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22 May 2023

Which Latin Song Lifts You Up? Vote

We all have that go-to song that has helped us heal, or simply just lifted our spirits.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, Billboard compiled a list of 10 Spanish-language songs that have helped de-stigmatize the topic of mental health with Latin artists speaking of their personal struggles, and in doing so, also helping raise mental health awareness.

The list includes Diego Torres‘ inspirational “Color Esperanza,” in which he sings about never losing hope. “I know that the windows can open. Changing the air depends on you and it will help you and it’ll be worth it,” the Argentine singer-songwriter declares. In 2020, nearly 20 years since it was originally released, a new version of the track was recorded by Sony Music Latin in partnership with Global Citizen to benefit the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The list also includes Karol G‘s “Mientras Me Curo del Cora,” in which the Colombian artist reflects on the importance of being surrounded by positive and supportive people while on her journey to healing, Francisca Valenzuela‘s “La Fortaleza” about self-worth, Jarabe de Palo‘s sunny and uplifting “Bonito” and KHEA‘s “Eclipse” on finding himself.

Vote for the song that lifts you up in our poll below. If your go-to anthem isn’t an option, you can add the song’s name.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health or substance abuse disorders, reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s national helpline 24/7 at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for confidential treatment referrals and information. For those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or distress, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. You can also call or text 988 to get connected to trained counselors.

22 May 2023

8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Morgan Wade, Ella Langley, Wendy Moten & More

Women offer a slew of top-shelf new music this week, from new EPs from Ella Langley, Jordyn Shellhart and Caroline Jones, to freshly-released new tracks from Morgan Wade and Wendy Moten. Also in the mix are Kyle Nix and the 38’s, Texas troubadour William Beckmann and newcomer Josh Kiser.

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See latest videos, charts and news

Morgan Wade, “Psychopath”

The “Wilder Days” singer-songwriter follows her breakthrough album with this tale of infatuation between two kindred spirits who find comfort in each other’s eccentricities. “Your dreams are your parents’ fears/ But can I steal you away from here?” she sings, on a succinct, heart-reeling line. She also blurs the swaggering spirit of pop-punk, acoustic country sensibilities and top 40 verve. Though Wade possesses enviable vocal power, here she relies on her gritty lower range to intimate effect. A solo write from Wade, “Psychopath” is the title track to Wade’s upcoming album, out Aug. 25.

Ella Langley, Excuse the Mess EP

Langley brings a heavy dose of hard-driving rock, alongside tender balladry and intimate songwriting, to this project’s compact eight tracks. “You make me wanna drink ’til I’m sick of it,” she sings, depicting a relentless emotional war on the searing “Make Me Wanna Smoke.” She offers slowed-down, moody modern country on the title track, warning a potential suitor that if he gets too close, her heart’s as messy as her home; she later circles back to the premise of being content with imperfection on the softly acoustic album closer “Don’t We All.” Meanwhile, “Could’ve Been Her” finds Langley musing about her ex-lover’s new flame, and contemplating all the ways she would have to compromise herself in order to stay in the relationship (“If I’d just hung around, didn’t know my worth/ I could’ve been her”). Overall, this album offers an all-around solid look into the specificity of Langley’s artistry.

Jordyn Shellhart, Primrose EP

A former Billboard Country Rookie of the Month, Shellhart releases her Warner Music Nashville EP Primrose this week as a testament to her sterling talents as both vocalist and songwriter. Over the course of a dozen songs, she sings of the struggle to live up to the influence of her musical idol on “Joni,” excavates the emotional origins of an argument with a lover on “Who Are You Mad At,” predicts the tide-turning future of a reckless lover on “Maybe Someday You’ll Have a Daughter,” and concludes with the intensely personal and unique perspective of “Near-Death Experience,” a solo write from Shellhart. This project is chock-full of top-shelf songwriting, with Shellhart paired with co-writers including Allen Shamblin, Cameron Jaymes and Barry Dean. A collection that offers immense career promise.

