IT General

SAVE $130: As of April 25, get a refurbished Amazon Echo Show 15 at Woot! for just $149.99 without the Alexa Voice Remote. That's 49% off the device's normal price of $279.99 with remote.

Opens in a new window Credit: Woot! Amazon Echo Show 15 (Refurbished) $149.99 at Woot!
$279.99 Save $130.00 Get Deal

Amazon Echo products make it easy to enjoy your favorite movies, TV, and music without having to sit at a computer or use your phone. They're also the perfect hub for your smart home products, making them versatile devices that are well worth picking up. If you've been thinking about adding one to your home or upgrading what you have, now's a great time to do so, as you can get Amazon's biggest smart display, the Echo Show 15, for a fantastic price.

As of April 25, you can get a refurbished Amazon Echo Show 15 for just $149.99 at Woot!. That's $130 off its normal price on Amazon, and a discount of 49%. This device does not include the Amazon Alexa Voice Remote, however. You can purchase it separately at Amazon for $34.99, which still makes this a cheaper buy than Amazon's current bundled price.

These refurbished units have been tested and verified by Amazon to work properly, so there's peace of mind when buying a refurbished version. There's also a 90-day Woot! limited warranty with your purchase.

The Echo Show 15 boasts a great-looking 1080p HD display that you can use to view media or even set up to display art or photos while not in use. It's the perfect size to put in your kitchen or another area in your home with a lot of traffic. Stream movies, music, and TV or just use the unit to control all of your other smart devices.

Customize the display's various widgets like calendars, sticky notes, and to-do lists. Alexa comes packed with plenty of apps to personalize the unit even more from there. You can add all your smart devices to the home screen for quick access as well.

SAVE 40%: The Theragun Pro (4th Gen) is on sale for $299 at Therabody, marked down form the usual price of $499. That's a savings of $200.

Opens in a new window Credit: Therabody Theragun Pro (4th Gen) $299.00 at Therabody
$499.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal

Sore muscles can happen for countless reasons. Maybe you're training for a half-marathon this summer or your weekend hiked ended up being one giant uphill. For whatever reason, going about your day with muscle soreness can be pretty disruptive. If this is a daily problem for you, today's deal has relief written all over it.

As of April 25, the Theragun Pro (4th Gen) is on sale for $299 at Therabody, marked down from the list price of $499. That's a 40% discount or a savings of $200.

Therabody came up with tons of features when designing the Theragun Pro (4th Gen). For starters, the hand-held muscle massager is designed to operate quietly. The brand mentions this model is 55% quieter than the 3rd Gen model.

Rather than having a stationary arm position, the Theragun Pro has a rotating arm that allows you to choose between four positions, making it easier to target that precise spot that's sore.

Along with the Theragun Pro, you'll get a carrying case, travel pouch, two rechargeable batteries, a battery charger, and six attachments. Each attachment is designed for a specific massage function like the Supersoft attachment for sensitive areas near bones or joints, the Cone for pin-point massages that could be great for hands or feet, and the Standard Ball which works for almost any muscle.

To customize your massage experience, select your desired speed and check the Force Meter displayed on the massage device's OLED screen. Each of the included Lithium-Ion batteries gets about 150 minutes of use, so you'll get about five hours of use in total before needing to charge up the batteries.

Bring home a professional-grade massage device with the Theragun Pro (4th Gen) which is currently $200 off at Therabody. Your sore muscles will thank you immensely.

SAVE $10: The Chromecast with Google TV is just $19.99, its lowest price of the year. Shop now to start streaming your favorite shows in HD.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Chromecast with Google TV (HD) $19.99 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal

The Chromecast with Google TV is on sale at Amazon for the low price of $19.99. The remote-controlled device allows you to stream all your favorite shows in high-quality 1080p HD. If your current streamer is stuck in a never-ending cycle of buffering, the Chromecast is a great option — especially for Android users. The last time the Chromecast dipped to $10 off was Black Friday 2023, so don't miss out on this budget-friendly streamer.

