imposed restrictions on investment from Chinese enterprises just a few months before the ban. “TikTok was not an isolated incident.” Today, India has banned more than 500 apps of Chinese origin.
India has over 200 million TikTok users, the highest number outside of China. The corporation has hired a large number of Indian employees.
However, TikTok users and content providers required an alternative platform, and the ban presented a lucrative opportunity to capture a substantial market share worth billions of dollars. In a matter of months, Google introduced YouTube Shorts, and Instagram launched its Reels feature. Both emulated the concise video production at which TikTok had excelled.
“They ultimately gained a significant portion of the market that TikTok had left,” stated Pahwa.
TikTok content in India has a distinct hyperlocal nature, setting it apart. The videos showcased the lifestyles of small-town India, with content from tier 2 and 3 cities. These videos depicted individuals performing impressive feats while engaged in tasks such as bricklaying.
However, in most cases, content creators and users have transitioned to alternative platforms in the four years following the prohibition.
Winnie Sangma longs to upload videos on TikTok and get a modest income. However, following the prohibition, he transitioned to Instagram and currently boasts a following of 15,000 individuals. The procedure has largely been effortless.
TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It
“I have amassed a following on Instagram as well, and I am generating income from it. However, the experience is not comparable to what it used to be on TikTok,” he stated.
Rajib Dutta, a regular user of TikTok, subsequently transitioned to Instagram following the suspension. “It was inconsequential,” he stated.
The measure prohibiting the app has obtained congressional approval and is pending President Biden’s signature.
The measure grants ByteDance, the app’s parent firm, a nine-month period to divest it, with an additional three months if a deal is in progress. If this does not occur, TikTok will face a ban. Implementing a ban requires a minimum of one year, but the process could be prolonged due to anticipated legal disputes.
The ban in India in 2020 was implemented promptly. TikTok and other corporations were granted a period to respond to privacy and security inquiries. Subsequently, in January 2021, a permanent prohibition was implemented.
Pahwa stated that the situation in the United States is distinct. In India, TikTok opted against pursuing legal action, but the United States represents a more substantial source of revenue for the company. Furthermore, he mentioned that the First Amendment in the United States is robust, implying that it will not be as effortless for the United States to take such action as it was for India. This statement pertains to the constitutional protection of free expression in the United States.
TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It
With the increasing prevalence of Chinese applications worldwide, Pahwa emphasizes the importance of countries evaluating their reliance on China and establishing measures to diminish it since these apps can potentially threaten national security.The application is prohibited in Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan, and its usage is limited in other European nations.
The Chinese intelligence and cybersecurity laws empower Chinese apps to prioritize their security concerns. Pahwa stated that this leads to mistrust and poses a risk to national security for others.
“There ought to exist distinct regulations for democratic nations and authoritarian regimes, wherein companies can function as an appendage of the state,” he said.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Subsidies for Electric Vehicles Cut as Consumer Interest Fades
Pressure is building on Canada’s electric vehicle manufacturers, and several are rethinking their stance on E.V.s in favor of plug-in hybrids. Automobile manufacturers are now bracing themselves for an even more challenging era in the Canadian market for electric vehicles (E.V.s).
President Kristian Aquilina of General Motors Canada claims that support and expectations are misaligned because the Canadian government is reducing subsidies for electric vehicles while trying to phase out gas-powered cars.
Manufacturers find pushing for an all-electric future in Canada increasingly difficult due to fewer consumer financial incentives and increasingly strict sales targets.
With subsidies totaling up to C$12,000 (about $8,500), Canadian consumers may save a tonne of money on electric automobiles. The federal government offers a rebate of up to $5,000 Canadian, and the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia provide further incentives of up to $7,000 and $4,000, respectively.
Ontario, which eliminated rebates in 2018, had the lowest market share for electric vehicles compared to Quebec and British Columbia, two regions that offered bigger incentives and thereby drove E.V. adoption in Canada.
Although this backing is dwindling, the province of Quebec has now declared that all subsidies will end in 2027. In June, the British Columbia government restricted incentives to a smaller subset of E.V. purchasers for “available funding” and higher-than-expected E.V. sales growth.
These reductions indicate a larger pattern: provincial governments reevaluate the sustainability of taxpayer-financed incentives for E.V.s as budget deficits widen.
With lofty goals to cut pollution from gas-powered cars and increase sales of electric vehicles, the Canadian government has reduced subsidies for these vehicles. Electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles will be mandatory for all new light-duty vehicle sales in Canada by 2035.
To meet our intermediate goals, 20% of new sales must be electric vehicles (E.V.s) by 2026 and 60% by 2030. Car companies are already under a lot of pressure due to dwindling incentives and increasing demands, and the clock is ticking faster by the second.
In addition, these rules impose new forms of responsibility. Automakers that do not reach their provincial sales targets may be subject to financial fines imposed by provinces such as British Columbia.
Canadian manufacturers are already under financial pressure from federal compliance credit system standards, which they must meet or face deficits. This system gives them credit for electric vehicle sales and infrastructure improvements, but it’s not without its challenges.
