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Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

reuters.com

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Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#291

Post by dfischer »

CraigJPerry wrote: post #287
localhost wrote: post #20

Unlike some other commenters below, I don't believe that this is a privacy issue. Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue because TikTok is controllable by the CCP which is ideologically opposed to the United States. The next global conflict will likely be one between the east and the west, with control of information being advantageous to both sides in the conflict. China already blocks the western I…

Surely Facebook’s a bigger issue than 60 second videos since any bad actor can target messaging at susceptibile users and no one will know. This just seems like yet another case of Republican double speak. Say one thing do a different thing that just coincidentally happens to grab power over others. Also, what is the method of using a 60 second video platform to share messaging with a crowd who will immediately scrol…

TikTok is the generation that is most malleable to propaganda in a way that can undermine an entire generation. TikTok also has history of recording telemetry that’s extremely alarming.

Look into what is mined. Look into how algorithms get optimized to influence behavior. See a recent paper on this with using social media to shut down a power plant. Memetic warfare is real and it’s been going on in cyberspace for a while now. Every single bit of information is manipulation.

Every social network is a memetic warfare piece and TikTok is a primary target.

Lol at the downvoting. Bunch of brainwashed people here already.

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#292

Post by sbmthakur »

zmmmmm wrote: post #51
localhost wrote: post #20

Unlike some other commenters below, I don't believe that this is a privacy issue. Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue because TikTok is controllable by the CCP which is ideologically opposed to the United States. The next global conflict will likely be one between the east and the west, with control of information being advantageous to both sides in the conflict. China already blocks the western I…

> Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue Are you uncomfortable adopting that belief with literally no concrete evidence that anything of the sort is actually occurring? I don't know how you reconcile rule of law with such drastic interventions in the rights of companies without evidence of wrongdoing. If anything you can come up with in your most paranoid fantasies can be the basis of shutting down a…

There is evidence of WeChat being involved in building up PRC's censorship framework[1]. Comments from American citizens were used for this without their consent. It's not improbable that they are carrying out similar exercises on TikTok's data.

1. https://citizenlab.ca/2020/05/we-chat-they-watch/

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#293

Post by FractalParadigm »

ygjb wrote: post #285
devwastaken wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any business with china is a national security issue. There's plenty of evidence to the level of dictatorship in China. It's your responsibility to look at its history and make reasonable conclusions from it. If you want some sort of smoking gun evidence you're not going to find it, unless you somehow have a security clearance in China good enough to gain knowledge about their operations. It's a Chinese company, they…

Ok, but how is Tik Tok a national security issue, but the fact that damn near every electronic device available on the market is manufactured in or out of components manufactured in China doesn't seem to be one?

It actually has been a problem before, in rather recent memory I may add [0]. China is, for all intents and purposes, a bad actor. They keep positioning themselves infinitely closer to "the line" without seemingly ever being able to cross it, even when they're caught red-handed undermining US security.

[0] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-h...

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#294

Post by didibus »

zmmmmm wrote: post #51
localhost wrote: post #20

Unlike some other commenters below, I don't believe that this is a privacy issue. Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue because TikTok is controllable by the CCP which is ideologically opposed to the United States. The next global conflict will likely be one between the east and the west, with control of information being advantageous to both sides in the conflict. China already blocks the western I…

> Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue Are you uncomfortable adopting that belief with literally no concrete evidence that anything of the sort is actually occurring? I don't know how you reconcile rule of law with such drastic interventions in the rights of companies without evidence of wrongdoing. If anything you can come up with in your most paranoid fantasies can be the basis of shutting down a…

> I don't know how you reconcile rule of law with such drastic interventions in the rights of companies without evidence of wrongdoing

How far reaching does the rule of law go? Like the US is governed by rule of law, but when you bring in international elements, can all parties operate under rule of law ?

It seems almost in this case that the argument made by the US is actually that TikTok is not governed under an agreed upon rule of laws. Such as it needing to share information with the CCP or having to comply to any other of their wishes.

Also, rule of laws just means the laws define the regulations which apply equally to everyone (which means everyone that bought into the society which honors those laws). So the question here is, do the laws give the president the ability to block a foreign company in such situation? If not, then this should be blocked, though laws could be made to block the company as well, just not exclusively enacted by the president.

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#295

Post by fastball »

pessimizer wrote: post #172
jahaja wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This whole shift to China as the new "enemy" is fascinating. Even though Trump is more or less mental, and is recognised as such, he has somehow managed to whip up this new cold war frenzy even among his opponents in the media. I can barely remember any focus on China before Trump. Not saying that there shouldn't be any but it's still interesting how this can spread to the entire country even if the author is an untr…

Russia, Iran, and North Korea will be rotated back in again. The important thing is to maintain public support for increased defense expenditures.