We tested the Chromecast in 4K and were thoroughly impressed by its simple user interface and sleek remote that isn't clunky with superfluous buttons. The 1080p HD version that is currently on sale offers everything we liked in the upgraded version, just at a lower price.

If you hate trying to type with the remote, the Google Assistant makes it easy to find your next watch faster. The implementation of the Google Assistant doesn't just help when searching for shows. It's also compatible with fellow smart home devices, allowing you to dim the lights without ever leaving the couch.

Get the Chromecast with Google TV for just $19.99 at Amazon.

UPDATE: Apr. 25, 2024, 10:00 a.m. EDT The Home Depot's Halfway to Halloween drop went live around 6:30 a.m. ET. The new 7-Foot Skelly’s Dog and three-pack of Ultra-Poseable Skeletons sold out in well under an hour, followed by the 12.5-Foot Inferno Deadwood Skelly. At the time of writing, there were just over 2,500 12-foot Skellys and one (!) 7 FT. Animated Frankenstein’s Monster left in stock. Another release will likely happen in July. Our original story follows.

Quick links: The Home Depot 2024 Halloween collection Upgraded for 2024 12-Foot Skelly $299 at The Home Depot Buy Now New for 2024 7-Foot Skelly’s Dog $199 at The Home Depot Sold Out New for 2024 12.5-Foot Inferno Deadwood Skelly $379 at The Home Depot Sold Out New for 2024 7-Foot Animated Frankenstein’s Monster $279 at The Home Depot Buy Now New for 2024 5-Foot Battery Operated LED Ultra-Poseable Skeleton (3-Pack) $119 at The Home Depot Sold Out

Tackling a spring cleaning to-do list? Go ahead and leave some of those cobwebs intact: According to The Home Depot, it's already time to start thinking about Halloween decor.

The home improvement retailer is celebrating the almost-halfway point to spooky season with a limited initial release of its 2024 Halloween collection, including an upgraded version of its iconic 12-foot skeleton and its new skeleton dog sidekick. Products will be available online starting Thursday, April 25 while supplies last.

SEE ALSO: Live, laugh, LifeEyes™️: How the 12-foot Home Depot skeleton became a perennial hit

A representative for the company couldn't confirm a sale start time but recommended that interested shoppers pay close attention to The Home Depot's website and social media accounts for availability intel. If past restocks are any indication, product listings will likely go live around 6 to 7 a.m. ET.

The sale marks the second year in a row that The Home Depot has hosted a "Halfway to Halloween" event in April, and shoppers can expect to see an even bigger selection of products compared to its spring 2023 surprise drop.

You are feeling veeery eager to spend $300. Credit: The Home Depot

The star of the show is, once again, the 12-foot Giant-Sized Skeleton with LifeEyes LCD Eyes, a viral hit that's sold out every year since 2020. "Skelly," as it's affectionately known to fans and admirers, will make its fourth coming with newly enhanced light-up eyes that have eight swappable settings but stay at its usual price of $299.

Skelly is joined by two new colossal companions this year — one being the aforementioned five-by-seven-foot Skeleton Dog ($199), a cadaverous canine with a posable mouth and the same changeable LCD eyes. Its name is "Dawg" and it's Skelly's "best friend," per the description on its product page.

I'm literally shaking buy him brown contacts pls. Credit: The Home Depot

The other XL newcomer is a 12.5-foot Giant-Sized Inferno Deadwood Skeleton, an arboreal horror with built-in color-changing lights that looks like Groot's evil cousin. It will sell for $379.

I am evil Groot. Credit: The Home Depot / Mashable composite

Rounding out The Home Depot's Halfway to Halloween lineup is a seven-foot Animated LED Frankenstein’s Monster ($249), which says lines from Universal's 1931 Frankenstein film, and a three-pack of five-foot Pose-n-Stay Skeletons ($119) with moveable arms and light-up eyes.

