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TikToks U.S. operations are now managed by a new American joint venture, ending a long-standing debate over whether the app would be permanently banned in the United States. The good news for TikTok users is that this deal guarantees that the app will continue to operate within Americas borders. But theres some bad news, too. Successive U.S. administrationsboth Bidens and Trump’sargued that TikTok posed a national security threat to America and its citizens, partly because of the data the app collected about them. While all social media apps collect data about their users, officials argued that TikToks data collection was a danger (while, say, Facebooks was not) because the worlds most popular short-form video app was owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. The ironic thing is that TikTok will actually collect more data about them now than it did under ByteDance ownership. The company’s new mostly American ownersLarry Ellison’s Oracle, private equity company Silver Lake, and the Emirati investment company MGXmade this clear in a recent update to TikToks privacy policy and its terms of service. If this new data collection unnerves you, there are some things you can do to mitigate it. How to stop TikToks new U.S. owners from getting your precise location When TikToks U.S. operations were still owned by ByteDance, the app did not collect the GPS phone location data of users in the United States. TikToks new U.S. owners have now changed that policy, stating, if you choose to enable location services for the TikTok app within your device settings, we collect approximate or precise location information from your device. While allowing TikTokor any social media appto access your location can mean you see more relevant content from events or creators in your area, theres no reason that app should need to know your precise GPS location, which reveals where in the world you are down to a few feet. Thankfully, you can block TikToks access to your GPS location data by using the settings on your phone. On iPhone: Open the Settings app. Tap Apps. Tap TikTok. Tap Location. Set location access to Never. On Android: Find the TikTok app on your home screen and tap and hold on its icon. Tap the App information menu item from the pop-up. Tap Permissions. Tap Location. Tap Dont Allow. How to limit new targeted advertising When TikToks U.S. operations were owned by ByteDance, the companys terms of service informed users that it analyzed their content to provide tailored advertising to them. This was not surprising. TikToks main way of generating revenue is via showing ads in the app. But in the updated terms of service posted by TikToks U.S. owners, it now appears that TikTok will use the data it collects about you, as well as the data its third-party partners have on you, to target you with relevant ads both on and off the platform. As the new terms of service states, You agree that we can customize ads and other sponsored content from creators, advertisers, and partners, that you see on and off the Platform based on, among other points, information we receive from third parties. Unfortunately, as of this writing, TikToks new U.S. owners dont seem to offer a way for U.S. users to disable personalized ads (users in some regions may see the option under Settings and privacy > Ads in the TikTok app). Still, if you have an iPhone, you can at least stop TikTok from tracking your activity across apps and websites using iOSs App Tracking Transparency feature, which allows users to quickly block an app from tracking what they do on their iPhone outside of the app. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap Privacy and Security. Tap Tracking. In the list of apps that appears, make sure the toggle next to TikTok is set to off (white). Currently, Android does not offer a feature like Apples App Tracking Transparency. TikToks U.S. owners track your AI interactions Like most social media apps, TikTok has been slowly adding more AI features. (One, called AI Self, lets users upload a picture of themselves and have TikTok turn it into an AI avatar). As Wired previously noted, TikToks new U.S. owners have now inserted a new section in the privacy policy informing users that it may collect and store any data surrounding your AI interactions, including prompts, questions, files, and other types of information that you submit to our AI-powered interfaces, as well as the responses they generate. That means anything you upload to use in TikToks AI featuresor prompts you writecould be retained by the company. Unfortunately, theres no internal TikTok app setting, or any iPhone and Android app setting that lets you get around this TikTok AI data collection. That means TikToks U.S. users only have one choice if they dont want the apps new U.S. owners to collect AI data about them: Dont use TikToks AI features.
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Generative artificial intelligence technology is rapidly reshaping education in unprecedented ways. With its potential benefits and risks, K-12 schools are actively trying to adapt teaching and learning. But as schools seek to navigate into the age of generative AI, theres a challenge: Schools are operating in a policy vacuum. While a number of states offer guidance on AI, only a couple of states require local schools to form specific policies, even as teachers, students, and school leaders continue to use generative AI in countless new ways. As a policymaker noted in a survey, You have policy and whats actually happening in the classroomsthose are two very different things. As part of my labs research on AI and education policy, I conducted a survey in late 2025 with members of the National Association of State Boards of Education, the only nonprofit dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education. The survey of the associations members reflects how education policy is typically formed through dynamic interactions across national, state, and local levels, rather than being dictated by a single source. But even in the absence of hard-and-fast rules and guardrails on how AI can be used in schools, education policymakers identified a number of ethical concerns raised by the technologys spread, including student safety, data privacy, and negative impacts on student learning. They also expressed concerns over industry influence and that schools will later be charged by technology providers for large language model-based tools that are currently free. Others report that administrators in their state are very concerned about deepfakes: What happens when a student deepfakes my voice and sends it out to cancel school or report a bomb threat? At the same time, policymakers said teaching students to use AI technology to their benefit remains a priority. Local actions dominate Although chatbots have been widely available for more than three years, the survey revealed that states are in the early stages of addressing generative AI, with most yet to implement official policies. While many states are providing guidance or tool kits, or are starting to write state-level policies, local decisions dominate the landscape, with each school district primarily responsible for shaping its own plans. When asked whether their state has implemented any generative AI policies, respondents said there was a high degree of local influence regardless of whether a state issued guidance or not. We are a local control state, so some school districts have banned [generative AI], wrote one respondent. Our [state] department of education has an AI tool kit, but policies are all local, wrote another. One shared that their state has a basic requirement that