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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

#131

So if WeChat is basically the only messaging app allowed in China, and WeChat is not allowed to be used in India, is there any widely available platform that Indian citizens can use to chat with Chinese citizens? Making it impossible or at least very difficult to communicate with people in another country seems like it’s only going to make any divide even worse in the long term. Think of the fallout of Facebook filte…

WhatsApp is incredibly popular in India.

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

#132
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Then people are fucking morons. There are no two ways about it - abusable power will be abused. Hell "security risk" as a rationale is a vague layer to shield from criticism of policies. Since it is implicitly the magical special pleading wand known as "national security".

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

#133

So if WeChat is basically the only messaging app allowed in China, and WeChat is not allowed to be used in India, is there any widely available platform that Indian citizens can use to chat with Chinese citizens? Making it impossible or at least very difficult to communicate with people in another country seems like it’s only going to make any divide even worse in the long term. Think of the fallout of Facebook filte…

Would iMessage work between India and China?

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

#136

So if WeChat is basically the only messaging app allowed in China, and WeChat is not allowed to be used in India, is there any widely available platform that Indian citizens can use to chat with Chinese citizens? Making it impossible or at least very difficult to communicate with people in another country seems like it’s only going to make any divide even worse in the long term. Think of the fallout of Facebook filte…

WhatsApp is incredibly popular in India.

And blocked in China.

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

#137

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.

Just from a more farcical standpoint, the idea of one country attacking another via dance trends feels like a page out of Zoolander.

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

#139

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.

China bad

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

#140
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This is a common sentiment: distrust in the US government. No, this ain't just it. Even if I trusted the current US government (which is already a shaky premise to begin with), I cannot be sure I will trust the US government that will be in place in 10 years or 20 years. And once you give them that power, there is no easy way to put it back in the box. So, for me at least, it is less about distrust and more of a "fr…

This is the same argument I'm hearing from people who refuse to wear masks. Unfortunately, the freedom of some is a security risk for others. Any government is only as good as the trust people place in it. A trusted government invites trust-worthy candidates, is held to a higher standard of transparency, etc. If you want a government that you can trust, you may want to write to your congress-people and ask, for insta…

No it isn't comparable at all. Mask requirements are far less exploitable for other purposea than censorship. The far out worst case for abuse is considering an uncovered face public nudity.
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