The president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, has confirmed there are multiple ongoing investigations into TikTok. The probes concern the transfer of EU citizens’ data to China and targeted advertising aimed at minors. Investigators are seeking to ensure that TikTok meets General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.

“The data practices of TikTok, including with respect to international data transfers, are the object of several ongoing proceedings,” Ursula von der Leyden wrote in a letter shared by Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr. “This includes an investigation by the Irish [Data Protection Commission] about TikTok’s compliance with several GDPR requirements, including as regards data transfers to China and the processing of data of minors, and litigation before the Dutch courts (in particular concerning targeted advertising regarding minors and data transfers to China).”

Von der Leyden was responding to concerns raised by members of the European Parliament regarding Chinese public authorities potentially gaining access to EU citizens’ TikTok data, following a report by BuzzFeed News. The app’s data practices have been under the EU’s spotlight for a while. Earlier this year, TikTok agreed to enforce certain policies concerning ads and branded content following a complaint that accused the app of breaching EU consumer rules.

Of course, TikTok has been in hot water on the other side of the Atlantic over its privacy and security practices. Last month, TikTok denied reports that China-based workers for its parent company ByteDance planned to track the location of some US citizens through the app.

TikTok has been moving the data it holds on US users to Oracle data centers in the country in an attempt to placate officials who have been concerned about China potentially using the app against American citizens. In August, it emerged that Oracle was reviewing TikTok’s content moderation systems and algorithms to make sure they’re not subject to Chinese interference.

Carr, the FCC’s senior Republican commissioner, said this month that TikTok should be banned in the US. He previously urged Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores.

Source: Engadget – EU confirms multiple ongoing investigations into TikTok data practices

Serious home pizza chefs who are looking to up their game may want to consider Ooni’s offerings. The pizza oven company is running a sitewide Black Friday sale with 20 percent off all its products. At the lower end, the Ooni Fyra 12 is down to $279, nearly $70 off the regular price. At the other end of the scale is the Ooni Karu 16, which is nearly $160 off at $639.

Shop Ooni Black Friday saleBuy Fyra 12 at Ooni – $279Buy Karu 16 at Ooni – $639

We’ve frequently recommended Ooni’s pizza ovens in our outdoor guides. They’re relatively easy to use and deliver fairly consistent results, so if you’re eager to make pizza at home and don’t mind paying for a dedicated oven, it’s worth considering these.

The Fyra 12 seems like a solid option for folks who often host family and friends and are into pizza parties. It bakes 12-inch pies in as little as one minute, and it uses wood pellets to heat up to 950 degrees in just 15 minutes. If you’re well-organized, you’ll be able to crank out a bunch of pizzas quickly with the right toppings to keep everyone happy. Since it has foldable legs and a detachable chimney (and weighs a relatively slight 22 pounds), the Fyra 12 is reasonably portable too, so it may even be an option for camping trips.

At the upper end, the Karu 16 also has a mounted digital thermometer and a glass door. You can opt to cook pizzas in the Karu 16 using wood, charcoal or gas, though you’ll need an attachment for the latter. Speaking of accessories, those are 20 percent off as part of Ooni’s sale as well. Depending on where you are, you might want to wait a few months before cooking outside is a more practical option again. But, hey, if you snap up one of Ooni’s pizza ovens now, you’ll be ready to roll by the time spring comes back around.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

Source: Engadget – Ooni’s pizza ovens are 20 percent off for Black Friday

Meta’s Pixel tracking tool is causing more headaches, this time for people filing their taxes online. The Markup has discovered that large tax prep services like H&R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer have been sending users’ sensitive contact and financial information to Facebook through the Pixel. This sometimes included income data, filing statuses and even kids’ college tuition grants.

Intuit’s TurboTax also uses the Pixel to send data, although that’s limited to usernames and the last sign-in dates for given devices. The tool isn’t used beyond the login page, and a spokesperson told The Markup that the non-tax info goes to marketers to provide a “better customer experience.” You don’t see ads for TurboTax on Facebook if you already have an account, for instance. TaxAct is also delivering financial data to Google through that company’s analytics tool. 

The companies involved are altering or reevaluating their uses of the Meta Pixel. TaxAct has stopped sending financial data through the tracker, although it’s still transmitting similar content to Google as of this writing. TaxSlayer has pulled the Pixel to rethink its usage. H&R Block hasn’t changed its approach, but a spokesperson told The Markup the tax firm will “review the information.”

We’ve asked Meta for comment. Representative Dale Hogan pointed The Markup to Meta’s rules barring advertisers from sharing sensitive info, and noted that the system is meant to filter out this content. Google’s spokesperson, meanwhile, said the company had “strict policies” against targeting ads using sensitive content and that it anonymized analytics data to avoid linking it to users.

It’s not clear if any of the tax filing sites were misusing the data. Whether or not they were, they could still face penalties for gathering details without permission. Internal Revenue Service regulations require that tax prep firms obtain signed consent for using info for any reason beyond the filing. None of the websites in the report mentioned Meta or Facebook by name, and in some cases had only generic disclosure agreements. The sites gave users the option to decline sharing tax data, but Facebook received it regardless of what users selected.

Meta is already in legal trouble over the Pixel. Two proposed class action lawsuits filed earlier this year accused the social media giant and hospitals of violating privacy laws by scooping up patient data without consent. The plaintiffs also claimed Meta failed to enforce its own policies. In that sense, the tax site revelation just adds to the company’s problems.

Source: Engadget – Tax prep websites have been sending sensitive financial data to Facebook

This might be your best chance to buy a virtual reality headset as a gift — or, let’s be honest, for yourself. Amazon is selling a Meta Quest 2 128GB Black Friday bundle that includes the Resident Evil 4 VR remake and Beat Saberfor $350. That’s less than the usual price of the hardware by itself, and makes it an easy choice if you wanted games to play from the very start. A 256GB bundle is also available for $430.

The Quest 2 has been around for over two years, but it’s still the go-to headset for standalone VR. While it’s not as powerful as tethered hardware like the upcoming PlayStation VR2, the freedom of movement makes it very appealing. You can play games or enter the metaverse without tripping over cords or limiting yourself to one room. The high-res screens, comfortable fit (once you’ve adjusted the lenses) and excellent controllers make the device pleasant to use for the two-plus hours of gameplay you’ll typically get on a charge.

The games will be familiar. Resident Evil 4 in VR is what you’d hope for — it turns the survival horror game into a first-person action game that takes advantage of the immersive technology to keep you on edge. Beat Saber, meanwhile, is an iconic rhythm game that has you slashing notes and dodging obstacles in pursuit of high scores. Both are good showcases for VR, particularly for newcomers who might not know what to expect.

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Source: Engadget – Meta Quest 2 bundle with ‘Resident Evil 4’ and ‘Beat Saber’ is just 0 for Black Friday