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

291–300 of 430 posts

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#291

Post by rosmax_1337 »

SkyMarshal wrote: post #283
xwolfi wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And God knows China is collecting all that important juicy information on teenagers' love for the latest fad ... Man the FBI acts like tik tok is used in jet planes and nuclear power plants...

There are at least three worrisome things that data can be used for: 1. Shaping and manipulating minds. Eg, show healthy, educational, intellectual content to Chinese users, and unhealthy, addictive, emotional, short-attention-span-inducing content in US and foreign markets (already happening [1]). 2. Train AI for analyzing and further manipulating foreign publics, or for providing strategic insight into political an…

I am worried that 1, 2 and 3 is already being used by the western governments to do the exact same thing against it's own population. The FBI is just jealous they didn't have the boot on Tiktok like they do with all other kinds of social media and websites.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#293

Post by pksebben »

jononor wrote: post #227
kube-system wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would an App Store possibly know? Surveillance often happens out of band, and under foreign jurisdiction. The apps themselves may not even know or may be prohibited from disclosing it.

That is something the apps and App stores can solve in collaboration. And if they are required to in order to make money, they very likely will.

this is literally impossible in any case that uses a server to process unencrypted data.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#294

Post by rosmax_1337 »

advisedwang wrote: post #276

TikTok is hitting a much broader slice of the US population, and getting a much broader slice of political opinions. And it's connecting all these people and all these opinions. You can find communists and nazi's on TikTok, building communities, and getting their voice out. The administration hates TikTok because it is potentially destabilizing. The FBI's concern is not that it's foreign influence, but that it's allo…

Can you actually find nazis on Tiktok? I believe they have a pretty clear policy against hate in general which they apply just as liberally as for example facebook and youtube does.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#295

Post by yur3i__ »

andrewclunn wrote: post #288

Oh so our current owners are concerned that they might lose control of the culture to some new foreign owners? If I believed that the US security state was there to protect the American people I might be more concerned, as it stands this is just a changing of the guard for who will be our technocratic authoritarian overlords, and I can't be plotzed to care.

Thinking this change of "technocratic authoritarian overlords" is as much of a non-event as you seem to or that the Chinese level of control over the citzenry is equivalent to that of the USA is a crazy level of naivety that I can't even begin to unpack

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#296

Post by yamtaddle »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #91
mc32 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but that was more akin to the BBC or even Xinhua. I mean a specifically propagandist station like the VoA or RFE. But that said, looks like all the Biden admin needs to do is set up some sanctions (for whatever reason) and put TT under that umbrella and voila!

I see news articles about US mass shootings on VoA- how is that US propaganda?

A smart foreign propaganda news outlet doesn't simply censor everything that makes their sponsor country look bad. You can push a worldview while still reporting most of the same stuff any other outlet would, and having actually-decent coverage means more people will tune in—then you save the heavy-handed slanted coverage for when it really matters.

Hell, look at something like The Economist. They're regarded as an excellent news source, which makes their efforts at pushing a certain economic and political POV far more successful than if they pushed it so hard that they weren't a good news source.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#297

Post by SkyMarshal »

rosmax_1337 wrote: post #291
SkyMarshal wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are at least three worrisome things that data can be used for: 1. Shaping and manipulating minds. Eg, show healthy, educational, intellectual content to Chinese users, and unhealthy, addictive, emotional, short-attention-span-inducing content in US and foreign markets (already happening [1]). 2. Train AI for analyzing and further manipulating foreign publics, or for providing strategic insight into political an…

I am worried that 1, 2 and 3 is already being used by the western governments to do the exact same thing against it's own population. The FBI is just jealous they didn't have the boot on Tiktok like they do with all other kinds of social media and websites.

I'm aware of that too, it's a problem, but the lesser one imho. At least there's some modicum of accountability with Western companies subject to Western laws, which Western citizens have some say in (if they get agitated enough at least), thus some possibility for reigning them in. There's much less or none with with Chinese companies operating in the West, and sending all the data they collect back to servers in China, under CCP "law".

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#298

Post by computerfriend »

shkkmo wrote: post #261
computerfriend wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's a separate topic and you're engaging in whataboutism.

Literally the exact same topic: making a list of the worst infractors. Edit: Here's the summary of this thread so far: 1) Let's make a rule against it instead of just hitting companies based on their nationality 2) A rule would be great, but in the mean time let's target the worst actors 3) These US based spy agencies do a bunch of stuff that is similar, where are they on that list? 4) That's off topic whataboutism 5…

I actually love this topic. It's not at all a discussion I don't like.

You can see throughout these comments, and everywhere else, every time this topic comes up, the "but also the USA" fallacious argument is brought out. It's really not relevant.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#299

Post by NickC25 »

standardUser wrote: post #280
NickC25 wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't care if it isn't the American way. This is an economic cold war. China views all trade as a zero-sum-game war, and currently, we've ceded the fight completely. They can collect info and revenue in our markets, but we can't in theirs. If appeasing them is how we decide to continue, we've lost the fight and will continue to lose the fight. Remember, to the Chinese government, a Win-Win situation is not when bot…

"China views all trade as a zero-sum-game war" No, they don't. That's an absurd statement. China has become a great power by virtue of engaging with the global trade system.

Yes, they do. Go read Sun Tzu's "Art of War". That's their playbook. They played along because it was advantageous to them, and now that they have a shot at taking the driver's seat, they will do as they please. They will also do as they please once they get in said driver's seat.

I've worked around Chinese people for a long time, have studied their culture extensively, and have done business with some of their top institutions, including tutoring students from Tsinghua, most of whom are the children of Party elite.

Re: The FBI alleges TikTok poses national security concerns

#300

Post by rosmax_1337 »

SkyMarshal wrote: post #297
rosmax_1337 wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am worried that 1, 2 and 3 is already being used by the western governments to do the exact same thing against it's own population. The FBI is just jealous they didn't have the boot on Tiktok like they do with all other kinds of social media and websites.

I'm aware of that too, it's a problem, but the lesser one imho. At least there's some modicum of accountability with Western companies subject to Western laws, which Western citizens have some say in (if they get agitated enough at least), thus some possibility for reigning them in. There's much less or none with with Chinese companies operating in the West, and sending all the data they collect back to servers in Ch…

I don't live in the US, I have no clear way at all to change how US government agencies deal with data gathered from citizens of my country. I can't even vote there, not that "voting blue/red" would change this mess at all.

It can't be more than a week ago that we discussed here on HN a way that MS Powerpoint can leak your entire presentation to microsoft. Lots of people in my country use the entire MS suite, and I don't think the CIA/FBI/ABCDEFG should have our data.

Post reply on HN