Are you trying to imply that those countries aren't real enemies of the US and it's all just a war with Oceania?

You should probably break the news to them, given their continued behavior I'm not sure they're aware it's all a front.

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#296

Post by donkeyd »

CraigJPerry wrote: post #287
localhost wrote: post #20

Unlike some other commenters below, I don't believe that this is a privacy issue. Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue because TikTok is controllable by the CCP which is ideologically opposed to the United States. The next global conflict will likely be one between the east and the west, with control of information being advantageous to both sides in the conflict. China already blocks the western I…

Surely Facebook’s a bigger issue than 60 second videos since any bad actor can target messaging at susceptibile users and no one will know. This just seems like yet another case of Republican double speak. Say one thing do a different thing that just coincidentally happens to grab power over others. Also, what is the method of using a 60 second video platform to share messaging with a crowd who will immediately scrol…

Theoretically, CCP could abuse location services to track movements of military personnel and civilians in a war. Since FB isn't Chinese, that is less of an issue for large scale surveilance. Also, if the Chinese had a zero day that they could exploit by pushing a malicious TikTok update, they could get root access to these phones and use them for surveillance on a large scale.

Sure, this is all hypothetical, but it's not unthinkable in an all out cyber war. Nations are stockpiling zero days and other hacks just to have an advantage when it becomes necessary.

Note: I don't have TikTok, so no clue if they actually use location services, but every app seems to do that nowadays, so I just assumed it does.

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#297

Post by bhashkarsharma »

dirtyid wrote: post #57

Politics aside, it's crazy Facebook / Instagram / Youtube haven't successfully cloned TikTok yet. No doubt network affect plays a role, but from what I've read, western clones have been very lacking. Maybe US is just not competitive when it comes to quickly copying and iterating designs like China is. It's a skill. Google Meet apart from great transcription feature still feels miles behind Zoom. Wonder how Indian dev…

There are a couple of Indian apps[0] trying to replicate Tiktok functionality. Many of them saw a surge in usage after Tiktok got banned. Not sure about the current numbers though.

[0] https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/mitron-c...

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#298

Post by ahmedalsudani »

baby wrote: post #280

A lot of people being brainwashed by the US government in here.

It’s the typical measure of rubes. I still remember the “freedom fries” and WMD hysteria. Back then a certain group had to be bombed back into the Stone Age. Today, that same group is being oppressed by the evil totalitarian regime which is also on the verge of destroying all of your freedoms.

In both cases, a collection of plugged in, “informed” citizens, whose brain matter has been shaped by a constant drip of state propaganda, were doing the mental gymnastics required to justify evidence-free actions of their government.

This will play out as well as the last attempt did. “Mission Accomplished.”

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#299

Post by SifJar »

CraigJPerry wrote: post #287
localhost wrote: post #20

Unlike some other commenters below, I don't believe that this is a privacy issue. Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue because TikTok is controllable by the CCP which is ideologically opposed to the United States. The next global conflict will likely be one between the east and the west, with control of information being advantageous to both sides in the conflict. China already blocks the western I…

Surely Facebook’s a bigger issue than 60 second videos since any bad actor can target messaging at susceptibile users and no one will know. This just seems like yet another case of Republican double speak. Say one thing do a different thing that just coincidentally happens to grab power over others. Also, what is the method of using a 60 second video platform to share messaging with a crowd who will immediately scrol…

Facebook allows anyone to purchase targeted messaging, but it's an American run company which likely makes the difference - there is likely a perception (real or imagined) that FB will be willing & able to combat "enemy" messaging.

In regards to the value of 60 second funny videos to share messaging, part of the strength here may be exactly because it's a platform for short, funny videos; as long as the ideas being communicated can be slipped into a funny video in a subtle way, people are hearing them without even realising it. (e.g. perhaps videos making fun of American leaders, undermining their authority etc. - certainly not hard to do with certain leaders...)

Re: Judge temporarily blocks U.S. ban on TikTok downloads from U.S. app stores

#300

Post by mtgx »

localhost wrote: post #20

Unlike some other commenters below, I don't believe that this is a privacy issue. Instead, I believe that it is a national security issue because TikTok is controllable by the CCP which is ideologically opposed to the United States. The next global conflict will likely be one between the east and the west, with control of information being advantageous to both sides in the conflict. China already blocks the western I…

It reminds me of the "war" between Facebook/Microsoft and "open Google".

Facebook had access to Google's Gmail open API and could ask people to send invitations to the platform to all of their Gmail friends.

Similarly, Microsoft had open access to GChat and wanted to implement it in Skype.

Google couldn't do the same because Facebook and Microsoft had closed APIs. So it chose to close off its own APIs, too.

It sucks for everyone when rivals abuse your openness.

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