Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  TikTok rolls out restrictions on beauty filters  TikTok will restrict the use of some appearance effects for users under 18 after teens and parents in a new study expressed concerns about the impact of beauty filters. © Getty Images The restrictions will not apply to effects that are “obvious and funny,” like animal ear filters, but rather those designed to alter a user’s appearance, the social media site said Tuesday.   These effects are usually harder to detect as they alter existing facial features including like skin, eyelashes or lips.   TikTok said the changes come after the company’s commissioned research study from children’s online safety nonprofit Internet Matters found a “clear distinction” in the impact of these two filter types.   “Teens and parents raised concerns about ‘appearance’ effects, including that those viewing the content might not realize it had been altered,” TikTok wrote Tuesday.   Internet Matters found most of the teens in the study were in favor of the use of labels on filtered and edited images as a way to avoid anxiety and low self-esteem.   “There was a consensus among teens and parents that beautifying filters contributed to a distorted worldview in which perfected images are normalized and authentic visual presentation is rarer,” the report stated.   The announcement was made at TikTok’s European Safety Forum in Dublin, but a spokesperson confirmed the changes will be rolled out globally over the coming weeks and months.     Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Programming note: There will be no Technology newsletter on Thursday or Friday as we celebrate Thanksgiving. It will return on December 2. Have a happy holiday!    Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Musk accuses Trump whistleblower Vindman of ‘treason,’ says ‘he will pay’ Elon Musk on Wednesday suggested retired Army Lt. Col Alexander Vindman “committed treason” and “will pay” after the former Trump impeachment witness accused the tech billionaire and close Trump ally of being unwittingly used by Russia. “Vindman is on the payroll of Ukranian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X, responding …  Full Story   Johnson to host Musk, Ramaswamy at Capitol ahead of DOGE work House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will host Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-leads of the newly established “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), at the Capitol on Dec. 5, he announced Wednesday. “Looking forward to hosting @elonmusk and @VivekGRamaswamy next week on Capitol Hill to discuss major reform ideas to achieve regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions, and cost savings—& revive …  Full Story   Fox host: Podcasters like Rogan have ‘earned’ seats in White House briefing room Fox News host Will Cain said popular podcasters like Joe Rogan have “earned” seats in the White House briefing room.  When discussing the potential for a shake-up in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Cain said it is “pretty exciting, there might be a White House press briefing seat for ‘The Will Cain Show.’” “Truth is though, most of us from ‘The Will Cain Show’ to …  Full Story   The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   Google asks appeals court to toss out app store monopoly decision Google asked a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday to toss a jury verdict and the judge's order requiring the company to open the Play Store to rival third-party apps, Reuters reports.   Rep. Waters unveils AI disclosure legislation for financial services industry  Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Wednesday that seeks to boost the transparency around the artificial intelligence (AI) products used in financial services, Punchbowl News reports.    In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: X claims ownership of Infowars accounts  X, the social platform owned by Elon Musk, is getting involved in the pending bankruptcy sale of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s Infowars to the satirical newspaper The Onion.  In an objection filed Monday, X said its terms of service (TOS) prevent Jones’s X accounts from being sold off without the company’s approval. The platform does not oppose the other aspects of the sale. Musk has developed an increasingly close … Full Story   Majority of social media influencers share information without verifying its accuracy: UN report  The majority of social media influencers share information with their followers without verifying its accuracy, according to a new U.N. report that was released on Tuesday.  The new study, done by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), found that nearly two-thirds of surveyed digital content creators, 62 percent, said they did not verify the accuracy of information before sharing … Full Story   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Trump nominees targeted in series of threats Multiple nominees and appointees tapped to serve in President-elect Trump’s incoming administration were targeted with threats this week, with … Read more Trump taps Keith Kellogg as special envoy to Ukraine and Russia President-elect Trump on Wednesday announced his appointment of Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who served as chief of staff on Trump’s … Read more     You're all caught up. See you next week!