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As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

economist.com

451–460 of 653 posts

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a non-US, non-Chinese citizen, is there something that makes TikTok espionage and Facebook not? Or is it just "china scary"?

Yes. China and Russia are the biggest geopolitical threats to the world. It is surprisingly that simple. While the US and the western governments have their issues, they are still largely law abiding. China, however, is not. Additionally, under Xi, it has become more authoritarian and more willing to undo the rules based order that has someone kept the world somewhat sane since WWII. I don’t know why anyone would be…

"undo the rules based order that has someone kept the world somewhat sane since WWII."

Only an American/NATO nation citizen can believe this utter nonsense. The only rules being followed were the ones the USA laid out with its military fist, crushing of the opposition and sponsored coups - all in their favour.

Now that they finally have a serious competitor, the US is getting antsy. I am frankly speaking utterly glad for China's ascent. It will keep the USA in check (somewhat).

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. China and Russia are the biggest geopolitical threats to the world. It is surprisingly that simple. While the US and the western governments have their issues, they are still largely law abiding. China, however, is not. Additionally, under Xi, it has become more authoritarian and more willing to undo the rules based order that has someone kept the world somewhat sane since WWII. I don’t know why anyone would be…

If you're looking at it from that perspective, tiktok should be the least of your worries. Currently The U.S. is entirely dependent on this "geopolitical threat" to survive. At least with tiktok its as simple as shutting down the app. The U.S and China are entangled in ways you cant imagine.

[deleted]

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#453
post #212

TikTok is the most successful espionage operation of the 21st century so far, and it is based on a simple idea - people will happily give away their data and privacy if you consistently entertain them. In my opinion the application should be shut down as soon as possible, but there are many lessons to learn from it. And most of them have little to do with technology.

People will "give away" their data when there are no laws to stop "tech" company intermediaries^1 from collecting it.

Google, Facebook and others collect heaps of data. TikTok is hardly a special case.

1. Like Google and Facebook, TikTok does not author the "content" to which they provide access that serves as the "bait". They sit in between the author and the consumer and collect. The lesson I see here is that intermediaries need to be regulated.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#454
post #212

TikTok is the most successful espionage operation of the 21st century so far, and it is based on a simple idea - people will happily give away their data and privacy if you consistently entertain them. In my opinion the application should be shut down as soon as possible, but there are many lessons to learn from it. And most of them have little to do with technology.

>TikTok is the most successful espionage operation of the 21st century so far More than FB and Google? Press X to doubt.

[deleted]

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. China and Russia are the biggest geopolitical threats to the world. It is surprisingly that simple. While the US and the western governments have their issues, they are still largely law abiding. China, however, is not. Additionally, under Xi, it has become more authoritarian and more willing to undo the rules based order that has someone kept the world somewhat sane since WWII. I don’t know why anyone would be…

> Yes. China and Russia are the biggest geopolitical threats to the world. > I don’t know why anyone would be afraid to say this. Probably because it's not that they are afraid, they simply don't agree. For many people around the world, the US and Europe have inflicted far greater problems over the past 0-100 years.

and by defining their opinion on the past rather than the current geopolitical environment, they would be prone to fall prey to china and russian influence.

If they've got to be under the thumb of some foreign power, they ought to choose the US over china or russia. At least in a democracy, there's ways to change the public opinion.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am from latin america and at least neither China nor Russia have participated in coup d'etat to install a military junta to then torture and massacre anyone slightly left of the US "Democratic" Party. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2khAmMTAjI

Absolutely nothing about the historical bad behaviour of the US in Central and South America has any bearing on the threat the CCP poses to a billion Chinese and the world today. Nothing.

Actually, they have a lot to do with each other, as the violence that the United States did to Central and South America was always justified with anticommunist rhetoric, like this. A Peter Kingsley quote, more about spiritual perception, also applies to the political:

"The only possible way to understand is by standing back in the stillness that lies underneath thinking and sees things as they really are. It's like watching hundreds of colors, each of them trying to persuade you it happens to be the most important one-then stepping back and seeing they all form a single rainbow. Thoughts in themselves are always leading to division and separation. But all thoughts, together, are a single whole." (from "Reality")

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USA during Reagan in 1980s != USA today

More like "US during British Colonial Times" != "USA Today", for starters USA during Reagan and USA today have the same constitution and the same governmental system even if specific laws and lawmakers have changed

This is very true. Whereas the USSR was run by one man who controlled the state security apparatus, and so controlled the country as an autocrat, Russia is run by a man who controls the country as an autocrat, having controlled the state security apparatus.

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#458
post #115

I am really annoyed at how we (EU) and the US treat chinese companies and citizens. We (europeans and americans) cant do really anything in China, we have essentially no rights and cant really conduct business. Unlike chinese who are pretty much granted all of that when they want to immigrate or conduct business in EU/US.

>We (europeans and americans) cant do really anything in China We - Europeans and pretty much anyone who's not an American - can't do really anything in US.

[deleted]

Re: As TikTok grows, so does suspicion

#460
post #212

TikTok is the most successful espionage operation of the 21st century so far, and it is based on a simple idea - people will happily give away their data and privacy if you consistently entertain them. In my opinion the application should be shut down as soon as possible, but there are many lessons to learn from it. And most of them have little to do with technology.

As a non-US, non-Chinese citizen, is there something that makes TikTok espionage and Facebook not? Or is it just "china scary"?

The ground truth is simple.

In the US, you can intimidate Facebook and Google.

You can't do that to TikTok.

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