The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.28 TikTok Slammed For Collecting Kids Data, Michael Cohen Testimony, Possible Perjury, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Thursday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is something that actually touches on a topic we've covered in a different manner here and there throughout the week. And that is thinking of the children. What are the children doing? Are we keeping the children safe? Also, actually side note before we jump into the real story. This is less to complain and more because I find it amusing. After posting yesterday's Philip DeFranco Show where in part one of the stories we covered was

Starting point is 00:00:25 debunking the the Momo challenge hoax, the official YouTube Twitter account which is followed by 71 million people quote tweeted me and said thanks Philly D for debunking the Momo challenge and encouraging parents to flag inappropriate content to us. And I was like, oh, that's pretty cool. And then I woke up and I found out they demonetized that video that they promoted. I don't know if they also hit us for content ratings so if you have people that are still spreading misinformation share that video that video because it's not gonna pop up in places where it should be. Potentially, potentially. Also, side note, shout out to the BBC, The Guardian, and other places that are not just feeding the panic around this hoax, instead doing pieces about how it is a malicious hoax and that there's this feedback loop. But that said, the story involving the children today does not involve YouTube, but instead TikTok. And TikTok, if you don't know, is a just massively popular app

Starting point is 00:01:06 that allows people to create these short vertical videos where people are dancing, lip syncing with songs, playing, memeing, doing kind of small sketches. Along with that, of course, it has social media elements like you like videos, you can follow people, you can message people. I mean, right now it's the number eight free app on the iPhone App Store.

Starting point is 00:01:21 In the first half of 2018, it was the most downloaded app in the App Store worldwide, beating out the likes of YouTube, Instagram, and PUBG. In June of 2018, the app's global monthly active user count reached 500 million across over 150 countries and regions. With this surge, it's also enabled very young creators to be immensely successful and popular. You have people like Ariel Martin,

Starting point is 00:01:41 baby Ariel with 29.3 million fans. Kristen Hancher, 21.6 million. You also have Lisa and Lena Mantler from Germany who are just 16 with 32.5 million fans. But the reason TikTok is in the news today doesn't have to do with their massive numbers and the fact that they are the new kingmaker, but because of allegations that they were illegally collecting the personal data of children. And it turns out this is due to the business practices of the company while the app was still under the name Musically before it changed to TikTok back in 2018. And all of that led us to the news today that the Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with TikTok. So according to the FTC settlement released yesterday on this issue,

Starting point is 00:02:16 which according to the statement on their website, is the largest civil penalty ever obtained by the Commission in a children's privacy case. Musically violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires that websites and online services directed to children obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. The complaint also expanded on this, saying that to register for the app, users had to provide their email, phone number, username, full name, a short bio, and a profile picture. And new accounts were public by default, meaning that most of this information could be seen by other users.

Starting point is 00:02:45 And although an account could be changed to private, unapproved users could still access profile pictures, bios, and send direct messages to a private account. And in addition to that, the complaint asserts that there were public reports of adults attempting to get in contact with children through the app. And to make matters worse, between December 2015 and October 2016,

Starting point is 00:03:02 they also collected geolocation information from users of the app, which until October of 2016, included a feature allowing users to view other users in a 50 mile radius of their location. So why is this such a serious problem? You may ask, perfectly setting up my transition to the next part. Well, according to the complaint,

Starting point is 00:03:18 a significant percentage of Musical.ly users are children under 13. And in 2016, it was alleged that the seven most popular accounts on Musical.ly in terms of followers were children under 13. With a complaint it was alleged that the seven most popular accounts on Musical.ly in terms of followers were children under 13. With a complaint going on to say that the company then reviewed its most popular users and found that 39 additional children under 13

Starting point is 00:03:33 were amongst the most popular. Then in February of 2017, the company contacted these 46 users under 13 by email, instructing them to edit their description on their profiles to indicate that the accounts were run by a parent or manager, but the complaint says that the company didn't verify whether the person that they were emailing

Starting point is 00:03:47 was the child user or the parent. And the complaint further alleges that the company received, quote, thousands of complaints from parents that their child under 13 years old had created a Musical.ly app account without their knowledge. Adding that in just a two-week period in September of 2016, the company received over 300 complaints

Starting point is 00:04:01 from parents asking to close their child's account. And the company did close those accounts, but the complaint states that they didn't delete the user's videos or profile information from their server. And while the app did take steps to address age concerns in July of 2017 by requesting the age of new users when signing up and preventing those under 13 from making accounts, it appeared that for those

Starting point is 00:04:19 who were already in place, it was too late, especially because those who made accounts prior to this change were not asked to verify their age. So as a result of this, what will happen now? Well, as mentioned, there was an FTC settlement that is resulting in TikTok having to pay a record $5.7 million. With FTC Chairman Joe Simon stating,

