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India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

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Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#62
post #11

Almost all (except 1) are Chinese made. I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with this https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/china-has-intruded-423-metre...

Yeah: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-india-china/indians-hold-f... China is basically using these apps as spyware.

Is it coincidental or incidental to their border dispute actions?

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#63
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a common sentiment: distrust in the US government. Given that 30% of income goes to the feds, might be time to change the government to be more trust worthy. Good thing elections are coming up.

You're completely missing the point: no government should get to decide what apps to ban.

In some countries, people trust their government to do the right thing. If the people in power believe that an app is a security risk, they ban it.

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#64

India is absolutely right in banning TikTok as it is a significant national securities threat. As long as the platforms recommendation and ranking algos are a black box, there is no guarantee that China isn’t conducting misinformation campaigns via the platform. At the very least, the government should audit the algos and make sure China can’t arbitrarily alter ranking results.

> As long as the platforms recommendation and ranking algos are a black box, there is no guarantee that [insert platform here] isn’t conducting misinformation campaigns via the platform.

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#65
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We in the U.S. should have partnered more closely with India in the first place. India is democratic and hold values closer to our own. The CCP not so much.

> India is democratic and hold values closer to our own. Especially in terms of mixing religion and politics and right-wing based supremacy views.

This aside, the societal dynamics at large are remarkably, surprisingly similar.

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We in the U.S. should have partnered more closely with India in the first place. India is democratic and hold values closer to our own. The CCP not so much.

India is controlled by a fascist, ethnonationalist party that has encouraged pogroms toward Muslims and enshrined racial hierarchies into law. They haven’t put Muslims in concentration camps, like the CCP, but I hope our “values” don’t get any closer to their leadership.

I think people abuse the word fascist these days. What makes India fascist? And how does that compare to the economic model of China? Is China fascist?

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are your thoughts about China banning anything but local apps/services for domestic use but the rest of the world is OK with allowing Chinese apps/services to compete with the domestic apps/services? I think there is some level of asymmetry here, not sure how best to resolve it without giving up the citizen's freedoms as you expressed. This asymmetry is problematic because western democracies are barred to profi…

Just like you'd buy coffee with Fair Trade [1] mark, one way to incentivize the public would be through marketing - "Made in Democracy" mark on a laptop, a lathe-machine, a watch or what have you. We should have a non-profit org that promotes manufacturing in democracies. From shirts to iOS apps, it would be interesting to experiment with a "Made in Democracy" or "Developed in Democracy" mark. I ran this idea through…

You mean like the CE logo that marks products safe in Europe? Chinese companies are practically faking it:

https://www.ybw.com/vhf-marine-radio-guide/warning-dont-get-...

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We in the U.S. should have partnered more closely with India in the first place. India is democratic and hold values closer to our own. The CCP not so much.

More democratic than China, yes. A low bar to clear.

While you may disagree with the current elected government in India (I do as well), it is the definition of democracy. Majority of the population did want that government. Also, in India a person managed to lead a protest, form an entire new party and become the chief minister of a state because people were behind him. That is democracy as well. Tell me when has that happened in the states in recent times.

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a common sentiment: distrust in the US government. Given that 30% of income goes to the feds, might be time to change the government to be more trust worthy. Good thing elections are coming up.

This is a pretty common response: just vote for the other guy. Too bad no one trustworthy is running for the executive office.

There are many layers of power. You have senators, house representatives, and a president. You also have local (includes police services) and state representatives. The executive branch is just one of many governments you get to vote for.

Re: India bans TikTok, WeChat, and dozens of other Chinese apps

#70
post #40

Covid cases are on rise in India. Government didn't handle lockdown well to accommodate guest (migrant) workers and they were stranded. On top of all these, lives of Indian soldiers died recently in a clash with Chinese soldiers and China is continuously testing limits at Galwan Valley. You need a disruptive breaking news to crush all these and prove Government is in control. This is simply that. This is nothing but…

Boycotting China is not a binary thing. Banning Chinese funded Indian startups and Chinese mobile companies which have big plants in India(and support thousands of jobs) is a complex thing.

On the other hand, banning spyware from the country you are currently in conflict is common sense and not that tricky. It's far more than spicy headlines.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23634138

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23638129

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