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The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

npr.org

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Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#11

Post by mc32 »

vachina wrote: post #5
Reason077 wrote: post #2

Besides the obvious concerns about tracking/spying, TikTok has great potential as a propaganda tool to gain subtle influence over America's youth. For example, its algorithm could be tweaked to elevate content that is favourable to the Chinese Communist Party.

I wonder why when China does this it’s always a bad thing. Isn’t the inverse also true i.e. western media influencing and nudging narratives, except that we can actually observe this happening right now. Where do you stand in that case?

If China were pushing a WEF narrative, everything would be okay. Instead they have their own separate agenda that does not dovetail. Look at it this way, if it were Japan or SKorea, we would not be hearing about this from that PoV. That said, even if it were a purely American company, setting aside tracking and all that, it is not a psychological net-positive. It's manipulative and induces poor choices on some. That some is on this side of too much.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#12

Post by darkteflon »

Utterly ridiculous to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the current geopolitical climate. China is a surveillance autocracy and has been engaged in adversarial conduct against the West for years - including extensive psyops.

Shut it down, yesterday. Build a local clone so that people can get their fix or whatever. China sure as shit doesn’t allow its citizens to cough up their personal information for algorithmic consumption to Twitter et al.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#13

Post by uniqueuid »

vachina wrote: post #5
Reason077 wrote: post #2

Besides the obvious concerns about tracking/spying, TikTok has great potential as a propaganda tool to gain subtle influence over America's youth. For example, its algorithm could be tweaked to elevate content that is favourable to the Chinese Communist Party.

I wonder why when China does this it’s always a bad thing. Isn’t the inverse also true i.e. western media influencing and nudging narratives, except that we can actually observe this happening right now. Where do you stand in that case?

For the record, I also think nudging in and of itself is a bad thing and incompatible with democracy. Henry Farrell and Cosma Shalizi have a great essay on that [1].

[1] https://crookedtimber.org/2012/05/23/cognitive-democracy/

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#14

Post by lm28469 »

rafale wrote: post #6
Reason077 wrote: post #2

Besides the obvious concerns about tracking/spying, TikTok has great potential as a propaganda tool to gain subtle influence over America's youth. For example, its algorithm could be tweaked to elevate content that is favourable to the Chinese Communist Party.

Or to shape what the youth value: science or twerking/vaping.

What is this ? China ? This is a free country, twerking and vaping are valid life plans !!! /s

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#15

Post by Tenoke »

darkteflon wrote: post #12

Utterly ridiculous to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the current geopolitical climate. China is a surveillance autocracy and has been engaged in adversarial conduct against the West for years - including extensive psyops. Shut it down, yesterday. Build a local clone so that people can get their fix or whatever. China sure as shit doesn’t allow its citizens to cough up their personal information for algorithmi…

I don't think it's that ridiculous. The default should be not to ban entertainment, and it's not so clearcut whether the danger outweighs the benefits much more than for many other legal forms of entertainment.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#16

Post by mistermann »

laputan_machine wrote: post #9
vachina wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder why when China does this it’s always a bad thing. Isn’t the inverse also true i.e. western media influencing and nudging narratives, except that we can actually observe this happening right now. Where do you stand in that case?

China is under the rule of the CCP, an authortarian party to which you cannot challenge. For all democracy's failings, for the mess the US is in, and rise of populist parties in Europe, it is still freedom.

Does the US public have any genuine, identifiable democratic power over the FBI?

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#17

Post by lm28469 »

Tenoke wrote: post #15
darkteflon wrote: post #12

Utterly ridiculous to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the current geopolitical climate. China is a surveillance autocracy and has been engaged in adversarial conduct against the West for years - including extensive psyops. Shut it down, yesterday. Build a local clone so that people can get their fix or whatever. China sure as shit doesn’t allow its citizens to cough up their personal information for algorithmi…

I don't think it's that ridiculous. The default should be not to ban entertainment, and it's not so clearcut whether the danger outweighs the benefits much more than for many other legal forms of entertainment.

> The default should be not to ban entertainment

It's only entertainment if you're completely blind.

They're using our tolerance as a weakness, while themselves having absolutely 0 tolerance for western bs/propaganda in their home country

This is next level "turning the other cheek"

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#18

Post by tenebrisalietum »

Reason077 wrote: post #2

Besides the obvious concerns about tracking/spying, TikTok has great potential as a propaganda tool to gain subtle influence over America's youth. For example, its algorithm could be tweaked to elevate content that is favourable to the Chinese Communist Party.

TikTok can't do anything worse than domestic advertising/marketing firms already do. The idea that the CCP wants American youth for any purpose that doesn't already align with American businesses--who depend on the slave-labor priced cheap stuff from China to sell to them--is ridiculous.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#19

Post by soup10 »

darkteflon wrote: post #12

Utterly ridiculous to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the current geopolitical climate. China is a surveillance autocracy and has been engaged in adversarial conduct against the West for years - including extensive psyops. Shut it down, yesterday. Build a local clone so that people can get their fix or whatever. China sure as shit doesn’t allow its citizens to cough up their personal information for algorithmi…

Not sure that US really wants to set a precedent of protectionism when so many large US technology companies operate globally.
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