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Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

businessinsider.com

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Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#81

Post by tempodox »

jtmarmon wrote: post #60
mullingitover wrote: post #27

I never really understood the panic over TikTok. Is the fear about security, or is the fear that China might actually have successful social media product in the US?

Speaking personally, here's why TikTok concerns me: TikTok is a Chinese business, and China has shown no limit to how much it will meddle in the affairs of and even take control of Chinese businesses for the furthering of the Chinese state's agenda. Simultaneously, TikTok has captured the daily attention spans of millions of Americans, many of them especially young and impressionable. They've captured their attention…

There have also been reports that the Chinese use all the behavioral data reaped from TikTok as input for training their own surveillance and censorship ML. The international user base is involuntarily turned into fuel for the totalitarian Chinese oppression machinery.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#82

Post by thrownaway954 »

jtmarmon wrote: post #60
mullingitover wrote: post #27

I never really understood the panic over TikTok. Is the fear about security, or is the fear that China might actually have successful social media product in the US?

Speaking personally, here's why TikTok concerns me: TikTok is a Chinese business, and China has shown no limit to how much it will meddle in the affairs of and even take control of Chinese businesses for the furthering of the Chinese state's agenda. Simultaneously, TikTok has captured the daily attention spans of millions of Americans, many of them especially young and impressionable. They've captured their attention…

"Imagine China subtly promoting videos to create outrage and civil unrest in the US, or to feed anti-US propaganda to germinate terrorist groups in the US."

our president is doing a fine job of that now with his twitter account.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#83

Post by sprite »

slipheen wrote: post #77
sanxiyn wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok is not a "youth-based social network". It is more similar to YouTube, with content creator ecosystem and advertisement profit sharing and all.

From https://www.omnicoreagency.com/tiktok-statistics/ > 41 percent of TikTok users are aged between 16 and 24. That seems rather youth-heavy when compared to Facebook (Timeline), Twitter, YouTube, Instagram. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but it does come with risks.

What percentage is between 13-15? Or younger and lying about it. I would think 16-24 is their older user base.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#84

Post by AndrewBissell »

bdcravens wrote: post #73
fermienrico wrote: post #70

Person confirming this: https://twitter.com/CGasparino?s=21 I don’t know how reputable the source is.

Seems to have a solid reputation and experience. https://www.foxbusiness.com/person/g/charles-gasparino He doesn't say the source, only reports it, so not sure what the issue is here.

Gasparino puts forth a lot of very dodgy or outright false "SCOOPS" (as he calls them on his Twitter account). They're always couched in terms like "according to my sources" or "this is what I'm hearing" so that he has plausible deniability if they don't come to pass.

You can even see it in the headline to this story: "Sources speculate one name to buy TikTok is Microsoft"

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#85

Post by ogre_codes »

jonas21 wrote: post #67
ogre_codes wrote: post #43

This is not good. Facebook or Google would be worse, but Microsoft is only marginally less bad here.

If this is a bad outcome, can I ask what would be good in your opinion?

Ideally? TikTok would grow organically and become another viable platform.

I'm a huge fan of competition and the free market. Consolidating social media platforms under ever-larger corporate banners is just bad.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#87

Post by slipheen »

creaghpatr wrote: post #75

Would they merge it with Linkedin?

I don't think they'd be well served to, in the same way that the main Facebook app isn't merged with Instagram (although they can share some logins/etc).

They're targetting different demographics, and are used very differently (Job searching vs short-form videos).

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#88

Post by sanxiyn »

slipheen wrote: post #77
sanxiyn wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok is not a "youth-based social network". It is more similar to YouTube, with content creator ecosystem and advertisement profit sharing and all.

From https://www.omnicoreagency.com/tiktok-statistics/ > 41 percent of TikTok users are aged between 16 and 24. That seems rather youth-heavy when compared to Facebook (Timeline), Twitter, YouTube, Instagram. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but it does come with risks.

I was more against "social network" part than "youth-based" part. TikTok is a broadcast media, not a social network.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#90

Post by techntoke »

classified wrote: post #26
Lammy wrote: post #14

> Gasparino also reported the White House is "deeply concerned" about Microsoft's potential purchase and whether any Chinese investors would retain a stake in TikTok's US operations, citing unnamed sources. And there's the lede. Consider this "story in two headlines" from an earlier high-profile Microsoft acquisition: "NSA offering 'billions' for Skype eavesdrop solution" https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/12/nsa_of…

That's what concerns me. Will that acquisition make MS an appendage of the Chinese government? Will that create conflicts of interest with serving the NSA?

If the warez community, you'd actually be surprised to find that most of Microsoft internal leaks and hacks come from Russia. Russian groups like WZorNET produce unreleased internal builds of Microsoft solutions all the time.
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