Caroline Jones feat. Vince Gill, “By Way of Sorrow”

Jones’ airy, choral vocal lends a shimmering acoustic take on this song from bluegrass group Cry, Cry, Cry’s self-titled 1998 album. Jones’ rendering veers less bright and joyous than the original, instead capturing a calm prescient mood, the cusp of sorrow shifting to joy. Meanwhile, Country Music Hall of Fame member Gill’s aching harmonies further uplift the track, as do sweetly delivered fiddle and mandolin. Jones, who serves as the first and only female member of Zac Brown Band, includes this track on her newly-released EP, Superpower.

Wendy Moten, “Don’t Give Up”

Moten has been a formidable vocal thread in country music’s live music scene for years, having performed with Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Vince Gill; her genre-fluid talents have also added depth and nuance to a cross-section of collaborations and continents, as she’s performed with Julio Iglesias and John Oates, but also earned a top 10 hit in the U.K. with “Come in Out of the Rain.” She brought her singular vocal talents to runner-up status on The Voice. But here, she offers a more intimate collaboration, on a song Moten wrote with David Santos more than a decade ago. Moten throws a soul celebration and spills with joy and grit on a song crafted as a purveyor of determination and solidarity.

Kyle Nix and the 38’s, “Play Nice”

Turnpike Troubadours fiddle player Kyle Nix previously branched out with his own solo album in 2020, and continues his varied artistic expression with another supergroup of sorts, Kyle Nix and the 38’s. The group is made of Nix’s Troubadours bandmate, drummer Gabe Pearson, along with guitarist Adam Duran, guitarist-singer Ken Pomeroy, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Foster, and former American Aquarium bassist Bill Corbin. Nix and company recently released “Play Nice” and “Another Bad Dream,” both flashes of their upcoming album, After the Flood, Vol. 1, out July 28. The former track is a scorching, bluesy enticement, with a heavy bassline, distorted guitar, and coolly gritty vocals, that dissects a strained relationship.

William Beckmann, “Tennessee Drinkin’”

This Del Rio, Texas, native recently scored a local hit with “Damn This Heart of Mine,” and follows with this song of memories and longing undimmed by distance. Written by Beckmann with Jeremy Spillman and Randy Montana, this song is compelled by basslines and fiddle as smooth as Beckmann’s Texas-polished voice.

Josh Kiser, “How I Get High”

This Tennessee native conjures a seductive country-soul track that adds to music’s romance-as-dependency canon. Here, a soaring melody adeptly plays to Kiser’s vocal strengths as a fervent vocalist, his grainy instrument breaking in all the right places. This track, which Kiser wrote with Kat Higgins and Phil Barton, melds his soulful swagger with a bed of polished rhythms and bluesy guitar.

22 May 2023

Jelly Roll & Lainey Wilson Bring Dramatic ‘Save Me’ Collab to ‘American Idol’ Finale

Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll reprised their recent performance of the latter’s “Save Me” at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, bringing their soulful duet to the stage of the season 21 American Idol finale on Sunday (May 21). Jelly Roll began the song solo, standing center stage under dim lights, before being joined shortly by Wilson. The gospel-tinged collab made the most of each artist’s sturdy vocals and engaging stage presence.

After Wilson exited the stage, Jelly Roll transitioned into a performance of his new single “Need a Favor,” welcoming recently eliminated Idol contestant Oliver Steele to join him.

Steele and Jelly Roll share a hometown. The country star grew up in the Nashville suburb of Antioch, while the hopeful was raised in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., less than 25 miles away.

After the performance, Steele posted a photo of himself with Jelly Roll on Instagram, captioning the pic, “That has to be one of the funnest, most bad@ss feeling performances I’ve ever done!!! @jellyroll615 thank you so much for being so welcoming and offering so much wisdom, guidance, and brotherly love. Looking forward to hanging with you some more back home in the 615!! Let’s make some music, brother!!!”

