Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 430 posts

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#31

Post by mromanuk »

uniqueuid wrote: post #8
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?

This one's pretty simple: China is a totalitarian regime that is in direct conflict with western constitutional values. So if influence is aimed at democratic foundations, of course it's a bad thing.

Doesn't banning a social network undermine the democratic principles you mention?

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#32

Post by CyanBird »

lm28469 wrote: post #17
Tenoke wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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"

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

"I don't like it so it should be banned"

That's such a low level engagement with the matter at hand, sadly these days is the level of discussion here in HN, sad to say that it seems astroturfed, but again, at this point what isn't, right?

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#33

Post by drcross »

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…

Trump tried this and had to back down due to it being an unpopular decision. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/06/politics/trump-executive-...

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#34

Post by plaguepilled »

weego wrote: post #22
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…

The US is a surveillance pseudo-democracy. The problem here being this time they can't insert themselves into the surveillance pipeline. They're not better or worse (unless you're fine with your own Govt surveilling you but not another state), just not the status quo.

There is a very relevant difference between a country which affords you civil rights surveiling you, and a country that you are not a civilian of surveiling you.

Its not just about being "fine" with one surveiling you and not the other.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#35

Post by dd36 »

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 by radicalizing people to try to destroy democracy.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#36

Post by PheonixPharts »

HlessClaudesman wrote: post #10
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 think their strategy is more insidious than that. Chinese social media inside China is actively directing youth towards vigorous / productive / pedagogical endeavours, whereas ticktock outside China heavily promotes pointless endless innane naval gazing such as pranking, gaming, influencers etc. They seek to create a generation of feckless know nothings in The West.

> social media inside China is actively directing youth towards vigorous / productive / pedagogical

I have a fair number of friends/relatives living in China and at least from what I've seen this is a pretty laughable claim. Very curious where you heard this from?

TikTok in China is different than the US in that it is increasingly inundated with various "get rich quick" schemes. It's essentially turned into large scale social advertising platform where everyone is trying to pitch some angle to make a quick RBM.

I'm sure there exist some "vigorous / productive / pedagogical" accounts, but there are plenty of this in the US as well. There are a lot of accounts in the US that focus on learning, exercise, getting a software job etc.

Again, would love to hear your source of this information, especially if it's first hand experience, because based on the people I talk with in mainland China this comment sounds like a very off the mark hot take.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#37

Post by Kukumber »

"When we look at all of these wide-ranging apps that are connected to Chinese firms, it's actually almost nonsensical to ban just one when we see platforms in areas like precision agriculture, communications, gaming, all connected to Chinese firms," she says. "So what's really important is to develop more robust data privacy regulations in the United States to protect users.

TLDR:

It has nothing to do with "national security concerns", it's just they are great competition, and the US is lagging behind, so banning it would mean having a chance to catchup

Hence why they tried to lure them to move to their US based servers, so they could peek at the source code ;) ;)

Because US firms are lagging behind, some stagnating and are greedy, therefore no competitors is allowed to do better until they wake up

The plan is clear, another confession of defeat

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#39

Post by angio »

lm28469 wrote: post #17
Tenoke wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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"

It's not a huge conspiracy theory. TikTok moderates content based on the country's law, the US values free speech and so anyone can post anything they want on TikTok (and facebook, twitter). China has strict censorship laws, so content there is moderated. If you don't want to see that type of content on TikTok, then ask the US governemnt to start censoring internet.
Post reply on HN