PSPINC Official Company Blog

The DOJ’s Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple: What it Means For Customers

4月

3日

For years now, the feud between iPhone and Android users has persisted. Many customers, especially those who consider themselves tech-savvy, are adamantly on whichever side they stand on, citing key differences between the competitors. Arguments for or against each brand have varied from favoring Apple’s simple user interface (UI) to slamming Apple for its lack of compatibility with other non-Apple devices.

On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accused Apple of violating antitrust laws with a lawsuit. However, this isn’t the first time they’ve done so. In fact, this is actually the third time they’ve sued Apple for this exact reason in the past four years. So, what makes it different this time? According to antitrust experts, the DOJ has made an even stronger case than expected, giving them an even stronger lawsuit compared to past efforts.

The DOJ's Case Against Apple

In the DOJ’s case against Apple, Apple makes up 65-70 percent of smartphones, giving it dominance over the marketplace. In the lawsuit, the DOJ breaks down not just the harm Apple’s monopoly has to developers, but also customers, specifically by highlighting its pattern of behavior that further embeds users into the Apple ecosystem and makes it hard for users to switch.

One of the biggest complaints customers have been making about Apple is its lack of compatibility with other non-Apple devices. For example, if an Android user texts an iPhone user an image, it will look grainy because Apple lowers the quality of cross-platform texts. Apple, however, argues that this case will set a precedent over the government’s involvement in consumer technology designs.

What Does This Mean for iPhone Users?

woman holding an iphone and a credit card

Currently, Apple takes up to 30% of app revenue from third-party developers, which in turn leads many developers to charge their customers more in order to maintain the viability of their business. So, for developers, this case may just force Apple to lower the cost of app subscriptions, add more payment options, and give app developers more freedom on the App Store.

But overall, this case will be a lengthy legal battle that will probably take years to conclude, which is why many experts agree it will likely result in some kind of settlement. But because of how much more merit this lawsuit has compared to past ones, experts still expect Apple to change at least some of its practices.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #appdevelopment #apple #blog #business #businesstools #departmentofjustice #development #doj #iphone #lawsuit #marketing #mobile #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 205 “PSPINC /Apps Now Available!”

2月

2日

To better manage your PSPINC web apps, we're happy to announce that we've released PSPINC /Apps, an all-new multi-service login! With PPINC /Apps, you no longer need to remember every login to your multiple PSPINC accounts. Instead, they’ll all be in one place for you! All you have to do is sign up by clicking on Products on our website and clicking on the PSPINC /Apps banner on the right side. After signing up, you can connect your PSPINC web apps’ accounts, including:

Then you can log into any of these accounts with just one login with PSPINC /Apps. And to make your accounts even safer, add an extra layer of security with two-factor authentication (2FA) to your PSPINC /Apps account:

Log in to your PSPINC /Apps account
Click on My Account
Connect your account to your choice of authenticator app by either scanning the QR code or manually entering the key. Although PSPINC /Apps should support all authenticator apps, we recommend:

Enter the code displayed in your authenticator app to confirm the connection.

Get started today to make it easier to manage your PSPINC accounts all in one place with one login.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #cybersecurity #data #digitalmarketing #newsletter #officetips #pspinc #pspincapps #security #smallbusiness #tech #technology #update #web #websites #webtools

Why Threads Hasn’t Taken Off (Yet?)

10月

24日

Back in July, Meta (the company behind Facebook and Instagram) released Threads, their text-based social media platform after weeks of speculation that would directly compete with X (formerly Twitter). Because of how easy it was for users to sign up, ten million people joined the app within seven hours of its launch according to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO.

But now, more than three months later, Threads’ popularity has dwindled. Sensor Data reports that at its peak, 44 million daily active users were on Threads. Just a few weeks later, at the end of July, there were only eight million daily active users—an 82% drop. Many users have stopped posting and many have even forgotten about the platform altogether. Largely due to the fact that it just isn’t built out enough with the robust features that users crave on social media.

