By Nermeen Nabil Khear 
TikTok has announced that it will enable Android users in the US to download and use the app through some package kits accessible on its website.
This comes as the ByteDance-owned app is looking at ways to circumvent the restrictions that were imposed on the app in the US.
TikTok found a way out for some users
According to Reuters, TikTok revealed on Friday that it had package kits on its website, allowing its users on Android to connect to the app. The development follows restrictions that were imposed on the popular video platform effective January 19.
According to the law, Apple and Google were barred from reinstating the platform on their app stores as the US demanded that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance either divest the app on national security reasons or face a ban.
This comes as US officials warned that TikTok, with its Chinese origins posed a security risk to Americans’ data.
However, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requesting to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days. President Trump took office the day after the ban went into effect. He also indicated that deliberations were underway with several people over TikTok’s purchase. To that end, he will have a decision on TikTok’s future in the US this month.
The app has an estimated 170 million users in the US, remaining a significant player on the social media landscape. Earlier this week, President Trump signed another executive order that seeks the creation of a sovereign wealth fund within the next year, which could potentially facilitate the acquisition of the short video platform.
The ban on TikTok in the US has ignited debate with advocates for free speech strongly opposing the decision under a law that was passed by Congress and signed by then-president Joe Biden.
TikTok says US officials misrepresented facts
In its defense, the company has revealed that the US officials wrongly stated its ties to China. It revealed that its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the US on Oracle-operated servers. TikTok added that content moderation decisions that affect US users are also made in the US.
Meanwhile, ByteDance this week reportedly quietly unveiled an advanced AI video generating model which leapfrogs it ahead of its US competition. This has also raised concerns about the threat of deepfake videos.
A paper published by researchers with the tech giant reveals that the model, known as OmniHuman-1 is capable of creating realistic videos of humans talking and moving naturally from a still image.
According to ABC News, experts have also warned that if this technology is made available for public use, it could ignite new abuses and escalate the longstanding national security concerns about the Chinese firm.
“If you only need one image, then all the sudden, it’s much easier to find a way to target someone,” an analyst in generative AI, Henry Ajder told ABC News.
“Previously, you might have needed hundreds of images, if not thousands, to create compelling, really interesting videos to train them on.”
~ Ajder.
A ByteDance representative told Forbes that if the tool was to be made publicly available, it would include some safeguards against harmful and misleading content. TikTok also announced last year that it would automatically label AI-generated content as well as generally work towards enhancing AI literacy.
One of the videos created using OmniHuman is that of Albert Einstein delivering a lecture, and this was transformed from a portrait. Other videos showed musicians playing piano while singing. The research paper also indicated that OmniHuman can generate realistic video at any aspect ratio using a single image and audio clip.
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This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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