The Friday Five: TikTok fighting back in US, core update causes anger, and Ofcom tightening tech regs

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the latest edition of The Friday Five! Your one-stop shop for all things digital marketing.

Today we look at TikTok's fight to keep itself in the USA while, on the other side of the pond, the EU is looking for a more nuanced approach. As well as TikTok, we break down the anger that has flared up among publishers after Google's March core update saw smaller websites punished massively, with one site losing 91% of its traffic.

Then, we'd like to update you on the latest news surrounding the Online Safety Act and the powers it will wield once it is presented to Parliament in July. Finally, we look at a study surrounding Gen Z and their apparent apathy around AI influencers.

For all this, keep on reading!

1. TikTok fighting back against US ban in new lawsuit

TikTok is hitting back at the US government by taking legal action against the country’s plans to pass a law separating it from its parent company, ByteDance.

TikTok is arguing that the law, signed by Joe Biden, is unconstitutional and unfair. It also states that there is insufficient evidence that the Chinese government has ever misused the platform thanks to its connections to ByteDance.

On a technical level, the platform claims that transferring millions of lines of code is simply not feasible because of limitations imposed by Chinese authorities.

It appears this saga will rumble on after previous attempts to address concerns via partnerships have failed to materialise.?

The lawsuit seeks to declare this law unconstitutional and place an injunction against its enforcement.

For more, visit The Verge.

2. EU favouring nuanced approach to TikTok citing regulation and sovereignty complexities

While TikTok is embroiled in a fight against being banned in the US, in the EU things appear to be more nuanced.

Many leaders and legislators are looking to implement a more nuanced approach that addresses concerns without outright banning the platform, used by hundreds of millions of people in the EU. The EU also has the Digital Services Act (DSA) to lean on when any Big Tech firm, not just TikTok, infringes on privacy and regulatory laws, something that the US does not have.

A Europe-wide ban is unlikely to materialise given the various national security protocols that each country has and the challenge of countries' individual sovereignty. The Huawei case of recent years is the example being used to highlight such complexity.?

With President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz both using TikTok to reach audiences, it's clear that this app does extend beyond entertainment and while there may be issues it appears its presence in Europe at least is relatively secure.

Head to Politico for more on this story.

3. March core update causes consternation among smaller publishers

Google’s biggest core update of recent months - the March 2024 one - has ignited some serious frustrations among publishers.?

These frustrations are epitomised by a website called HouseFresh, a modest product review site, that experienced a staggering 91% decrease in Google traffic after the core update took effect.

Many, including HouseFresh, are angry at Google for an apparent favouritism towards large publishers when it comes to product search results in particular. Other big media brands have employed tactics such as ‘keyword swarming’ that look to flood search results with subpar content while legacy publishers create material aimed at driving affiliate revenue.?

All these tactics do have a certain irony to them as, in recent years, Google has been looking to promote content that is the most helpful.

While HouseFresh and others admit it's not Google’s job to drive traffic to their sites they do criticise them over the flagrant dismissal of their content’s value.?

These issues of favouritism hark back to the early days of SEO when emerging publishers were facing an uphill battle against seemingly established brands.

Want to find out more? Visit Search Engine Land.

4. Default to child safety settings say Ofcom as it tightens regulations

Ofcom’s Online Safety Act is set to tighten regulations on social media firms in order to prevent children from seeing harmful content.

Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok will have to have robust age verification processes and default to child-safe settings. The rules stress that algorithmic tweaks must be made to limit the risk of harmful content to younger users. For example, suggested posts and for-you pages must take into account the child’s age when delivering content and avoid showing topics covering suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders.

Ofcom is confident that they can limit exposure and regulate tech firms. It uses consultations with users and robust info-gathering powers to ensure tech firms can comply.

The bill is open for consultation until July 17th when it will be presented to parliament. Tech firms will then have three months to prepare before enforcement begins.

The Guardian has more on this story here.

5. Gen Z interested in AI influencers and value follower count over authenticity says new report

While many of us question how AI’s lack of authenticity will prevent it from being able to influence customers, a report by Social Sprout appears to present the opposite view.

Opinions on brands collaborating with AI influencers were split among the 2000 UK and US consumers who were contacted. A combined 64% of them either expressed indifference to AI influencers or viewed it positively.?

Around 46% of Gen Z respondents expressed a greater interest in brands that collaborate with AI influencers.

Further, there appears to be a disparity between generations surrounding authenticity. Around half of Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers value authentic influencers, while only around 35% of Gen Z feel the same.

Nearly half of Generation Z also values follower count over other factors, highlighting a perceived link between the number of followers and the influencer's authority and influence.

Head to Mashable for more on this story.

Well there we go, another Friday Five done and dusted!

Weather-wise the weekend is looking promising so we hope you fantastic few days off and, as ever, be sure to tune in next time for five more stories!