Lack of Popular Features

Every popular social media platform has its own niche, along with key features. However, Threads is still missing a lot of those features, including but not limited to a Discover page, direct message functions, and the ability to share Threads posts via Instagram direct messages, among others. It wasn’t until the end of July when Threads rolled out a Following feed and it wasn’t until August when Threads released a web version for desktop users. The other unknown thus far is whether Meta will expand their advertising network to Threads. Meta is known for being great for advertisers, but unless their daily active user count goes back up, advertisers may not be willing to spend advertising dollars on Threads.

While they’re going in the right direction in terms of working on adding more features, Threads is still missing something that will make them stand apart from their competitors. Many saw Threads as the direct competitor to X, and the fact that users’ accounts could connect to their Instagram pages and bring over their following was an attractive asset, but it wasn’t enough to keep users on the platform. Overall, many have theorized that Meta released Threads quickly when users were looking for a better alternative to X. Unfortunately, developers hadn’t really built out the program enough to really retain users on the platform. While Meta developers continue to work on adding more features to the platform, it may be a while before users will consider Threads to be a real threat to a platform like X.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #app #blog #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #facebook #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #meta #mobile #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #threads #twitter #web #webdevelopment #website #x

Sell Directly on Social Media with Social Shopping

8月

1日

The world of shopping online changed drastically when Instagram implemented a buy button in 2015. The next year, brands could tag products with a price tag in their images. Then, Facebook followed shortly afterward by launching Marketplace in 2018. And TikTok started testing TikTok Shop in November of last year.

However, reports are that TikTok is gearing up to launch TikTok Shop Shopping Center, which will become their e-commerce platform, taking TikTok Shop a step further. Rather than just buying directly from videos, lives, and creator profile bios, TikTok Shop Shopping Center won’t just be a marketplace for other retailers to sell merchandise, but a retailer itself. The details are still not entirely clear, but if successful, it could shake up social shopping as we know it.

Benefits of Social Shopping

friends standing with shopping bags on street and looking at phone

Not only are there billions of active social media users, but they’re also spending more and more time on social media. As of 2022, users spend an average of 151 minutes a day on social media, which is up from 147 from the previous year. And social commerce generated about $724 billion USD in 2022. Both according to Statista. Directly selling on social media just further expands your overall reach to more potential customers. And since social shopping makes so much in revenue, we know how successful businesses can be on it.

Social media, as a whole, is great for obtaining social proof. Especially since many customers look at things like reviews and use those to base their decisions on whether they’ll buy something. Making your products available to users on social media just makes it possible for more feedback, reviews, and recommendations for your business. It also makes it easier for users to convert to paying customers because they don’t have to leave the app to purchase. So, regardless of how TikTok’s upcoming TikTok Shop Shopping Center changes things, it’s safe to say social shopping is here to stay.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #app #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #facebook #facebookmarketplace #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #mobile #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #tiktok #twitter #web

Grow Your Business with Social Media

7月

18日

Social media marketing is an invaluable asset to include in your digital marketing plan. It’s an easy but effective way to grow your business online. Most entrepreneurs today know how vital it can be to their business. But it’s what you do with social media that can make a real difference in how effective it can be. It’s not as simple as creating profiles on social media platforms; it’s about what you post.

There are currently billions of social media users worldwide. That only increases the number of potential customers and adds to brand awareness. It’s relatively inexpensive, and it gives you the opportunity to:

· Build your brand
· Grow your community online
· Increase website traffic
· Engage with your online audience
· Learn more about your customers
· Discover where to improve your overall business strategy

9 Social Media Marketing Tips

1. Create SMART Objectives

We’ve talked about SMART objectives here before, but when you do create them, make sure they align and inform your overall strategy. Every business’s objectives will be different, depending on the size of your business. Making sure your objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely will help you grow your business sustainably.

2. Add relevant keywords to your social copy

Hashtags can be great, but they’re not the only thing social media algorithms parse for. They also look for relevant keywords in social media captions. Marketers still debate if hashtags are even effective marketing-wise on social media. For some, it helps increase overall exposure, for others, they don’t report any discernable difference. But adding relevant keywords to your captions will make it more likely that your posts will end up on someone’s For You or Explore page.