“The timing is not necessarily lining up very well, in that the purchase incentive support comes off just as mandates and regulations start to bite,” GMC Canada President Kristian Aquilina told Bloomberg. “It must make a difference.
Therefore, we must consider that. Despite the cutbacks, Aquilina argued that the government’s investment in enhancing the charging infrastructure could benefit E.V. sales.
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Business
Chewy Slides After Filing Shows 3rd-Biggest Shareholder, ‘Roaring Kitty,’ Sold His Stake
Washington — Chewy shares fell about 2% overnight Wednesday after a regulatory filing showed that Roaring Kitty, a meme stock trader, sold his interest in the online pet retailer.
According to a beneficial ownership document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, Roaring Kitty, whose legal name is Keith Gill, sold all his Chewy shares, totaling 6.6% of the company.
Chewy Slides After Filing Shows Third-Biggest Shareholder, ‘Roaring Kitty,’ Sold His Stake
Plantation, Florida-based Chewy dropped 1.9% after hours to $26.19 per share.
Gill, an investor at the core of the meme stock craze, bought more than 9 million shares of Chewy in July, making him the company’s third-largest stakeholder.
Gill built a name for himself in 2021 by rallying ordinary investors around GameStop. At the time, the video game shop was fighting to stay in business, and major Wall Street hedge funds and investors were betting against it or shorting the stock. But Gill and those who agreed with him altered GameStop’s direction by purchasing thousands of shares despite practically all acknowledged criteria indicating that the firm was in deep peril.
Chewy Slides After Filing Shows Third-Biggest Shareholder, ‘Roaring Kitty,’ Sold His Stake
That triggered what is known as a “short squeeze,” in which large investors who had bet on GameStop were obliged to buy its swiftly increasing stock to offset significant losses.
Gill has expressed confidence in GameStop Chairman and CEO Ryan Cohen’s ability to revamp the company following his success at Chewy. Cohen cofounded Chewy in 2011 and stepped down as CEO in 2018.
SOURCE | AP
Business
Canada CBC News CEO Catherine Tait Recalled to Parliamentary Committee
Canada CBC News reports that MPs have voted to recall CBC CEO Catherine Tait to a Commons committee for questioning, only a week after her last appearance, over the awarding of $18 million in bonuses to Canada CBC news executives.
The Conservatives, the Bloc Québécois, and the NDP joined forces to re-invite Ms. Tait, her successor Marie-Philippe Bouchard, and Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge to appear before the Commons Heritage Committee.
Ms. Tait, who will relinquish her position as CEO and president of CBC/Radio Canada in January, addressed the committee last week. The House of Commons has passed a motion recalling her before the conclusion of her term, and she is now subject to an additional two hours of interrogation, which includes inquiries regarding bonuses.
MPs also resolved to summon Quebec broadcasting executive Marie-Philippe Bouchard, appointed as the new chief of CBC/Radio-Canada last week, to appear before she begins her new job following a House of Commons chamber debate.
Catherine Tait Exit Package
Catherine Tait rejected the Conservatives’ requests to deny an exit package, including bonuses, when she departed the position in January during last week’s committee hearing.
She also defended the award of $18.4 million in incentives to 1,194 staff members for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which concluded in March, following the broadcaster’s achievement of performance indicators.
Kevin Waugh, a Conservative committee member who introduced the motion, stated that his party aimed to ensure Ms. Tait was “accountable to taxpayers” before her departure in January.
He informed The Globe and Mail that “Canadians are dissatisfied with the bonuses” and that Catherine Tait‘s exit package, which will not be disclosed, is a cause for concern.
“I am apprehensive that she has not received her bonuses in over two years, and that the Minister of Heritage or Privy Council will lavish her with bonuses when she departs in January,” he stated.
The Liberals opposed a portion of the motion that claimed that “the Liberal threat to cut funding” had resulted in the elimination of hundreds of jobs at CBC/Radio-Canada.
Defunding CBC News Canada
The Heritage Minister informed The Globe that the claim was “hypocritical,” as the Conservatives intended to completely defund CBC.
“The Conservatives’ actions today are a clear example of hypocrisy.” Ms. St-Onge stated that performance bonuses increased by 65% during the Harper Conservatives’ tenure, while CBC News Atlantic Canada experienced substantial budget cutbacks.
“As a government, we do not require any lessons from a party that has pledged to reduce the funding of CBC/Radio-Canada and the 8,000 jobs associated with it during its campaign.”
During the Tuesday debate, NDP MP Niki Ashton stated that her party endorses the “banning of executive bonuses” at CBC News Atlantic Canada but is opposed to “the Conservatives’ full frontal attack” on the broadcaster.
She stated, “We require a robust public broadcaster, but not one that distributes executive bonuses and eliminates positions.”
If the Conservatives establish the next government, they intend to deprive the CBC of public funding while maintaining French services.
Catherine Tait defended CBC and rebuffed MPs’ assaults during last week’s committee hearing. “It is evident that the members of this committee are making a concerted effort to discredit the organization and vilify me,” she stated.
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