Shoppers can expect to encounter even more new Halloween props at The Home Depot later in the coming months, including a 7.5-foot animated plague doctor, a 10-foot haunted maple tree, a nine-foot headless horseman, a six-foot animatronic pirate named "Captain Cuts," and a six-foot card-playing skeleton called "Jack of Spades." The fate of the 12-foot, gourd-headed Inferno Pumpkin Skeleton that's been sold alongside Skelly since 2021 is still in limbo, but Home Depot's rep said more announcements are imminent.

Another online launch of The Home Depot's Halloween collection will likely happen sometime in July, as we've seen in past years, so save up accordingly.

So you've got a new iPhone. First of all, if it's a brand new device, enjoy that magnificent moment of peeling the protective film from your sweet, sweet, unmarked screen. Second, get a case, if you're as spectacularly uncoordinated as me.

Now, unless you're starting a clean slate in a new town, you probably want to bring over all your data so you can hit the ground running with your new phone. But how do you transfer iPhone to iPhone? It's pretty simple, but before you do anything, back up your iPhone and have your Apple ID and password ready to go (even if you have to reset your password — everyone forgets!).

SEE ALSO: iPhone password reset attacks are real – how to protect yourself

Now that's done, let's move.

How to transfer iPhone to iPhone Total Time

• 5 min

What You Need

• iPhone
• iCloud account

Step 1: Transfer your SIM card from your old iPhone to your new iPhone.

Apple has a handy video explainer on how to do this if you need it.

Step 2: Make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and your Bluetooth is switched on.

Step 3: Follow the onscreen instructions from iOS' Quick Start to set up your phone.

Step 4: At the "Apps & Data" screen, pick which way you want to transfer your data.

Apple will offer you options. Choosing to download from iCloud means your data (including apps) will start downloading and you can begin using your new iPhone while it chugs away in the background. Choosing to transfer directly means an extra step (see below) and you won't be able to use your new iPhone until the download is done.

Step 5: If you're transferring data directly (not through iCloud), make sure your two iPhones are near each other and plugged into chargers.

Step 6: And you're done!

How to transfer an iPhone backup to your new iPhone

You can also transfer your iPhone data using a backup you've previously made. If you've already set-up your new iPhone and want to restore a backup, you need to erase the device first before carrying out the steps below.

In your iPhone, navigate to Settings, then tap General, then scroll to "Transfer or Reset [Device] " before tapping "Erase All Content and Settings". Then you'll be able to set up your iPhone from scratch.

OK, now we can restore the backup.

Total Time

• 5 min

What You Need

• iPhone
• Mac or PC

Step 1: Turn on your new iPhone and make sure it's connected to WiFi.

Step 2: When you're setting up your iPhone through Quick Start, stop at the "Apps & Data" screen.

Step 3: Tap "Restore from Mac or PC".

Step 4: Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC, whichever you backed up your iPhone to.

Step 5: Select your iPhone in either Apple Devices, iTunes, or a Finder window.

Step 6: Click "Restore Backup" and select the backup you want.

Step 7: The backup will take a moment to restore, then you can finish setting up your iPhone.

Now you're all set up, head over here for more tips and tricks for your iPhone on Mashable.

Online-comic-turned-Hacks-star Megan Stalter takes the lead in the trailer for Cora Bora, a comedy about a budding musician returning home to try and win back her girlfriend.

"Cora Bora proves a sensational cringe comedy, spiked with wicked humor, skin-crawling awkward scenarios, and an ardent — if wounded — heart," wrote Mashable's Kristy Puchko in her review. "Deftly dancing from brash jokes to tender dialogue, Stalter reveals a riveting range and stirring screen presence. Simply put, it’s easy to fall for Cora Bora."

Sounds like one to keep an eye out for.

Cora Bora is coming soon to theaters.

TL;DR: Stream select fixtures from the NBA for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The NBA is a unique spectacle. In no other sport can you watch incredibly tall athletes be made to look tiny by aliens who could probably touch the sun if they stood on tip toes. And almost all of these shockingly tall athletes display a skillset that mere mortals can't even fathom.

The NBA could make a legitimate argument that it hosts the very best athletes in the world. Sure, the NFL might disagree. And rugby definitely attracts some special specimens. But the NBA has a bunch of seven footers dunking on each other. That's tough to beat.

