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Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

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Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#81

Post by kanox »

dvt wrote: post #60
kanox wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Treating foreign media as a "national security issue" is extremely scary. This is not something that free societies do.

> Treating foreign media as a "national security issue" is extremely scary. Not really. RT and Al Jazeera has (rightfully) suffered much of the same scrutiny. There's a fundamental difference between something extremely partisan (think Breitbart or HuffPo) and something state-sponsored . Let's not bury our heads in the sand here.

> There's a fundamental difference between something extremely partisan (think Breitbart or HuffPo) and something state-sponsored.

Not really, free speech should apply even to hostile foreign propaganda.

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#82

Post by saagarjha »

dencodev wrote: post #76
throwaway5752 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever is wrong with China, and there is plenty, the US and particularly the president's behavior is dictatorial here. Perhaps the administration could outline the new intel that has come to light in the last month that has made this such an urgent issue right now, as opposed to any other time in the past year. Otherwise, as a layman, I might think that the humiliating "million ticket reservation" prank of the pres…

It's well within the rights of the president to negotiate these matters, and congress has increasingly over the decades encouraged it: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44707.pdf

Has there been tariffs in the past levied against specific companies?

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#83

Post by saagarjha »

faned wrote: post #78
em500 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Security" also happens to be the favorite purported justification of most authoritarian measures in evil regimes. Just look at China: ubiquitous surveillance, censorship, concentration camps, suppression of dissent are all justified internally as "security measures".

Should white nationalists be allowed to march and exist in the public space?

Yes, that's quite literally a textbook case of First Amendment rights.

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#84

Post by saagarjha »

scarface74 wrote: post #46
kanox wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst political development over the last decade is the very wide embracing of corporate censorship. It is now widely accepted that media platforms have an explicit duty to control public opinion. In this context any large foreign media outlet becomes a threat.

I keep hearing this mostly from the conservative side when Trump got elected mostly by bypassing traditional media and using Twitter and social media. What do you propose? More government involvement to tell tech what they can do on their own platform? Isn’t it kind of hypocritical that the anti regulation party wants regulation when it suits them?

Corporate censorship bites both ways; see Apple's reluctance to approve HKmap.live for its platform.

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#85

Post by tikwidd »

ardit33 wrote: post #20

If Tiktok was European/Japanese/Korean/Canadian this would not happen, as those countries are free democracies and work with a similar/common rule of law 1. China doesn’t play with the same rules, and it has been proven to be a malicious player 2. They don’t allow western companies to operate freely in their country, why should we let them to? 3. The US and to a lesser degree Europe, are in a de-facto new Cold War, a…

Easy to say that a country doesn't play by the rules when you make up the rules as you go along.

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#86

Post by on_and_off »

threeseed wrote: post #53
Slartie wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except for there being this joker called "national security" which magically allows practically anything to be ordered by the executive, because you can obviously reframe anything into a matter of national security, even short video clips of dancing teenagers.

Let's be clear apps like TikTok are a threat to national security. Widely deployed apps that capture location data can and have been used to determine the location of military bases and assets.

Is there any proof that TikTok captures any more data than any other popular app of its type ?

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#87

Post by on_and_off »

scarface74 wrote: post #36
zmmmmm wrote: post #13

The idea that corporations are kowtowing to a polticians individual personal wishes - rather than operating under a framework of laws and regulations based on principles and administered fairly to all - should be offensive to every single American, regardless of who the players are or their country of origin.

Well, This is what HN posters want. As evidence by the numerous downvotes I get about not wanting the government involvement in tech. Even after the dog and pony show with the CEO’s last week where one representative grilled Zuckerberg about Twitter’s treatment of Don Jr.

Fwiw I did not see your gov comments but I can be both for more gov oversight in tech and against one politician deciding unilaterally what apps are allowed.

If it is necessary to curtail what apps can collect, let's make it a law and apply it evenly to all companies.

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#88

Post by CPAhem »

ardit33 wrote: post #20

If Tiktok was European/Japanese/Korean/Canadian this would not happen, as those countries are free democracies and work with a similar/common rule of law 1. China doesn’t play with the same rules, and it has been proven to be a malicious player 2. They don’t allow western companies to operate freely in their country, why should we let them to? 3. The US and to a lesser degree Europe, are in a de-facto new Cold War, a…

Sadly this splitting of tech into China and the West is a huge trend, one which we are not going to stop.

In the future tech will bifurcate into two camps and we'll have a new cold war.

Re: Microsoft and Bytedance Put TikTok Talks on Hold After Trump Signals Opposition

#90

Post by zenexer »

ardit33 wrote: post #20

If Tiktok was European/Japanese/Korean/Canadian this would not happen, as those countries are free democracies and work with a similar/common rule of law 1. China doesn’t play with the same rules, and it has been proven to be a malicious player 2. They don’t allow western companies to operate freely in their country, why should we let them to? 3. The US and to a lesser degree Europe, are in a de-facto new Cold War, a…

You’re skirting around the argument. The parent’s argument is that no single politician should have this power. It isn’t an argument for or against the government stepping in here—it’s an argument against who’s doing it.
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