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U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

reuters.com

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Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#31

Post by lightgreen »

sschueller wrote: post #23

So it is not ok for a foreign app the spy on its user but it's perfectly ok for Google and co to do so? Anyone remember what Uber did with their app and tracking users? What about the king of tracking, facebook?

There’s a quite a large difference between Google spying and China spying. When Google “spies”, users get more relevant ads. When China spies, people get into “Vocational Education and Training Centers” and other bad things happen.

Chinese spying is like 10000 times worse in practice.

But in theory, when dealing in absolutes, there is no difference, both are spies.

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#32

Post by libpcap »

core-questions wrote: post #3

So this is how it's going to happen - with every country banning each other's social media apps, we will enter into a future of digital borders, limited speech, and broken international relations. All in the name of making sure people don't dare think some wrongthink.

Thank China for that.

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#34

Post by lightgreen »

AbrahamParangi wrote: post #24

It is absolutely foolish for any country other than China to allow TikTok within their borders. You might fairly ask whether or not it is equally foolish for non-US countries to use US services. I think that is also a reasonable question, and deserves reflection.

Google is 1000 times more transparent company than ByteDance. It is OK to use US services for non-US countries.

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#35

Post by dannyr »

SpicyLemonZest wrote: post #16
codezero wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just ask the app stores to ban them. The US couldn’t do anything more sophisticated right now, and that would solve most of their concerns.

Why would the app stores agree to do that? Apple in particular is pretty well-known for refusing invasive government requests.

India banned Tiktok and other Chinese Apps. Apple and Google complied with the government order.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/07/02/apple-google-comp...

Apple also removed a bunch of games on its Chinese app store because of new policies by the Chinese government.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21298811/apple-chinese-ap...

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#37

Post by dmix »

ekianjo wrote: post #36
coliveira wrote: post #33

Welcome to dictatorship. Government will now start to ban all kinds of apps they don't want.

If some apps coming from other countries are riddled with spyware, is that dictatorship or common sense?

Ideally coming from congress, then yes. There might be some valid arguments on national security grounds, but I personally wouldn't be comfortable having an all-powerful executive branch who could do this sort of thing unilaterally. Unless it's a wartime or emergency sort of thing.

But Americans largely gave up that seperation of power after 9/11 and executive power hasn't stopped expanding since then. It's perpetually an 'emergency'.

With this and the Huawei stuff, battling over advanced control over private networks for surveillance purposes, is a natural outcome of significantly increasing the power and influence of intelligence community. The kind of people who are naturally hyper-paranoid and see everything through a geopolitical risk lense. Which is helpful for a niche limited role but is ripe for abuse when their mandates expand.

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#38

Post by lightgreen »

ekianjo wrote: post #36
coliveira wrote: post #33

Welcome to dictatorship. Government will now start to ban all kinds of apps they don't want.

If some apps coming from other countries are riddled with spyware, is that dictatorship or common sense?

It is kind of dictatorship. US could achieve the same effect without banning, eg by forcing stores to display warnings to users about where their data and what data is being send. That would be a reasonable compromise between freedom and safety.

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#39

Post by sschueller »

lightgreen wrote: post #34
AbrahamParangi wrote: post #24

It is absolutely foolish for any country other than China to allow TikTok within their borders. You might fairly ask whether or not it is equally foolish for non-US countries to use US services. I think that is also a reasonable question, and deserves reflection.

Google is 1000 times more transparent company than ByteDance. It is OK to use US services for non-US countries.

Says the USA... "You can trust us, we don't listen on your foreign leaders". Come on, that ship has sailed years ago.

Re: U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok

#40

Post by dicomdan »

lightgreen wrote: post #38
ekianjo wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If some apps coming from other countries are riddled with spyware, is that dictatorship or common sense?

It is kind of dictatorship. US could achieve the same effect without banning, eg by forcing stores to display warnings to users about where their data and what data is being send. That would be a reasonable compromise between freedom and safety.

It's like saying we should allow unregulated fentanyl sales on the streets as long as drug dealers provide a disclaimer to the addicted.
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