3. Target users

The great part about sponsored social posts is that you can easily target the right users to see your content. And finding the right users makes it much more likely they’ll purchase from you because it’ll show for users that are actually interested in what you’re trying to sell. While you can try to sell your products to everyone, the reality is that not everyone wants or needs what you’re offering. Plus, if you’re trying to sell to everyone, your ads end up being vague and uninspired, which won’t convince anyone to buy from you.

4. Focus on brand intent

Social media’s a great way to promote your products. But if all your posts are promotional, your business comes off sounding like a pushy salesperson. And no one likes that. Instead, focus on creating and curating content that shows people what your brand cares about. It won’t just give potential customers a better idea of what your company stands for, but it also results in a much more interested audience.

5. Market on multiple social media platforms

There are multiple major social platforms out there, and marketers alike use more than just one. Each one has something different to bring to the table, including a different audience. So, use that to your advantage! You can tailor your approach toward each platform, taking advantage of the best types of content, posting times, and posting frequencies.

6. Create an editorial calendar

To make it easier, you can plan content in advance with an editorial calendar. On it, add specifics like images, captions, hashtags (if you’re using them), links, and whatever else you want to add to your social posts. But remember, you don’t have to stick to what you have; it’s also encouraged to post something spontaneous sometimes. Especially since sometimes they perform better than what you already have planned.

7. Optimize your posting frequency

When marketing on social media, it’s not just about what you post, it’s about when. There are plenty of sources out there that recommend what times and days of the week work best for reach and engagement. But what works for others won’t necessarily work for you. So, try testing out different times and different days to see what works best for each platform. That way, you’ll get the most out of your social media marketing efforts for your business.

8. Create paid social ads

The way social media algorithms work is mysterious, but the one thing we know for sure is that paid social posts are guaranteed to get seen by more users. So, if you’re having problems with increasing overall reach, invest in paid social ads. Or you can boost or promote an already well-performing post. Regardless, research shows sponsored posts perform better on social media. Just don’t focus all your efforts on it; organic social posts still help tell your brand story online.

9. Interact with your audience online

Lastly, interacting with your followers and potential customers should be a vital part of your marketing plan. Engagement on social media is highly valued by each platform’s algorithm, so replying, reacting, and reposting other users’ content will increase your profile’s overall exposure. And it’ll encourage other users to do the same.

Marketing on social media isn’t always easy, especially since best practices are continually evolving. So, reach out to our team, who are experts in helping small businesses grow online.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #app #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #facebook #google #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #seo #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #twitter #web #websites #webtools

Spotify: Why They’re Leaders in the Music Streaming Industry

6月

20日

When you think of music streaming today, you think of Spotify. And there’s a reason for that. Over the last five years, the number of premium Spotify premium users grew from 71 million subscribers in 2017 to 205 million subscribers in 2022. Compared to Apple Music’s 78 million subscribers as of June 2021, Spotify reigns supreme in the music streaming industry. And Spotify has so much market share because they leverage personalization. Specifically, with playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar in a way that others in the market aren’t doing.

Other streamers like Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud have personalized playlists, too. They just aren’t as successful as the ones on Spotify. And they don’t use the same technology as Spotify does to create these playlists. Other platforms, like Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and Apple Music, use manual curation via “music experts” to create playlists for users. Pandora does things a little differently where its code filters for certain tags that are manually added by users. Then, Pandora’s code creates playlists with similar music using those tags. Regardless, Spotify still does it best with an open-source tool, Hadoop.

How Spotify’s Personalization Works

black samsung galaxy phone open to spotify login

Spotify uses Hadoop, an open-source framework that uses commodity cluster hardware. Basically, Spotify uses Hadoop to track and log users’ metadata, such as customer data and specific music tracks. Spotify creates playlists based on users’ established listening habits using collaborative filtering techniques, natural language processing (NLP), and audio models. Spotify employs collaborative filtering to suggest tracks to millions of users based on millions of other users' preferences. To do this, Spotify uses Python, a computer programming language used to conduct data analysis, automate tasks, and build websites and software. Specifically, Python libraries create two types of vectors using a long, complicated formula: user vectors and song vectors. Then, they’re able to compare those vectors to find out which songs are similar.