If you are interested in watching the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is the NBA?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America made up of 30 teams (29 from the United States and one from Canada). The reigning league champions are the Denver Nuggets.

When is the NBA?

The NBA regular season takes place from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The league's playoff tournament runs into June, culminating with the NBA Finals championship series.

How to watch the NBA for free

Free-to-air channel ProSieben airs select NBA games, with free live streaming available on Ran.de. Fans can watch two NBA games every weekend during the regular season, with many playoff and finals fixtures also available to watch for free.

Ran.de is geo-restricted to Germany, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can access this streaming service from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Germany

4. Connect to Ran.de

5. Watch the NBA for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select NBA games before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on Ran.de, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Germany

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy

• Fast streaming speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

It’s our 15th anniversary this year and we’d love to hear about you: who you are, why you follow us, what you like, what you don’t, what you value and how you interact with us and anyone else in the infosphere.

Yes, it’s a survey but a quick two minute one. Plus every 100th participant will win one of our beautiful books. We thank you!

» Take the 2 minute survey

Despite constant mockery from X owner Elon Musk, Threads is growing.

According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who shared the news during Meta's most recent earnings call, Threads now has more than 150 million monthly active users.

That's a pretty big increase from February, when Threads (also according to Zuckerberg) had 130 million monthly users. The app first passed 100 million users in July last year.

SEE ALSO: Apple forced to pull Meta's WhatsApp, Threads from China’s App Store. Here’s why.

For comparison, Twitter has about 550 million monthly active users globally (if you trust Musk and X's official figures, which are disputed by some research firms).

The company isn't sitting on its laurels, either. On Wednesday, Head of Instagram and Threads Adam Mosseri said that Threads is testing the option to archive posts "with a small number of people."

Post by @mosseri View on Threads

Individual posts can be archived manually, but you can also automatically archive all posts after a certain period of time.

According to Mosseri, Threads users said in a poll they didn't want this to be a feature that's on by default, so it's added as an option.

UPDATE: Apr. 25, 2024, 11:47 a.m. GMT TikTok will voluntarily suspend TikTok Lite's reward program amid the EU's concerns. "TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators. We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised," the company posted on X on Wednesday. The original article follows.

TikTok is officially under investigation by the EU and that means everything that goes with it, including the company's spinoff app, TikTok Lite.

As of February, the European Commission (the EU's executive branch) has been conducting a probe into TikTok's compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). And on Wednesday, the Commission gave TikTok 24 hours to come up with a risk assessment specifically on TikTok Lite, one it says should have been done before launch in the EU.

Launched quietly in in France and Spain in April, TikTok Lite is the data-light version of the app that's designed for areas with slower internet speeds. First launched in Thailand in 2018, TikTok Lite currently has over 1 billion downloads to date with the top countries being India, Brazil, and Indonesia, according to data aggregator Sensor Tower.

SEE ALSO: Why TikTok is obsessed with Donghua Jinlong's industrial grade glycine

The section of the app that's particularly drawn the ire of the EU is TikTok Lite's "Tasks and Rewards", Reuters reports. Here, users over 18 can earn points through watching and liking videos, following TikTok creators, and referring people to the app (this last one is also available on the main TikTok app through Rewards). Users can then cash in these points for things like Amazon vouchers or TikTok coins, the in-app currency that lets you pay creators.

In its announcement, the European Commission stipulated concerns over TikTok Lite's possible impact on the mental health of users, including children, "in particular in relation to the potential stimulation of addictive behaviour" — this is a major focus of the EU's overarching investigation into TikTok. As well as the risk assessment, TikTok is also required to supply information about "measures the platform has put in place to mitigate such systemic risks".

"As a platform that reaches millions of children and teenagers, TikTok must fully comply with the DSA and has a particular role to play in the protection of minors online," said Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market, in a press statement. "We are launching this formal infringement proceeding today to ensure that proportionate action is taken to protect the physical and emotional well-being of young Europeans."