“Need a Favor” is currently at No. 19 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and follows Jelly Roll’s first Country Airplay chart-topper, “Son of a Sinner,” which crested on the tally in January. In February, the country singer broke the record for the most weeks spent atop the Emerging Artists chart, staying atop the chart for 28 weeks.

See Jelly Roll’s full American Idol performance with Wilson and Steele above, and the Idol hopeful’s Instagram post below..

22 May 2023

Fetty Wap Says He Resorted To Drug Dealing Due To Pandemic

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Alexander Wang show, Fall Winter 2017, New York Fashion Week, USA - 11 Feb 2017

Source: WWD / Getty

It’s safe to say that we all experienced some hard times during the lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people died, businesses were shuttered some never reopened again, and crime, homelessness, and addiction skyrocketed. But not many of us resorted to selling hard drugs to get by. 

Yet, rapper Fetty Wap’s attorney has cited the pandemic as one of the alleged origins of the rapper’s “bicoastal drug distribution organization” that led to his October 2021 arrest on federal drug conspiracy charges.

Fetty’s lawyer, Elizabeth Macedonio filed a memorandum in federal court arguing for the New Jersey native rapper born Willie Junior Maxwell II to receive the mandatory minimum of five years for conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances versus the 87 to 108 months that the prosecutor is pushing for. 

According to XXL, Macedonio’s letter to the sentencing judge reads, in part, “In or about 2020, with the coming of the worldwide pandemic, things began to change for Mr. Maxwell. There were no opportunities to perform, thus his income was severely limited,” Fetty Wap’s attorney writes. “He was sued personally, was going through a divorce, and was involved with a tour manager who was stealing from him. While the bills kept coming in, the money to pay them was running out. At or about the same time, Mr. Maxwell lost his grandparents and several other people who were close to him.”

The letter continues: “Depression and panic began to set in. As stated, Mr. Maxwell took enormous pride in his ability to provide for his children and lend support to his other family members. He is described as a people pleaser and a person who gains great satisfaction from taking care of others. Suddenly it felt like life was going in reverse and he became ashamed when he began to struggle to keep up the lifestyle that he created for so many. His judgment became impaired. Desperate to keep up with his financial obligations, Mr. Maxwell became involved in the instant offense for a few months in the spring of 2020.”

Fetty Wap was arrested by the FBI on federal drug charges in October of 2021. The feds nabbed the rapper right before he took the stage at Rolling Loud. He and five other people are accused of helping distribute over 100 kilos of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine in New York and New Jersey

He was released on bond but arrested again in the fall of 2022 for allegedly threatening to kill a man on a FaceTime call. 

Fetty Wap is scheduled to be sentenced next week. 

22 May 2023

Lance “Un” Rivera Says Jay-Z Didn’t Stab Him At The Kit Kat Club

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Lance

Source: Clarence Williams / Getty

Well, Jay-Z did say “Not guilty, y’all got to feel me,” on his smash hit “Izzo.” Two decades after the fact, Lance “Un” Rivera is confirming that Jay-Z is indeed innocent of assaulting him.

More than twenty years after Jay-Z was arrested, booked, and pleaded out to stabbing Lance “Un” Rivera at the Kit Kat Club, Rivera reveals that Jay didn’t actually stab him and that Hova is actually a “nice guy.” In a recent interview with DJ Vlad, Rivera finally shed some light on the infamous incident and recalled how everything unfolded that night at Q-Tip’s album listening party.

After DJ Vlad broke down the celebrities that were in attendance at the party, Rivera confirmed the names that Vlad threw out there and recalled “I showed up to support [Q-Tip]. Jay, a bunch of us is in there. I ended up getting surrounded by a bunch of people. It was probably 10 knives that I knew of, and I ended up getting stabbed at the Kit Kat Club.”