Spotify also uses NLP via Echo Nest, a music intelligence program that scans ten million music-related pages for descriptive terms, each of which has a weight to it to tell the system how important the description it is. That weight then tells the program how important the description is, and the engine then determines which two pieces of music or artists are similar. Lastly, unlike collaborative filtering and NLP, audio models analyze new songs with convolutional neural networks, which is the same technology facial recognition software uses. After it’s processed, Spotify uses the data the neural network collects like time signature, loudness, and tempo to compare and recommend tracks based on similarities found in the raw audio. Equipped with collaborative filtering, NLP, and audio models, Spotify's recommendation system is superior to other platforms.

The Success of Spotify

happy man with airpods in his ears and holding his phone

The overall process of Spotify's recommendation models is complicated, but it demonstrates how incredibly useful it can be when comparing all this data. It’s become the brand’s competitive advantage because of how well they’re able to leverage that to keep their customers long-term. Users love these playlists so much that they can’t imagine abandoning the platform for something else.

With its immense amount of success over the past few years, Spotify continues to create more and more personalized playlists. It’s so popular, in fact, that people expect a level of personalization when listening to music. So, while other music platforms offer personalized playlists, it remains to be unmatched compared to Spotify’s efforts. And even if other platforms followed suit with the same technology, Spotify is so far ahead in the music streaming industry, it will be hard for anyone to catch up to them.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#amazonmusic #app #applemusic #audiomodels #blog #branding #business #collaborativefiltering #digitalmarketing #hadoop #marketing #marketingdigital #mobile #music #musicstreaming #nlp #pandora #smallbusiness #soundcloud #tech #technology #webtools

Meta’s New Text-Based Twitter Competitor App

5月

31日

Ever since Elon Musk acquired Twitter, many users have been itching to find a viable replacement. So far, some have found solace in Mastodon and Bluesky, a newer app launched and endorsed by co-founder and former Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey. But now, Meta’s thrown its hat in the ring with its upcoming text-based app. It currently doesn’t have an official name, but internal Meta staff members call it either “P92” or “Barcelona”. There also isn’t an official launch date released just yet. But digital media marketing expert Lia Haberman, who first reported on this new app, says it could launch as early as the end of June.

Regardless, Meta granted early access to high-profile influencers and celebrities, which will only encourage more people to join the platform. While this new app will be in direct competition with Twitter, it’s not why Meta’s working on this new app. Or it’s at least not the only reason. Social media platforms have switched their focus toward direct messages (DM) over the last few years based on user behavior. And it also explains why Meta reintegrated Messenger back into the Facebook app and the thought behind Instagram Channels.

What Makes It Different

a phone open to twitter on a table next to a mug of coffee

Meta’s new text-based app will eliminate major obstacles that have prevented others from fleeing Twitter. With Facebook and Instagram under their belt, users can log in with their Facebook/Instagram credentials, keep their Instagram username, and keep their verification status (if applicable). It’ll also encourage their Instagram followers to follow them on the new platform, and carry over blocks and hidden words, optimizing the overall transition.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, Meta’s new text-based app will be decentralized, much like its competitor, Mastodon. According to Haberman’s sources, each post has a limit of 500 characters, and much like tweets and Facebook posts, users can include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long. Based on the only screenshots we’ve gotten of the new app (via a slide Haberman received and posted to her Twitter page), it’ll have a feed where users can like, reply, and share others’ posts.

What This Means

someone using a laptop that has facebook open on it

With the reported instability on Twitter recently, the market for Twitter alternatives is rife with opportunities. However, there hasn’t been one clear contender that users have flocked to. And the fatigue of setting up a new account on a new, unpopulated platform has become more apparent, which only further deterred users.

