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ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location

forbes.com

221–230 of 501 posts

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

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm very skeptical that there is such a thing as a regulation which can keep a state actor with zero transparency like TikTok in check. Even if you move all of their code and mandate that they have a shell company in the United States, and you mandate that none of American data ever goes to China, they can ignore you. You validate that every request only stays in the United States? How do you validate that there's no…

TikTok isn't a state actor. Contrary to the current American discourse, not everyone in China is a government bot.

The idea that government and companies could have significantly different goals and operate under different authority is seen as a very western notion in china. It isn't possible for a chinese company to directly defy the wishes of the chinese government.

Jack Ma is a good case study, one of the most influential and successful businesspeople in china, and he was summarily thrown in jail for merely discussing ideas the CCP didn't like. There was no legal process, he just dropped off the grid completely, and then some time later the chinese government made ominous statements about how he was "embracing supervision."

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

#222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're probably too busy being rich to care.

Well they probably are, but there is a non-zero chance they'll end up in jail for a very long time, in which case their riches won't matter much.

Doesn't most people who commit white-collar crimes do so because the riches acquired does matter in reducing time and getting out of jail quickly?

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

#223
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The claim wasn't that they did so for the Chinese government. But Facebook, for example, did so, for its own purposes. This is just as bad. We can't really have journalism being threatened, regardless of whether it's threatened by China, or supposedly-loyal US companies.

Also correct me if I'm wrong. The claim isn't that ByteDance did it for the Chinese government, but that they did it to try to find internal leakers

Sorry, I was unclear. What I meant was, I was not claiming that Facebook acted on behalf of the Chinese government. So I was conceding that part of the point.

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

#225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Imagine a world where Russia is allowed to take Europe." Russia can not even 'take' Ukraine the chances of it being able to take Europe are zero at this point.

A big part of the issues Russia has had taking Ukraine has been because America is funding and helping them out as well. I don't want to totally discredit Ukraine here, but there is a world where without American support Russia would be having a much easier time.

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

#226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has attention right now because of the stupid political news cycle. The South Dakota governor wants to be Sarah Palin Jr. The reality is lots of people sell this data. If you shut down tiktok, the Chinese will go buy it or otherwise obtain it from one of them.

The data really isn't the concern. It's a mild concern in long term as we have kids grow up to be presidents and their stupid stuff is on this media platform who can dig it up and blackmail with it. The real concern is the ability to use the website as a propaganda outlet

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

#227
post #186

I often wonder what high-level American executives that work at these Chinese companies feel like, specially when news like this comes to life. Do they feel like they're just doing their job? Are they afraid of getting arrested? Do they think that the massive comp packages they get is worth the risk? Lots of cognitive dissonance going on, I would bet.

Lots of possibilities: * Golden handcuffs, but intending to move away once they vest. * Actively trying to move away, but want to have a new role at that/better level lined up. * They might've been eased into it through deception (e.g., someone raises a concern internally, they're assured that's not happening or has stopped, and only later it's in the news that it's happening anyway). * Or, really, "tech" has pervasi…

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

#228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often wonder why the average american should be more concerned about China than the CIA or FBI? the FBI has the power to put me in a cage, China does not... I am confused as why china is a bigger threat to me personally than the FBI?

The FBI has the power to put you in a cage, and yet you are not in a cage. China regularly puts its own citizens in a cage or worse for offenses that are perfectly acceptable here, such as criticizing our leadership. China is a large and powerful country. China is an authoritarian state whose leadership would unquestionably impose their will on us could they. Recording data about us now to be used in 10, 20, or 50 ye…

Interesting take. Many teens and 20-somethings using TikTok today will be looking to get elected 20 or 30 years from now. They may also end up as CEOs.

Would be a shame if their youthful TikTok private videos and DMs happened to be leaked to the press. Unless…

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

#229

I was really pro open internet. I remember the old internet and feel nostalgia about it that probably won't ever completely fade. I am Ukrainian, and when some years ago my government banned the most popular social network at our country - Russian-made VK, I felt strange about it. I kind of understood some of the security concerns, but didn't feel like they were enough to turn off my open internet fantasies and free-…

> I still have no strength to quit it by myself.

This sounds like addiction?

Just delete the app from your phone and move on?

You'd be surprised by perfectly fine life goes on without Twitter / Facebook / TikTok / Instagram.

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

#230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big part of the issues Russia has had taking Ukraine has been because America is funding and helping them out as well. I don't want to totally discredit Ukraine here, but there is a world where without American support Russia would be having a much easier time.

In that world without American support, Russia would probably have been occupied or severely weakened by the Nazi in WWII, and history would have been way different. Just nitpicking, I agree on principle.

That is a very curious reading of history not shared by the majority of military historians in either the West or East.

For example, according to the US military (See The West Point Military History of the Second World War which is available on Kindle), without US support, WW2 would have lasted 1-2 years longer but the Soviets could have defeated Germany all on their own, both without lend/lease and also without any US involvement at all in the war on Europe. Here is what the West Point history says at the start of their section on Lend/Lease:

"Although nearly half the population and the great industrial regions of the Donets remained under German occupation, the Soviets still found men for new armies and vastly increased war production. They defeated the Germans at Stalingrad almost entirely through their own efforts and would probably have won the same victory if they received no assistance at all."

Or you can read When Titans Clashed by noted British historian David Glantz, which reads

"If the Western Allies had not provided equipment and invaded Northwest Europe, Stalin and his commanders would have taken twelve to eighteen months to finish off the Wehrmacht. The results would probably have been the same, except that Soviet soldiers would have waded at France's Atlantic beaches rather than meeting the Allies at the Elbe".

It is sad that many in the West don't know that 80% of German war deaths were at the hands of Soviet soldiers.

The reason why historians believe this is because of the timing. The vast majority of Lend/Lease aid was delivered in 1945. Only 20% of aid was delivered before 1944 to the Soviets, but by that time the tide had already turned (Stalingrad, recognized as the turning point, was in winter of 1942 to the start of 1943). By the time Lend/Lease really took off, the Soviet army was already vastly larger and more capable than the German army, which was in full retreat. During the dark days of 1941 and 1942, Lend/Lease was miniscule, primarily consisting of things like cans of spam and beans. The Soviets derisively called Spam "The Second Front", because instead of delivering the promised second front, they received cans of spam in small quantities during the darkest period of the war for the Russians in 1941-1942.

The massive factories and military gear were sent after the Germans were retreating, and therefore most historians believe they had the effect of speeding up the collapse of the German forces, which was the main effect of the Normandy invasion as well.

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