After Vlad bluntly asked “Was Jay-Z the one that actually stabbed you,” Lance paused for a second before saying “No, Jay-Z was not the guy that actually stabbed me that night,” but did say that “Me and Jay-Z had a conversation while – right before I got hit in the head with a champagne bottle.” After getting hit with the bottle, Lance was stabbed in the back near his shoulder.

The incident was said to be caused by a rumor that Lance “Un” Rivera was the man who leaked Jay-Z’s highly anticipated album, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter a month before it was scheduled to drop. With everyone in Jay’s ear that Rivera was the guilty party, Jay allegedly approached Rivera at the club about the situation before he was ultimately assaulted and stabbed up. After a lengthy two-year court battle over the situation, Jay-Z finally pleaded guilty and ended up getting three years probation for the 2001 attack.

Now that it’s all behind them, Rivera says “I don’t know where people got Jay-Z stabbed me from because if anybody knows Jay-Z, Jay-Z’s a nice guy. He’s an artist, he’s a poet, he’s gifted and it’s never been his history.”

Well, that’s good enough for us. We ain’t questioning Jay-Z’s innocence anymore. Why Lance “Un” Rivera would decide to break his silence on the situation now is anyone’s guess, but if he says Jay ain’t do it, we’ll just have to take his word for it.

What do y’all think of Lance’s revelation about the stabbing incident? Let us know in the comment section below.



22 May 2023

Jamaal Bowman Blasts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Bigoted Takes


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Grammys On The Hill: Advocacy Day

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Representative Jamaal Bowman has publicly blasted fellow Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene over her racist tropes & behavior after a verbal confrontation.

The Democratic Representative from the Bronx, New York got into it with the Republican Representative from Georgia on Wednesday afternoon (May 17th) on the steps of the U.S. Capitol after a vote. “Do something about guns!” he said to her. “Invest in education.” Greene shot back, “Impeach Biden,” before rattling off queries about Democrats and their inability to seal off the border. Both were smiling, but reporters noted that she did shake her fist. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came up to Bowman, gently tugging at his arm while saying, “She ain’t worth it, bro.”

The next day, Greene claimed that Bowman had called her a white supremacist, stating that the term was “equal” to “calling a person of color the N-word.” She continued, saying she felt threatened by him and that his “physical mannerisms were aggressive.”  “I’m very concerned about Jamaal Bowman,” Ms. Greene stated, “and he’s someone that people should watch.”

She claimed that she had video footage of the confrontation.

Bowman was outraged over the far-right politician’s comments, but unsurprised. He released a statement through his office. “There’s a history of this, from Mike Brown to Emmett Till to any Black man who is passionate, outspoken, intelligent trying to stand their ground being confronted with violence,” Mr. Bowman responded. “Marjorie’s attack is beyond a dog whistle. It’s a bullhorn. And it’s reckless and dangerous. She has put a target on my back.”

Bowman’s Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives have risen to his defense. Representative Madeleine Dean of Delaware appeared on MSNBC’s The ReidOut and called out Greene’s rhetoric. “This kind of outward racism, bigotry, dog whistles, as he said, ‘bullhorn,’ when you call a Black man threatening–this is a former school principal,” she said. So far, Greene has not responded again.

22 May 2023

Torch Passing: Twitter Shocked Celtics & Lakers Are Down 0-3 In ECF & WCF NBA Playoffs

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Boston Celtics v Miami Heat - Game Three

The NBA playoffs are winding down with the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals in full swing. In the east, the Boston Celtics are now down 0-3 in their best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat, with the Los Angeles Lakers sharing the same record against the Denver Nuggets.

In NBA lore, few teams are as notable as the Celtics and Lakers given the long length of their rivalry and dominance on the court in different eras. In fact, it was expected by some that the two teams would meet in the 2023 NBA Finals, but both teams are on the brink of elimination.

On Sunday (May 21), The Celtics headed down to Miami to face the Heat in a must-win game after going 0-2 at their home arena. It was expected that the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart would have an offensive explosion.