Meta, however, has the tremendous advantage of integrating their already-popular apps, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, which boasts a network of billions of users. With that also comes the ease of setting up a new account and keeping your followers. But Meta also has a history of releasing apps that don’t gain traction, especially those that copy other already-popular apps. So, only time will tell how Meta’s new text-based app performs in the social media space.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #business #businesstools #digitalmarketing #directmessaging #dm #elonmusk #facebook #jackdorsey #marketing #marketingdigital #messaging #messenger #meta #news #socialmedia #tech #technology #twitter #web #website #whatsapp

Getting Verified on Social Media

5月

17日

Verified users on social media have been a thing for a long time. Since 2009, to be specific, when Twitter introduced the blue checkmark shown next to a user’s profile name. After that, other social platforms followed suit. Prior to Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, the checkmark beside someone’s name online became a symbol of authenticity to signify the user was whom they said they were.

After Elon Musk bought out Twitter for roughly $44 billion in October of last year, the verification process changed the following month. Now, $8/month is all you need to get verified on Twitter, ultimately meaning anyone who can afford to spend $8 a month can become a verified user. Regardless, other social platforms also have verification systems in place that aren’t solely based on financial means. But that may change once Meta rolls out their new verification service to Facebook and Instagram on a wider scale.

Meta’s New Verification Service

In February, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced they’d be rolling out their own verification service for Facebook and Twitter. According to his statement, this new system will aim to better protect people from fraudulent users. Although, the platform’s inspiration seems obvious as Twitter’s verification system has continually changed and become a frequent subject of ridicule since Musk’s takeover.

Meta first tested their new verification service in New Zealand and Australia in February, but they’ve since opened it up to the U.S. in March. However, we haven’t heard reports about it yet. All we really know about Meta’s verification service is that it takes a government ID to verify the account and getting verified on Facebook and getting verified on Instagram are two separate processes. And paid verification costs $11.99/month on the web or $14.99/month either on Apple’s iOS or Android.

Verification on Other Social Platforms

someone holding a phone with the youtube app opening

So far, Meta isn’t the only platform that’s followed Twitter’s example by charging for verification status. After Twitter’s new verification system went live, Tumblr took advantage of the public ridicule that came with it by advertising its own $7.99 verification status. But unlike Twitter, it was a one-time fee (Twitter’s is monthly) and you get two checkmarks. From the description, it’s very clear that it’s a joke. But despite that it’s a parody of Twitter’s checkmarks and holds no real value on the platform, it still earned a 125% boost in in-app purchase revenue by February after releasing it in November, according to TechCrunch.

But YouTube and TikTok don’t currently charge for verification. Instead, YouTube has a whole process where users can request verification, which requires user accounts to be public and active, have at least 100,000 subscribers, a profile photo, a banner image, a description, great content, and represent a real person, brand, or identity. On TikTok, verification exists, but it’s unclear how it’s done.

Regardless, verification used to authenticate users, especially public figures, on social media. But now, it just means that the user paid for that checkmark (or checkmarks, in Tumblr’s case). Even though Twitter and Meta claim this new process aims at bulking up protection against fraudulent users, it doesn’t seem to be helping as much as they said it would.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #blog #business #businesstools #cost #digitalmarketing #facebook #instagram #marketing #marketingdigital #mobile #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #technology #tiktok #tumblr #twitter #verification #verifiedusers #web #webtools #youtube

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 167 “Make Calls Easily with Tap-To-Call”

5月

12日

When our CEO, Ken Uchikura, realized his parents were having trouble calling him on their phones, he had an idea. If it was this hard for his parents to call people, it must be a problem other senior citizens face, too. That’s why he created Tap-To-Call. As the name suggests, users can easily make phone calls, as well as video calls, with the tap of a button!