Starting point is 00:04:36 "'This record penalty should be a reminder "'to all online services and websites that target children. "'We take enforcement of COPPA very seriously "'and we will not tolerate companies "'that flagrantly ignore the law.'" And also in addition to this 5.7 million dollars, it requires the company to comply with COPPA moving forward and to remove all videos made by children under 13 from their app. And in response to all of this, we saw TikTok releasing a statement saying, We've now implemented changes to accommodate younger US users in a limited, separate app experience

Starting point is 00:05:00 that introduces additional safety and privacy protections designed specifically for this audience. The new environment for younger users does not permit the sharing of personal information and it puts extensive limitations on content and user interaction. Both current and new TikTok users will be directed to the age appropriate app experience beginning today. And adding that in the younger ecosystem,

Starting point is 00:05:18 users cannot do things like share their videos on TikTok, comment on others' videos, message with users, or maintain a profile or followers. However, they will be able to experience what TikTok is at its core, showcasing creativity, as they enjoy curated content and experiment with TikTok's unique, fanciful, and expressive features. And that was a lot to say.

Starting point is 00:05:35 It sounds like young users will essentially just be put into a view-only mode. But ultimately, that's the situation as it is right now, and I kind of view this in two light. One, it appears that the established company of now is paying for the sins of company past. And two, a point that we try to reiterate whenever a story like this comes up,

Starting point is 00:05:49 if you are a parent to a young child, you need to monitor what they are doing. Yesterday, despite me trying to explain that it was not me targeting people, when I say that there are parents out there that are ignorant, I'm not saying that you're stupid. I think a lot of parents are just ignorant to what is happening on kids' phones and tablets

Starting point is 00:06:04 and whatever else on the internet. And it's part of the reason why so many end up being so reactionary to headlines that pop up out of nowhere and why people are unaware of certain things happening. It's new ground for a lot of people. A lot of people are learning as they go. I mean, for example, I didn't even think

Starting point is 00:06:18 that I would need to be super, super monitoring what was happening before the Elsagate stuff happened. But yeah, also, side note, to some adults that are on TikTok doing duets, some of that stuff is so creepy, get a feel for the room. Oh, and final note, I don't think this is gonna be the last of a story like this. It appears that adults trying to contact

Starting point is 00:06:35 some of the younger people on the app has become so commonplace that it's a meme on the app. Yeah, that's where I'm gonna end this one, and of course, pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts around this? Also, what are your thoughts and experiences with TikTok, good and bad? It's new to me, it's where I'm gonna end this one. And of course, pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts around this? Also, what are your thoughts and experiences with TikTok, good and bad? It's new to me, it's a different world to me,

Starting point is 00:06:49 and I'd really love to know your thoughts on it. And then, as promised, because we didn't talk about it yesterday because it was still developing, let's talk about this situation with Michael Cohen, Congress, and Trump. So of course, Michael Cohen is Trump's former personal lawyer. He's been described as a fixer,

Starting point is 00:07:01 one of his most trusted aides in the past. And yesterday, he made his first and only public appearance before Congress to talk about Donald Trump's character and possible criminal conduct But on that note we should mention that last year Cohen pleaded guilty to several charges including campaign finance violation tax evasion bank fraud and lying to Congress and for all of that he was sentenced to three years in prison which he'll start Serving in May and since then there's been a lot of back and forth about whether or not Cohen would actually testify before Congress But finally yesterday he did and he did it for over seven hours. And so we're gonna try and hit some of the highlights, but of course, keep in mind, like with any story, we're gonna link like crazy down below. So, as we briefly mentioned yesterday, Cohen came out swinging.

Starting point is 00:07:34 I am ashamed, because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist, he is a con man, and he is a cheat. So as far as the racist claim, he said... He once asked me if I could name a country run by a black person that wasn't a shithole. This was when Barack Obama was president of the United States. And while we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way. Then regarding Cohen calling Donald Trump a cheat, he also turned over documents he said supports those claims.

Starting point is 00:08:21 And specifically, he handed in copies of financial statements for 2011 to 2013 that Trump gave to Deutsche Bank and to Forbes, reportedly in part to get a loan to buy the Buffalo Bills, and Cohen says that this shows that Trump tried to inflate his assets to be listed among the wealthiest people in Forbes, and also that Trump deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes. Regarding money, later during questioning,

Starting point is 00:08:38 Cohen was asked about Trump's 2016 tax returns, and Cohen essentially said that he doesn't believe that Trump is under audit, saying he just doesn't want to release his tax returns because a real audit could result in penalties. Still on the note of money, Cohen also submitted a copy of an article with Trump's handwriting on it about a portrait of Trump being auctioned.