Instead, it was Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Gabe Vincent, who led all scorers with 29 points, owning the night. It was also a night that saw Tatum and Brown shoot 33 and 35 percent from the field respectively, and they didn’t get much help elsewhere although Grant Williams did give 12 off the bench. Butler scored 24 for the Heat but did so on 5-13 shooting, and got to the line seven times and sinking six.

On Saturday (May 20), Jamal Murray went off for 37 points against the Lakers, with Nuggets big man passing wizard Nikola Jokic dropping 24 with eight assists. The Lakers have been competitive in spurts but each game in the series has been huge swings and momentum changes that LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and coach Darvin Ham haven’t been able to figure out.

Tonight, the Lakers will take on the Nuggets in a win-or-go-home game for King James and Los Angeles. Even still, they would need to win four games to climb out of this major hole they’ve built for themselves. On Tuesday, the Celtics and Heat resume their series in a must-win for Boston.

On Twitter, the reaction to how the NBA Playoffs are currently playing out is all over the place. We’ve got reactions from NBA fans below.

[h/t NBA.com]

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Photo: Getty

22 May 2023

Def Leppard Drummer Rick Allen Describes Being ‘Totally Blindsided’ By Florida Assault

Three months after a shocking physical attack following a Def Leppard show in Florida, the band’s drummer, Rick Allen, has finally spoken out about the bizarre incident. In an interview with Good Morning America, Allen, 59, said he was “totally blindsided” by the alleged attack by 19-year-old Ohio resident Max Hartley.

“I heard a couple of steps and then I just saw this [flash] and the next thing I knew was I was on the ground,” Allen told GMA. “I landed on my backside… hit my head on the pavement.” Afraid he’d be attack again after being pushed down, Allen — who lost his left arm after a 1984 car crash — put up his right hand and told his alleged attacker, “I am no threat to you.”

“I don’t think he knew who I was, but he must have seen that I wasn’t a threat because, you know, I’ve only got one arm,” said Allen. Fort Lauderdale police arrested Hartley shortly after the alleged attack near the site of the assault outside the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale on March 13, which also allegedly included an assault on a woman who came to Allen’s aid. Hartley was later charged with two counts of battery and four of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult; he pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

A police report at the time noted that Hartley hid behind a pillar outside the hotel entrance while Allen smoked and then allegedly rushed at the drummer at full speed and knocked him to the ground. The report said that Allen “hit his head on the ground causing injury” and that when a woman ran out to help Allen Hartley allegedly attacked her as well.

Hartley was arrested a short time later after police found him at another hotel allegedly breaking car windows.

Allen told GMA that he is coping by playing drums, specifically for the long-running band’s first show since the attack, an intimate gig Monday night (May 22) in Sheffield, England. “I know that I’m not going to be playing music in a band forever,” Allen told GMA. “But while I am, I plan on making as many people happy as I possibly can. And this is my time. This is my opportunity.”

22 May 2023

Taylor Swift Says She’s ‘Never Been This Happy’ at Eras Tour Show: ‘My Life Finally Makes Sense’

Taylor Swift is feeling a little extra bejeweled as of late. At a recent Eras Tour concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the 33-year-old superstar shared that she’s doing better than ever before diving into that night’s surprise songs.

“I kind of just feel like telling you … I’ve just never been this happy in my life, in all aspects of my life, ever,” she told fans Saturday (May 20). “And I just want to thank you for being a part of that.”

“It’s not just the tour, I just sort of feel like my life finally feels like it makes sense,” she continued.

Swift remained elusive about what, besides her sold-out stadium tour, is putting a smile on her face these days — but fans do have a few guesses. For one, the “Anti-Hero” singer is rumored to be dating The 1975’s Matty Healy. The alleged new romance comes just a couple months after news of Swift’s breakup from Joe Alwyn, whom she was with for six years, went public.

The pop star has also seemingly been spending a lot of time in the studio — sometimes with Healy — and has been spotted a number of times in recent weeks at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios. Is a new project in the works? Or, perhaps another re-recorded album to follow July 7’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)?