While many senior citizens own a smartphone, about 42% according to Pew Research Center, technology evolves quickly. Even for younger people, keeping up with how fast technology changes can be difficult. Tap-To-Call makes it easier for those who aren’t as tech-savvy. For just $0.99, it’s easy to add, edit, and/or remove contacts. Just download the app on the iOS App Store to get started.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#app #appstore #blog #business #businesstips #call #ios #iphone #mobile #newsletter #phone #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #taptocall #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment

Everything You Need to Know About the Potential TikTok Ban

3月

29日

TikTok is a short-form video-sharing app geared mostly toward Gen-Z. Content on the platform ranges from cooking videos to funny animal clips to practically anything you could think of. According to Business of Apps, as of January 2023, TikTok had almost two billion monthly active users globally. And this doesn’t even include users from China since the app uses a different name there. As of just last week, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, boasted that TikTok now has 150 million active monthly users in the U.S. alone. But this claim also comes amongst talks over a potential ban of the app.

TikTok’s Data Security Concerns

close-up of the settings app in the iOS interface

The app, while popular, poses privacy and data security practices for one big reason: TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has ties to China. Other countries worldwide, including the U.S., have banned the app altogether or restricted its use in certain cases. For example, India placed a ban on not only TikTok but also other Chinese-owned apps like WeChat, and Pakistan banned the app at least four times. While the U.S., Canada, and Taiwan haven’t officially banned the app, government-issued devices only have restricted access to TikTok. However, there isn’t currently any hard proof of these privacy concerns; it’s more of a concern for what China could do with TikTok’s users’ data in the future.

To counteract this potential, the U.S. government created the RESTRICT Act. This bipartisan bill, in short, allows the secretary of Commerce to ban apps that pose a risk to U.S. national security. It doesn’t explicitly name TikTok, but it covers companies owned not only by China, but also by Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Last week, Chew faced congress to answer questions they had over TikTok's data concerns. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to change the status quo as many representatives didn't seem to know much about how the app works. While this bill exists, U.S. lawmakers, including President Biden, aren’t pushing to ban the app. Instead, they’d much prefer it if a U.S.-owned company acquired ByteDance, removing its ties to China.

How Advertisers Are Responding

two women having a meeting in the office

Despite the uncertainty about the app’s future, advertisers are sticking with TikTok and are largely unfazed by it. Privacy and data security concerns on social media are nothing new to marketers. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, is still a formidable force in the social media market today. Especially for marketers, as Facebook’s ad business has only gotten stronger since. So, it’s safe to say they were able to walk away mostly unscathed from the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2015. So, with this example in mind, marketers know the privacy issue concerns will eventually die down.

Marketers have experienced this wave of security concerns for social media in the past, only to see it ultimately pass. So, for now, advertisers are sticking with TikTok and keeping their ad spend on the platform. And for marketers who have employed a TikTok-first approach, they’re sticking with it, despite the threat of a ban. TikTok, for better or for worse, delivers droves of the Gen-Z audience, making it an attractive marketing platform. So, as far as advertisers are concerned, TikTok is here to stay.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

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PSPINC Official Company Blog

フリースペース

The DOJ’s Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple: What it Means For Customers

The DOJ's Case Against Apple

What Does This Mean for iPhone Users?

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 205 “PSPINC /Apps Now Available!”

Why Threads Hasn’t Taken Off (Yet?)

Lack of Popular Features

Sell Directly on Social Media with Social Shopping

Benefits of Social Shopping

Grow Your Business with Social Media

9 Social Media Marketing Tips

Spotify: Why They’re Leaders in the Music Streaming Industry

How Spotify’s Personalization Works

The Success of Spotify

Meta’s New Text-Based Twitter Competitor App

What Makes It Different

What This Means

Getting Verified on Social Media

Meta’s New Verification Service

Verification on Other Social Platforms

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 167 “Make Calls Easily with Tap-To-Call”

Everything You Need to Know About the Potential TikTok Ban

TikTok’s Data Security Concerns

How Advertisers Are Responding

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The DOJ's Case Against Apple

What Does This Mean for iPhone Users?

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

Lack of Popular Features

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

Benefits of Social Shopping

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

9 Social Media Marketing Tips

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

How Spotify’s Personalization Works

The Success of Spotify

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

What Makes It Different

What This Means

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

Meta’s New Verification Service

Verification on Other Social Platforms

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

TikTok’s Data Security Concerns

How Advertisers Are Responding

ワオ！と言っているユーザー

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ブログル仲間

カレンダー

最新コメント

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