Breton posted a...less formal statement on X (formerly Twitter) following the Commission's information request.

Tweet may have been deleted

Citing the DSA, the Commission made sure to note it "can impose fines for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information."

Only a few hours left, TikTok.

Based on the three-part article series written by Wired's Jason Parham and directed by Prentice Penny (Insecure), Black Twitter: A People’s History chronicles the rise of one of the most influential, important spaces on the internet, through the major moments, key voices, and of course, the memes. And you can watch the new trailer above.

"Black Twitter is the beating heart of Twitter overall," wrote Mashable's Chance Townsend and Tim Marcin. "If you have a favorite meme, joke, or even way to use Twitter, it most likely started on Black Twitter. There is no Twitter — at least not the version we know — without Black Twitter."

The three-part Hulu series features a colossal amount of interviews, featuring Roxane Gay, W. Kamau Bell, Ira Madison III, Jemele Hill, Kid Fury, Dr. André Brock, Rembert Browne, Luvvie Ajayi Jones, Raquel Willis, Dr. Meredith Clark, Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, TJ Adeshola, Shamika Klassen, Amanda Seales, Denver Sean, Wesley Lowery, April Reign, Sam Jay, Brad Jenkins, God-is Rivera, Ashley Weatherspoon, Van Lathan, Jamilah Lemieux, Baratunde Thurston, J Wortham, Judnick Mayard, and Parham.

Notably, the response to Hulu's first trailer was mixed on Black Twitter itself.

How to watch: Black Twitter: A People’s History premieres May 9 on Hulu.

Redditors have been around for a while, witnessing the social media platform's various ups and downs. In the past year alone, Reddit has been through a lot: an IPO, AI-powered updates, API changes that resulted in major backlash...we could go on.

Many users remain loyal to the platform. But for the select few who want to delete their accounts, or simply have too many social media accounts to handle, here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

SEE ALSO: Reddit introduces an AI-powered tool that will detect online harassment

Note: once you delete an account, you won't be able to recover it.

How to delete a Reddit account Total Time

• 3-4 minutes.

What You Need

• Reddit account

Step 1: Open Reddit on your desktop or smartphone.

Once you've opened Reddit, make sure you're logged in.

Step 2: Click on your profile picture on the top-right corner of the screen.

Credit: Mashable screenshot

Step 3: Navigate to user settings.

This is found in the drop-down menu when you click on your profile picture.

Credit: Mashable screenshot

Step 4: Scroll all the way down and click "Delete account".

Credit: Mashable screenshot

Step 5: Enter your username and password.

You'll be asked to enter these details to proceed to the next step.

Step 6: Make sure you're sure.

Reddit will let you know that you can't recover your account once you delete it. Tick the box here.

Step 7: Click delete.

And you're done!

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for April 25 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 25

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, April 25, 2024:

AcrossMove like a pendulum

• The answer is swing.

Having an established key, musically

• The answer is tonal.

Up and fully caffeinated, say

• The answer is awake.

Tablecloth material

• The answer is linen.

English city in West Yorkshire

• The answer is Leeds.

DownTry to buy some time

The answer is stall.

Exclamation that rhymes with "Maui"

• The answer is wowie.

Totally wackadoodle

• The answer is inall.

In the buff

• The answer is naked.

Mountain valleys

• The answer is glens.

Two timelines 50 years apart play out in the trailer for Touch, Baltasar Kormàkur's drama about a terminally ill widower Kristófer (Egill Ólafsson) trying to learn what happened to the woman he fell in love with as a young man.

From the looks of the trailer this one's going to pack a heavy punch of nostalgia, with the older man Kristófer following in the footsteps of his younger self (Palmi Kormákur) in an effort to solve a mystery while he still can. Based on the novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson, Touch also stars Kôki, Masahiro Motoki, and Yôko Narahashi.

How to watch: Touch is coming to theaters on July 12.

With four episodes checking in at around the 40 minute mark, Conan O'Brien Must Go is the kind of show you just want more of.