“I thought I’d play this song which brings me a lot of happy memories,” Swift added Saturday, before playing that night’s first surprise song, “Question…?,” on guitar.

Afterward, the 12-time Grammy winner took to the piano to perform “Invisible,” a deep cut from her 2008 debut album.

Watch Taylor get candid with fans over the weekend at Gillette Stadium below:

22 May 2023

Meta Fined Record $1.3 Billion By European Union Over Data Transfers

The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine Monday and ordered it to stop transferring users personal information across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears.

The penalty of 1.2 billion euros is the biggest since the EU’s strict data privacy regime took effect five years ago, surpassing Amazon’s 746 million euro fine in 2021 for data protection violations.

Meta, which had previously warned that services for its users in Europe could be cut off, vowed to appeal and ask courts to immediately put the decision on hold.

The company said “there is no immediate disruption to Facebook in Europe.” The decision applies to user data like names, email and IP addresses, messages, viewing history, geolocation data and other information that Meta — and other tech giants like Google — use for targeted online ads.

“This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and U.S.,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, and chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead said in a statement.

It’s yet another twist in a legal battle that began in 2013 when Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed a complaint about Facebook’s handling of his data following former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations of electronic surveillance by U.S. security agencies. That included the disclosure that Facebook gave the agencies access to the personal data of Europeans.

The saga has highlighted the clash between Washington and Brussels over the differences between Europe’s strict view on data privacy and the comparatively lax regime in the U.S., which lacks a federal privacy law. The EU has been a global leader in reining in the power of Big Tech with a series of regulations forcing them police their platforms more strictly and protect users’ personal information.

An agreement covering EU-U.S. data transfers known as the Privacy Shield was struck down in 2020 by the EU’s top court, which said it didn’t do enough to protect residents from the U.S. government’s electronic prying. Monday’s decision confirmed that another tool to govern data transfers — stock legal contracts — was also invalid.

Brussels and Washington signed a deal last year on a reworked Privacy Shield that Meta could use, but the pact is awaiting a decision from European officials on whether it adequately protects data privacy.

EU institutions have been reviewing the agreement, and the bloc’s lawmakers this month called for improvements, saying the safeguards aren’t strong enough.

The Ireland’s Data Protection Commission handed down the fine as Meta’s lead privacy regulator in the 27-nation bloc because the Silicon Valley tech giant’s European headquarters is based in Dublin.

The Irish watchdog said it gave Meta five months to stop sending European user data to the U.S. and six months to bring its data operations into compliance “by ceasing the unlawful processing, including storage, in the U.S.” of European users’ personal data transferred in violation of the bloc’s privacy rules.

If the new transatlantic privacy agreement takes effect before these deadlines, “our services can continue as they do today without any disruption or impact on users,” Meta said.

Schrems predicted that Meta has “no real chance” of getting the decision materially overturned. And a new privacy pact might not mean the end of Meta’s troubles, because there’s a good chance it could be tossed out by the EU’s top court, he said.

“Meta plans to rely on the new deal for transfers going forward, but this is likely not a permanent fix,” Schrems said in a statement. “Unless U.S. surveillance laws gets fixed, Meta will likely have to keep EU data in the EU.”

Meta warned in its latest earnings report that without a legal basis for data transfers, it will be forced to stop offering its products and services in Europe, “which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.”

The social media company might have to carry out a costly and complex revamp of its operations if it’s forced to stop shipping user data across the Atlantic. Meta has a fleet of 21 data centers, according to its website, but 17 of them are in the United States. Three others are in the European nations of Denmark, Ireland and Sweden. Another is in Singapore.

Other social media giants are facing pressure over their data practices. TikTok has tried to soothe Western fears about the Chinese-owned short video sharing app’s potential cybersecurity risks with a $1.5 billion project to store U.S. user data on Oracle servers.