districts adopt a local policy about AI. Like other education policies, generative AI adoption occurs within the existing state education governance structures, with authority and accountability balanced between state and local levels. As with previous waves of technology in K-12 schools, local decision-making plays a critical role. Yet there is generally a lack of evidence related to how AI will affect learners and teachers, which will take years to become more clear. That lag adds to the challenges in formulating policies. States as a lighthouse However, state policy can provide vital guidance by prioritizing ethics, equity, and safety, and by being adaptable to changing needs. A coherent state policy can also answer key questions, such as acceptable student use of AI, and ensure more consistent standards of practice. Without such direction, districts are left to their own devices to identify appropriate, effective uses and to construct guardrails. As it stands, AI usage and policy development are uneven, depending on how well resourced a school is. Data from a Rand-led panel of educators showed that teachers and principals in higher-poverty schools were about half as likely to report that AI guidance was provided. The poorest schools are also less likely to use AI tools. When asked about foundational generative AI policies in education, policymakers focused on privacy, safety, and equity. One respondent, for example, said school districts should have the same access to funding and training, including for administrators. And rather than having the technology imposed on schools and families, many argued for grounding the discussion in human values and broad participation. As one policymaker noted, What is the role that families play in all this? This is something that is constantly missing from the conversation and something to uplift. As we know, parents are our kids first teachers. Introducing new technology According to a Feb. 24, 2025, Gallup poll, 60% of teachers report using some AI for their work in a range of ways. Our survey also found there is shadow use of AI, as one policymaker put it, where employees implement generative AI without explicit school or district IT or security approval. Some states, such as Indiana, offer schools the opportunity to apply for a one-time competitive grant to fund a pilot of an AI-powered platform of their choosing, as long as the product vendors are approved by the state. Grant proposals that focus on supporting students or professional development for educators receive priority. In other states, schools opt in to pilot tests that are funded by nonprofits. For example, an eighth grade language arts teacher in California participated in a pilot where she used AI-powered tools to generate feedback on her students writing. Teaching 150 kids a day and providing meaningful feedback for every student is not possible; I would try anything to lessen grading and give me back my time to spend with kids. This is why I became a teacher: to spend time with the kids. This teacher also noted the tools showed bias when analyzing the work of her students learning English, which gave her the opportunity to discuss algorithmic bias in these tools. One initiative from the Netherlands offers a different approach than finding ways to implement products developed by technology companies. Instead, schools take the lead with questions or challenges they are facing and turn to industry to develop solutions informed by research. Core principles One theme that emerged from survey respondents is the need to emphasize ethical principles inproviding guidance on how to use AI technology in teaching and learning. This could begin with ensuring that students and teachers learn about the limitations and opportunities of generative AI, when and how to leverage these tools effectively, critically evaluate its output, and ethically disclose its use. Often, policymakers struggle to know where to begin in formulating policies. Analyzing tensions and decision-making in organizational contextor what my colleagues and I called “dilemma analysis” in a recent reportis an approach schools, districts, and states can take to navigate the myriad of ethical and societal impacts of generative AI. Despite the confusion around AI and a fragmented policy landscape, policymakers said they recognize it is incumbent upon each school, district, and state to engage their communities and families to co-create a path forward. As one policymaker put it: Knowing the horse has already left the barn [and that AI use] is already prevalent among students and faculty . . . [on] AI-human collaboration versus an outright ban, where on the spectrum do you want to be? Janice Mak is an assistant director and clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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“Snow Will Fall Too Fast for Plows,” ICE STORM APOCALYPSE, and Another Big Storm May Be Coming … were all headlines posted on YouTube this past weekend as the biggest snowstorm in years hit New York City. These videos, each with tens or hundreds of thousands of views, are part of an increasingly popular genre of weather influencers,” as Americans increasingly turn to social media for news and weather updates. People pay more attention to influencers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok than to journalists or mainstream media, a study by the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford found in 2024. In the U.S., social media is how 20% of adults get their news or weather updates, according to the Pew Research Center. Its no surprise, then, that a number of online weather accounts have cropped up to cover the increasing number of extreme weather events in the U.S. While some of these influencers have no science background, many of the most popular ones are accredited meteorologists. One of the most viewed digital meteorologistsor weather influencersis Ryan Hall, who calls himself “The Internet’s Weather Man” on his social media platforms. His YouTube channel, Ryan Hall, Yall, has more than 3 million subscribers. Max Velocity is another. He’s a degreed meteorologist, according to his YouTube bio, who has 1.66 million followers. Reed Timmer, an extreme meteorologist and storm chaser, also posts to 1.46 million subscribers on YouTube. While most prefer to avoid the bad news that comes with bad weather, I charge towards it, Timmer writes in the description section on his channel. The rising popularity of weather influencers is stemming not just from a mistrust in mainstream mediawhich is lingering at an all-time lowbut also from an appetite for real-time updates delivered in an engaging way to the social-first generation. YouTube accounts like Halls will often livestream during extreme weather events, with his comments section hosting a flurry of activity. Theres even merch. Of course, influencers are not required to uphold the same reporting standards as network weathercasters. Theres also the incentive, in terms of likes and engagement, to sensationalize events with clickbait titles and exaggerated claims, or sometimes even misinformation, as witnessed during the L.A. wildfires last year. Still, as meteorologists navigate the new media landscape, the American Meteorological Society now offers a certification program in digital meteorology for those meteorologists who meet established criteria for scientific competence and effective communication skills in their weather presentations on all forms of digital media. While we wait to see whether another winter storm will hit the Northeast this weekend, rest assured, the weather influencers will be tracking the latest updates.
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