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ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

forbes.com

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Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#41

Post by kranke155 »

jacquesm wrote: post #25
kranke155 wrote: post #6

Yeah. Ban TikTok, have an American company make a clone. Why is this insanity allowed ? China doesn’t allow Western social networks. Why do we allow our strategic enemy to have software on our phones? End this madness. Stop the sale of Chinese tech in the West, period. It’s all backdoored. (if you think they are interested in “co-living” go talk to the Kremlin on how that went. China is bidding its time but their int…

> Why do we allow our strategic enemy to have software on our phones? They make the phones. What makes you trust the hardware in the first place?

That’s exactly my point. Apple moving some production to India (or so I read) is a good first step. Western production moved to China due to Chinese strategic efforts to locate our industrial production there. We should have our own strategic effort of our own to reverse that.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#42

Post by pesfandiar »

ironSkillet wrote: post #8
kranke155 wrote: post #6

Yeah. Ban TikTok, have an American company make a clone. Why is this insanity allowed ? China doesn’t allow Western social networks. Why do we allow our strategic enemy to have software on our phones? End this madness. Stop the sale of Chinese tech in the West, period. It’s all backdoored. (if you think they are interested in “co-living” go talk to the Kremlin on how that went. China is bidding its time but their int…

Agreed...I don't understand why this isn't an obvious thing all of congress would get behind. Change the law if necessary.

It seems we're sliding into a new cold war, but the US is still contemplating its strategy. Banning a vastly successful social media outright needs to be aligned with that strategy, and not to mention how unpopular taking away an addictive app would be with the voters.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#43

Post by jmyeet »

Whatever complaints people have about how deep the tendrils of the US government have infiltrated into US companies, there is at least some separation and the rule of law. Yes, the government can get warrants for pen registers, issue NSLs and the like but there's still a process for that.

This simply isn't true for the Chinese government and Chinese companies.

But the other issue, which is both more palatable and more general, is one of reciprocity. China deliberately restricts Western companies from their market. A key component of trade is reciprocal market access.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#44

Post by nonrandomstring »

> "the misconduct of a few individuals"

Always is. Bad apples. Rogue actors. Acting alone. Examples made. Lessons learned. Public assured. Throw the low rank scapegoats under a bus. And keep praying we're as stupid as you make yourself look.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#45

Post by joenathanone »

bigmattystyles wrote: post #9

Were the journalists foolish enough to install the app (not victim blaming but come on) or does the TikTok app scan for other wifi signatures in the vicinity and that’s how they correlated the locations?

There are multiple data points that can be used and/or correlated to determine location, including IP address, if permissions are enabled, nearby Bluetooth devices, nearby WiFi MAC addresses, connected cell tower, and of course GPS. Also they don't even need to be installed on the journalist's device, but their child/spouse/coworker/close friends would also do.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#46

Post by gjsman-1000 »

woodruffw wrote: post #39
ironSkillet wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed...I don't understand why this isn't an obvious thing all of congress would get behind. Change the law if necessary.

Because the statutory (not to mention constitutional) implications are staggering: what about our government's structure do you think gives it the authority to outright ban social media companies? Do you want it to have that power, or do you just want to government to casuistically ban the things you think should be banned? Note: this is entirely independent from whether TikTok is bad, which I'm more confident than n…

“Do you want it to have that power”

What an odd question. The government bans things all the time - can you go and buy unpasteurized milk right now? Or walk into a weapons store and buy brass knuckles? But heaven forbid, we’re abandoning our principles if we ban a data collection platform owned and operated by a genocidal undemocratic government.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#47

Post by kranke155 »

bayindirh wrote: post #13
kranke155 wrote: post #6

Yeah. Ban TikTok, have an American company make a clone. Why is this insanity allowed ? China doesn’t allow Western social networks. Why do we allow our strategic enemy to have software on our phones? End this madness. Stop the sale of Chinese tech in the West, period. It’s all backdoored. (if you think they are interested in “co-living” go talk to the Kremlin on how that went. China is bidding its time but their int…

When US bans something to protect itself, that’s OK, but when another country does it, it’s a suppression of free speech and freedoms and whatnot. Doesn’t this sound a bit off ?

We’re not in the world of what ifs and ethical debates.

We are in a world where our strategic enemy has a foothold on our digital lives and will likely use it against us. This is evidence. We should treat our enemies as enemies. China doesn’t consider itself to be in a friendly competition for dominance. Neither should we.

Re: ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

#50

Post by kranke155 »

treeman79 wrote: post #28
kranke155 wrote: post #6

Yeah. Ban TikTok, have an American company make a clone. Why is this insanity allowed ? China doesn’t allow Western social networks. Why do we allow our strategic enemy to have software on our phones? End this madness. Stop the sale of Chinese tech in the West, period. It’s all backdoored. (if you think they are interested in “co-living” go talk to the Kremlin on how that went. China is bidding its time but their int…

Bribes, lots of bribes. Trump called for Tik Tok to be banned. He was mocked for it.

Fine great let’s just agree Trump got it right and end this.
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