But while we don't know if the comedy travel show, which sees the host surprising fans in Norway, Argentina, Thailand, and Ireland, will be back for a second season, we can at least make the most of what we do have — and that includes four silly post-credits scenes you may have missed on first viewing.

From a belting Irish song to an impressive animation, here are the post-credits scenes that take place at the end of each of O'Brien's different adventures.

SEE ALSO: Conan O'Brien's 'Hot Ones' is the greatest episode of all time. It may never be topped. Norway Credit: Conanco / Max

This is definitely the sweetest of the post-credits scenes. Earlier in the Norway episode O'Brien heads to the archipelago of Lofoten to meet up with a fan, a fish farmer called Kai who takes him out on his boat. Right at the end of the episode Kai makes a reappearance, this time in a video he's filmed of himself on his phone.

"Hey Conan, it's me Kai here," he says. "I don't know if you remember the drink we had in the bar? There was a girl there which I have known for a while. Conan gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me to go for it — and I did. So we're living together now, and we're expecting our first baby – a little girl, now, in February. Things are going really great. Thank you for your visit."

Adorable!

Argentina Credit: Conanco/Max

At the start of the episode O'Brien visits an artist called Sebastian in the city of Buenos Aires, and makes a very specific request: Can Sebastian paint a portrait of the host with his arms around footballer Lionel Messi on one side, Pope Francis on the other, then turn the whole thing into a giant mural? Sebastian is happy to oblige, and the post-credits scene contains a timelapse of said mural being put together.

Thailand Credit: Conanco/Max

O'Brien visits Big Brain Studio in Bangkok during the Thailand episode, where he views the start of an animation commemorating his visit. O'Brien then immediately dictates some scenes he wants added to the cartoon. "Can we include a segment where I'm not answering texts from my wife?" asks O'Brien. "Maybe a segment where I'm having way too much white wine at night in the hotel bar, and then maybe my producer pulling me away from the bar."

The final post-credits scene contains the full animation, complete with these scenes and more.

Ireland Credit: Conanco/Max

Midway through the Ireland episode O'Brien joins singing trio The Irish Tenors for a rendition of "Danny Boy". In the episode's post-credits scene he's back with them, this time performing in a packed Irish pub to rapturous applause from the audience.

How to watch: Conan O'Brien Must Go is streaming now on Max.

TikTok is facing increasing limits and bans on a global scale.

In the U.S., a ban has been looming since last year, and a congressional hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made many a headline last year. Come 2024 and President Joe Biden has signed off on a bill that demands TikTok's parent company ByteDance divest from the app or face a ban in the country.

Beyond, across North America, Europe and Asia, several countries have implemented some level of restriction on the the app, largely over privacy and cybersecurity concerns connected to ByteDance, which has ties to the Chinese government. International government bodies including the European Commission and NATO have banned staff from using TikTok on their corporate phones, as have federal governments in countries across the globe.

Here are the countries that have invoked partial or total bans on the app.

SEE ALSO: As U.S. leaders debate a TikTok ban, lawmakers and creators clash over generational and social differences Afghanistan

The Taliban banned TikTok in Afghanistan in April 2022, saying that the platform's content "was not consistent with Islamic laws", according to Bloomberg.

Australia

In April 2023, Australia banned the app from all federal government-owned devices, citing security concerns raised by the the Department of Home Affairs. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the ban would be imposed "as soon as practicable".

Belgium

Belgium banned TikTok from the work phones of government officials in March 2023. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a statement to Politico, "We can't be naive: TikTok is a Chinese company that currently is mandated to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services."

Canada

Mirroring other countries, Canada banned TikTok from all government mobile devices in February 2023. Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, said the partial ban is due to the app presenting "an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."

"The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners," she said in a statement.

Denmark

Denmark's Defense Ministry banned employees from having TikTok downloaded on their work devices in March 2023. Again related to security considerations assessed by the country’s Center for Cyber Security, staffers were told to remove the app as soon as possible.

India

India made moves against TikTok in 2020, implementing a nationwide ban on TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps, for "[engaging] in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order." The government put the ban in place after a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese military forces. India is the largest country to place a blanket ban on the app.