Starting point is 00:08:52 And according to Cohen, Trump directed him to find a fake bidder to purchase his portrait at an auction for $60,000. This was to ensure that the portrait would be sold for the highest price of any portrait at the event. And Cohen said that Trump then had the Trump Foundation, which is a charitable organization, repay the fake bidder and he kept the portrait for himself.

Starting point is 00:09:09 Regarding Cohen calling Donald Trump a con man, he says that Trump asked him to pay off Stormy Daniels, who Trump was accused of having an affair with. Along with this, he also turned over a copy of a $130,000 wire transfer that went to Stormy Daniels to quote, maintain her silence about her affair with Mr. Trump, as well as two $35,000 checks from Trump and Trump Jr.

Starting point is 00:09:26 to reimburse him for the hush money payments he made. And in total, Cohen said that he received 11 reimbursement check installments throughout the year while Trump was president, adding, The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws.

Starting point is 00:09:46 Cohen was later asked whose signatures were on the second check and Cohen responded, I believe that the top signature is Donald Trump Jr. And the bottom signature, I believe is Allen Weisselberg's. And Allen Weisselberg, if you don't know, is the chief financial officer of the Trump organization. And in fact, he was granted immunity in exchange for testifying last August as part of the investigations into Cohen. This is a pretty massive deal because it means that Cohen is implicating both Weisselberg and Don Jr. in paying off Stormy Daniels. Which was a campaign finance violation that Cohen was charged with. Cohen also said that Donald Trump told him to threaten his schools, colleges, and college board with legal action so they would never release his grades or SAT scores.

Starting point is 00:10:23 And in connection to this claim, he turned over a letter he sent to Fordham University as proof. At another point, Cohen also said that Trump directed him to threaten people upwards of 500 times. How many times did Mr. Trump ask you to threaten an individual or entity on his behalf? So you've always been picky about your produce, but now you find yourself checking every label to make sure it's Canadian. So be it. At Sobeys, we always pick guaranteed fresh Canadian produce first. Restrictions apply.

Starting point is 00:10:50 See in-store or online for details. Quite a few times. 50 times? More. 100 times? More. 200 times? More.

Starting point is 00:11:03 500 times? Probably. Over times? More. 500 times? Probably. Over the 10 years. Another thing people were interested to hear regarding Cohen was information about Russia and collusion, but on that note, because of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, we really didn't get much. Although

Starting point is 00:11:17 around this, one of the biggest claims he did make was about Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, and former Trump strategist Roger Stone, with Cohen saying, A lot of people have asked me about whether Mr. Trump knew about the release of the hacked documents the Democratic National Committee emailed ahead of time. And the answer is yes. In July of 2016, days before the Democratic Convention, I was in Mr. Trump's office when his secretary announced

Starting point is 00:11:45 that Roger Stone was on the phone. Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speakerphone. Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton's campaign. Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect, wouldn't that be great?

Starting point is 00:12:14 And the question about what exactly Stone knew about Wikileaks' email plan has long been a mystery. And Mueller's recent indictment of Stone really didn't give any answers. You know, Stone has been indicted on charges of obstruction, making false statements and witness tampering as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. The special counsel cited emails in which Stone was trying to get in touch with Assange, but didn't make any definitive claims about what Stone learned.

Starting point is 00:12:33 But here you had Cohen claiming that Stone claimed to have gotten information to Assange directly, and two, that Stone was telling Trump himself about all of this. Some say that's a big deal here, since Stone has denied having any communication with Assange before the email dump. But on that note, later on the other side of this, Assange's lawyer denied that the phone call Cohen described happened. And finally,

Starting point is 00:12:50 Cohen took on the topic of collusion. Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not. And I want to be clear. But I have my suspicions. He goes on to say that something clicked in his mind after the media reported that there was a meeting in Trump Tower with Don Jr., others from the campaign, and Russians, as well as media reports about an email that set up the meeting with the subject line dirt on Hillary Clinton. Cohen said that he remembered that in early June of 2016, Don Jr. came into a room, walked behind his father's desk, and spoke in a low voice. Cohen saying that he recalled that he could clearly, Don Jr. came into a room, walked behind his father's desk and spoke in a low voice. Cohen saying that he recalled that he could clearly hear Don Jr. saying, quote, The meeting is all set. To which Donald Trump responded, okay good, let me know.

