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

South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

gizmodo.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 307 posts

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#81

Post by wildrhythms »

onetimeusename wrote: post #45
hammock wrote: post #5

The bigger deal (bigger than the tracking that people usually focus on) might be how the algorithm is specifically tuned to reward dumb content in the US, compared to rewarding STEM and other educational content in China. One minute video that explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hus9fWz0RRk Further reading: https://www.opindia.com/2022/07/tiktok-china-engineering-oth...

I think this is a serious issue but underestimated. People in the US believe that the top science and engineering roles should be filled by immigrants which I don't think is sustainable or even a healthy view of education. I am basing this on the huge foreign population of our top schools and the push for H1-B visas. It can be a self fulfilling prophecy if people remove themselves from the running for STEM in earlier…

>People in the US believe that the top science and engineering roles should be filled by immigrants

Huh? Anecdotally, I have never heard this sentiment before.

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#82

Post by Cyberdog »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #51
lo_zamoyski wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you proposing exactly? That the US government moderate YouTube content?

The FCC has the authority to ban swearing and nudity on public television. States can ban nudity, profanity, and (in my state) adult video-store ads from highway signage. States can control what teachers instruct students with (who wants a flat-earth teacher?) I don't see why a law, which generically states that recommendation algorithms operated by a publicly-owned company must bias towards intellectually stimulatin…

I don’t like the idea that the First (or any other) Amendment should be violated because there is already so much precedent for it.

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#84

Post by eternalban »

blopker wrote: post #76
hammock wrote: post #5

The bigger deal (bigger than the tracking that people usually focus on) might be how the algorithm is specifically tuned to reward dumb content in the US, compared to rewarding STEM and other educational content in China. One minute video that explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hus9fWz0RRk Further reading: https://www.opindia.com/2022/07/tiktok-china-engineering-oth...

I'm not sure if this claim is true or not, but the person in your first reference is Andrew Schulz. He's a comedian who has already come out to say that he made all that up, and the media just ran with it [0]. [0]: https://youtube.com/shorts/tAV3QkzHC5E

Somewhere in the back of your mind neon lights should be flashing Oh no, we're too late!

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#85

Post by mcculley »

ipaddr wrote: post #19
mcculley wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would a skeptic confirm this? Can one get a VPN inside China?

You would visit in person if you were a true skeptic. It seems to come from this policy. https://www.china-briefing.com/news/china-passes-sweeping-re...

I am aware of these claims. The document to which you linked says, “If enforced as intended…”

It is not clear to me how universally these regulations are enforced.

My skepticism requires that I go there? This is a different definition of skepticism than I was previously aware of. During the Cold War, I was skeptical of many of the claims about the evil Soviets. I did not have the opportunity then to visit. Was I not a proper skeptic?

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#86

Post by protoc »

hammock wrote: post #5

The bigger deal (bigger than the tracking that people usually focus on) might be how the algorithm is specifically tuned to reward dumb content in the US, compared to rewarding STEM and other educational content in China. One minute video that explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hus9fWz0RRk Further reading: https://www.opindia.com/2022/07/tiktok-china-engineering-oth...

you are brainwashed if you think that is true and/or never used (tiktok AND douyin)

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#87

Post by kelnos »

hutzlibu wrote: post #67
hammock wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This isn't a choice being made by TikTok, this is...China Perhaps a distinction without a difference

It is a difference, if TikTok would activly try to make the west dumber and china smarter vs. just different rules of those states. The first could be viewed as a attack vs. the latter is a mere choice of the states involved.

Right, and I think it depends on what the intent is. If TikTok's default would be to just promote "dumb" content everywhere (because that's what increases engagement and sells ads or whatever), but the Chinese government is like "no, you're making our citizens dumber; you have to promote 'smart' content in the China market", then that's totally fine. I mean, I don't agree with the level of interference the Chinese government has empowered itself with, but that's their business.

If the Chinese government were forcing TikTok to promote "dumb" content to citizens of adversary countries, then that would be a bit more nefarious.

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#88

Post by bcrosby95 »

onetimeusename wrote: post #45
hammock wrote: post #5

The bigger deal (bigger than the tracking that people usually focus on) might be how the algorithm is specifically tuned to reward dumb content in the US, compared to rewarding STEM and other educational content in China. One minute video that explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hus9fWz0RRk Further reading: https://www.opindia.com/2022/07/tiktok-china-engineering-oth...

I think this is a serious issue but underestimated. People in the US believe that the top science and engineering roles should be filled by immigrants which I don't think is sustainable or even a healthy view of education. I am basing this on the huge foreign population of our top schools and the push for H1-B visas. It can be a self fulfilling prophecy if people remove themselves from the running for STEM in earlier…

Those graphs are weird as fuck. Look at the actual percentages in China vs the other places: 37% want to be a professional athlete, which is more than youtuber in the UK/US.

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#89

Post by the_lonely_road »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #38
Miner49er wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't a choice being made by TikTok, this is due to regulations/laws in China. If the US passed laws requiring TikTok to do the same in the US, they would obviously comply.

No, it is almost certainly deliberate. In China, all companies with more than 50 employees are legally obligated to have dedicated Chinese Communist Party representatives overseeing, according to Harvard Business Publishing ( https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/R1403J-HCB-ENG ). Social media companies? They probably have tons of mandatory representatives guiding the system. ByteDance also had a "nominal" 1% ownership ta…

Your point would be stronger if YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and every streaming service in the country was showing the same kind of content. TikTok getting bashed for serving American consumers American content is one of the silliest trends on Hacker News.

Re: South Dakota first to ban TikTok on state-owned devices

#90

Post by emodendroket »

blopker wrote: post #76
hammock wrote: post #5

The bigger deal (bigger than the tracking that people usually focus on) might be how the algorithm is specifically tuned to reward dumb content in the US, compared to rewarding STEM and other educational content in China. One minute video that explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hus9fWz0RRk Further reading: https://www.opindia.com/2022/07/tiktok-china-engineering-oth...

I'm not sure if this claim is true or not, but the person in your first reference is Andrew Schulz. He's a comedian who has already come out to say that he made all that up, and the media just ran with it [0]. [0]: https://youtube.com/shorts/tAV3QkzHC5E

As US confrontation with China has become more open, the evidentiary standard for any stories about China has headed toward North Korea levels, where we constantly read about people being executed in baroque ways before a couple months before they make new public appearances, apparently risen from the dead.
Post reply on HN