A China user prosecuted Tiktok for it read and uploaded users contact without permission and it is not mentioned in its privacy statement.
The Tiktok claimed in the court that contact is not private. The information stored in contact is information of society members instead of personal privacy and should be allowed to use freely.
This statement is so ridiculous that I took it as April fool's day's joke at first sight but it turns out to be true.
I have heard that Tiktok has been unexpectedly successful abroad so I am wondering whether its terrifying claim is a result of China's poor protection of privacy or it is just such a terrible company.
Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
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Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#2> The Tiktok claimed in the court that contact is not private ... I am wondering whether its terrifying claim is a result of China's poor protection of privacy or it is just such a terrible company
Based on this[0] conversation thread, there is at least some agreement of the view that contact information doesn't qualify as private information, and is fair game.
Personally, I disagree, but then I'm not part of the ad-driven economy, so it's easy for me to not need to vote against my own source of income.
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#3Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#4Something makes me feel that it is down to their general approach to privacy and not just the portion of it that is "within China".
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#5Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
Indeed, in the west we are lucky (in some sense) that our tech is big enough that it is able to band together and stand up against unreasonable demands from the government.
In China, I can't imagine Huawei/Tencent/etc refusing to help the government break into someone's phone or create a backdoor into an "encrypted" chat.
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#6Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
Being a devil's advocate here, but why would anyone trust an American company with there data?
I get China is the bad guy and all that, but American companies are basically doing the same thing, they just have different ways of describing the process.
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#7Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
> Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me.
I don't think this is exclusive to China. Why would anyone trust any app from anywhere with any of their data is beyond me. Simply assume that anything you put in any app/website to be public and you'll feel a lot better.
Facebook is as likely to share all their data with their government as Tiktok is, simply the cost of doing business anywhere.
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#8Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
Indeed, in the west we are lucky (in some sense) that our tech is big enough that it is able to band together and stand up against unreasonable demands from the government. In China, I can't imagine Huawei/Tencent/etc refusing to help the government break into someone's phone or create a backdoor into an "encrypted" chat.
Don't western governments ask for the data, then tell the company they can't say anything to their customers or anyone else... Basically, the same thing, but with a different description.
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#9Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
Being a devil's advocate here, but why would anyone trust an American company with there data? I get China is the bad guy and all that, but American companies are basically doing the same thing, they just have different ways of describing the process.
Like I just commented, because American companies aren't slaves to a government "master". As much as we sometimes like to hate on Google/FB and other big tech, their size allows them to act as a balance of power against an overly-invasive government.
For example, WhatsApp (and Messenger) being E2EE by default(with confidence through audits) is completely counter to what a government seeking full public surveillance would want. Same thing with Apple's encrypted phones.
The government can't just waltz in and ask for the data as a) the companies can't help even if they wanted through the very nature of the in-built encryption b) the government can't threaten to shut them down without public uproar
Re: Ask HN: Is tiktok reading and uploading user contact as it is doing in China?
#10Why anyone would trust an app from China with any of their data is beyond me. The firewalls between business and government that we take for granted in the West simply don't exist there, and the PRC leverages the widespread ignorance of this to its advantage.
Indeed, in the west we are lucky (in some sense) that our tech is big enough that it is able to band together and stand up against unreasonable demands from the government. In China, I can't imagine Huawei/Tencent/etc refusing to help the government break into someone's phone or create a backdoor into an "encrypted" chat.
> Indeed, in the west we are lucky (in some sense) that our tech is big enough that it is able to band together and stand up against unreasonable demands from the government.
I assume microsoft isn't big enough, because it was stripping encryption from Skype and making it centralized.