Starting point is 00:13:32 Cohen also saying that nothing went on in Trump's world without Trump's approval and knowledge. And so because of this, he thinks that Trump must have known about the meeting. And about Russia, Cohen also said, To be clear, Mr. Trump knew of and directed the Trump Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it. But he also added that Trump lied because he stood to lose hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow real estate project. And once again, with all of that said, I do really want to hit home on there was a lot

Starting point is 00:13:57 more that happened with this, both in statements and interesting back and forth, so it is a seven hour piece to go through. Like regarding things that Cohen said, I mean you had Cohen implicating Ivanka and others in the Trump family, his comments about Trump's medical deferment from the Vietnam draft, his comments about other things Trump did that he couldn't talk about

Starting point is 00:14:14 because of his participation in another investigation, as well as the back and forth that had both sides calling the other racist. You had Cohen saying that Donald Trump was a racist, then you had Mark Meadows bringing out a woman who was black that used to work for Trump and now works for Housing and Urban Development, and although she didn't testify, Meadows bringing out a woman who is black that used to work for Trump and now works for housing and urban development and although she didn't testify Meadows was speaking to the point of no Donald Trump is not racist

Starting point is 00:14:30 To which other people said that the woman was being used as a prop right essentially claiming that it's like this third party equivalent of saying I'm not racist I have a black friend where that one person's experience can speak to how a person treats everyone else that fits that same characteristic But on that note we only had so much time to go through the seven hours, and so that's why I'm gonna link to the full testimony down below, as well as other recaps in the description. So there was that part, and of course, along with it,

Starting point is 00:14:52 we saw people all day reacting and commenting on this testimony. We saw that Republicans were more skeptical of Cohen's testimony, claiming that he has lied before and is therefore untrustworthy. Donald Trump Jr. tweeting during the testimony, claiming that Cohen was lying, wanted to save himself, and was desperate to work in the White House

Starting point is 00:15:06 and only wanted to be famous. Democrats, on the other hand, largely viewed Cohen's testimony as potentially consequential. House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings saying that it would prove that Trump committed crimes while in office. Do you believe that the president

Starting point is 00:15:18 committed a crime while in office? Based on what, looking at the text and listening to Mr. Cohen, it appears that he did. I mean, again, if, and I don't, that's not for me to say. I'm basing that on what has already been filed. Here, they filed, Mr. Cohen is pleading to charges where he said he was directed to commit a crime by the president. As far as Nancy Pelosi, she made no comments on the potential outcomes of this testimony, but in a press briefing today said that the House did a good job trying to get to the truth. Chairman Cummings was just a magnificent maestro, and each and every one of our members did a very good job in trying to elicit the truth to try to get to the facts.

Starting point is 00:16:11 As far as Trump's reaction to all of this, from Vietnam, he tweeted before the House testimony saying that Cohen was lying to reduce his prison time. Also on Thursday, after his meeting with Kim Jong Un, Trump said that he didn't think the testimony should have happened during his summit with North Korea, and added, He lied a lot, but it was very interesting because He didn't lie about one thing. He said no collusion with the Russian hoax And I said I wonder why he didn't just lie about that too like he did about everything else Also, there was another interesting thing that happened in the midst of all of this

Starting point is 00:16:37 It involved Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz because before the testimony he tweeted this message to Cohen saying Hey, Michael Cohen 212. Do your wife and father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot. And so that tweet was perceived as threatening by many, and now in fact the Florida Bar is investigating whether or not he broke their conduct rules. Gates has since deleted the tweet, he's issued an apology,

Starting point is 00:17:00 but a lot of people saying that it's really not enough to apologize after the testimony. And as far as what happens next regarding this whole Situation it's gonna be interesting because keep in mind This is still developed seeing reports of things like chairman Elijah Cummings will seek to interview several people this including President Trump's children Don jr. And Ivanka as well as Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and also at the same time on the other side of this you had Republican Jim Jordan and Republican Mark Meadows Reportedly referring Michael Cohen to the Justice Department Thursday for possible criminal prosecution,

Starting point is 00:17:27 claiming to have evidence that Cohen, quote, "'committed perjury and knowingly made false statements to lawmakers during his day-long testimony Wednesday.'" So we're gonna have to keep watching, see what develops, but of course, like we always do, I wanna pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts regarding this whole situation? Also, what do you think will happen?

Starting point is 00:17:42 What do you want to happen? Any and everything, let me know what you're thinking in those comments down below. And that's where we're going to end today's show. And of course remember if you like this video, you like jumping into the news with us every single day, let us know. Hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, you want more of these jumps into the news as well as the morning news deep dives, hit that subscribe button. Definitely click that bell to turn on notifications. Also on that note, if you missed the last Philip DeFranco show, the last morning news deep dive, of course you can click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my the last Philip DeFranco show, the last Morning News deep dive, of course you can click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in, I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.28 TikTok Slammed For Collecting Kids Data, Michael Cohen Testimony, Possible Perjury, & More

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