Featured Video For You TikTok doctors debunk the most viral COVID vaccine myths Nepal

In November 2023, Nepal banned TikTok for disrupting "social harmony". The BBC reported that the ban would come into effect immediately, according to Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma, who said that the app spread malicious content. TikTok is widely used in the country, especially by younger and female social media users.

The Netherlands

While not an outright ban, Dutch officials have been told not to use TikTok since January 2023. The recommendation is in line with several other government service bodies, but is being less monitored in the Netherlands, a spokesperson for the general affairs ministry told Politico.

New Zealand

Following several European countries making similar decisions, New Zealand's parliament announced a ban on TikTok on all staff devices in March 2023.

"This decision has been made based on our own experts’ analysis and following discussion with our colleagues across government and internationally," read the government's statement made by parliamentary service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. "Based on this information the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment."

Norway

The Norwegian Parliament banned TikTok on governmental devices in March 2023, though allowing civil servants to use the app on professional grounds on their personal devices. The country's justice minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement, "The Norwegian intelligence services single out Russia and China as the main risk factors for Norway's security interests." Mehl experienced her fair share of scrutiny over having TikTok on her work phone albeit before the ban.

Somalia

In August 2023, Somalia banned TikTok over concerns of terror-related content. The government said terrorist groups are using platforms like TikTok and Telegram to spread "horrific images and misinformation to the public."

Taiwan

Government devices in Taiwan were banned from using Chinese-made software, including TikTok, in December 2022.

United Kingdom

British government ministers were banned from using TikTok on work phones and devices in March 2023, following reviews by the UK's National Cyber Security Centre. Cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden explained in a statement that the government's decision "is in line with similar restrictions brought in by key international partners", citing the U.S. and Canadian governments and the European Commission.

"Given the potentially sensitive nature of information which is stored on government devices, government policy on the management of third party applications will be strengthened and a precautionary ban on TikTok on government devices is being introduced," the statement read.

United States

In short, it's complicated. The latest: on April 24, President Biden signed the bill that will ban TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance fails to divest from the app within the next year.

This is the result of efforts that made significant headway in 2024. On March 14, the House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok, unless ByteDance divests from the app. The bill was passed once again in April, and headed to the Senate afterwards.

SEE ALSO: The TikTok ban is law. Here's what happens next.

In response, TikTok has been campaigning to save itself on U.S. soil, with its CEO Shou Zi Chew indicating that the company could take legal action, while also lobbying TikTok creators and businesses: "This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies. It will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses. It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk and it will take away your TikTok."

After the president signed the bill, TikTok released a statement calling the decision "unconstitutional."

Tweet may have been deleted

"We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation," read a statement posted by @TikTokPolicy on X.

Prior to all of this, in February 2023 federal agencies were asked to delete the app from staff phones, with the White House already disallowing TikTok on devices. In March 2023, Chew provided testimony in Congress, defending the app and bringing up "Project Texas", the company's initiative to protect user data in the U.S.. Months later, the Montana House of Representatives passed a ban on TikTok, leading to the possibility of the app becoming illegal if the state's governor signs the bill. However, a judge blocked the state's ban, declaring the bill to be unconstitutional with regards to the First Amendment right to free speech.

This is all to say, the future of TikTok in America remains in question. TikTok is fighting back, and so are its users.

Here's everything you need to know about the potential U.S. ban of TikTok and which other Chinese apps it could affect.

A European spacecraft orbiting Mars has acquired some of the most detailed images yet of a region at the Red Planet's south pole known as "Inca City."

How this mysterious place earned its nickname is pretty obvious: From space, the natural grid-like pattern of pin-straight ridges, right angles, and polygons looks like the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. Though NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft discovered this area — more formally referred to as Angustus Labyrinthus — 50 years ago, planetary scientists are still unsure what natural phenomenon drove its formation. 

"It could be that sand dunes have turned to stone over time," according to the European Space Agency, which runs the Mars Express orbiter. "Perhaps material such as magma or sand is seeping through fractured sheets of Martian rock."

Or, in another possible theory, the ridges could be winding structures related to glaciers, the agency said. The German Aerospace Centre, whose High Resolution Stereo Camera shot the photos, believes the most compelling explanation is that the narrow ridges are solidified lava.

SEE ALSO: NASA asks: Can anyone help us get our Mars samples back? Tweet may have been deleted

The features that resemble walls appear to trace part of a 53-mile-wide circle. Scientists think perhaps the "city" sits in a large crater from an ancient asteroid collision. The impact may have caused faults to spread through the surrounding plain, filled with magma bubbling up. 

"Later, the softer material surrounding the polar plains was eroded, leaving behind ridges of the harder components of magmatic rock," the German Aerospace Centre said. 

Mars Express has taught scientists a lot about the Red Planet over the past 20 years. The spacecraft has been observing the Martian surface, mapping its minerals, revealing its composition and other aspects of its environment.

An area at Mars' south pole region has been compared to these ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru. Credit: joSon / Getty Images

The new photos also found hints of spidery formations scattered over the polar region — features that are better understood by researchers than Inca City. Dark splotches seen in the image below are buried "spiders," or so-called araneiform terrain.

The spiders tend to emerge when spring sunlight shines on layers of carbon dioxide deposited over the dark winter. The sun causes the dry ice trapped below the ice cap to turn into gas, which eventually breaks through the ice. 

The grid-like ridges of the Angustus Labyrinthus region on Mars along with dark-splotched "spiders." Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

If those don't look like spiders to you, take a look at the image below, taken by another European spacecraft known as the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. These ice spiders are lying just outside the region captured in the new Mars Express images. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has also repeatedly photographed the spiders.

Another European spacecraft known as the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has taken detailed pictures of the ice spiders as well. Credit: ESA / TGO / CaSSIS

"The emerging gas, laden with dark dust, shoots up through cracks in the ice in the form of tall fountains or geysers, before falling back down and settling on the surface," according to ESA.

The geysers make blotches about 50 yards to a half-mile wide. These patterns — when seen beneath the ice, as photographed recently by Mars Express — are a sign that "spiders'' will eventually pop out. Scientists think this process, which doesn't happen on Earth, is a key mechanism for carbon dioxide exchange between the polar ice cap and the Martian atmosphere.

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TL;DR: As of April 25, this Ecoegg Laundry Bundle — good for up to 210 washes — is on sale for just $34.99 (reg. $42.99).

If you are trying to be more environmentally friendly, you can start at home with your laundry routine. There are modern alternatives to the standard liquid or powdered detergent seen on the store shelves. Products like the Ecoegg make it easy to take a more natural approach to cleaning your clothes.

For a limited time, this Ecoegg bundle is just $34.99 (reg. $42.99). This washing system includes a Laundry Egg, Dryer Egg, and Detox Tab.

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TL;DR: Through May 1, spoil the special mom in your life with this Top 18 Splash Wines Assortment for $64.97 (reg. $350), plus $39.95 shipping.

With Mother's Day around the corner, you may be looking to surprise Mom with some pretty flowers. While the standard bouquet is a nice idea, cut flowers don't last very long, and mom has the added chore of caring for them. Why not give the special mom in your life something a little different?

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TL;DR: Through Mother's Day, give the mom — or moms, or mom-figures — in your life two dozen long-stem farm-fresh roses for just $49.99 (reg. $86.76), which includes shipping. The colors are the farmer's choice, depending on what's freshest.

Whether for your own mom or the mom of your children, this Mother’s Day, express your love and gratitude in a visually stunning way — with a beautiful selection of two dozen farm-fresh roses for just $49.99, including shipping. This tried-and-true gesture says, "I love you, Mom," with vibrant, farm-grown roses. The color will be the farmer's choice, depending on what's available and looking freshest at the time.

This offer gets you two dozen long-stem roses that were handpicked by farmers. Rose Farms delivers straight to customers, which cuts out the extra time and money associated with the middleman. 

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