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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

#251

Post by encryptluks2 »

varenc wrote: post #144
lmm wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Laws are meaningless without enforcement, and good luck getting US law enforcement to enforce laws that they themselves are breaking routinely. We need a whole culture shift in government if we're going to have any hope of fixing this.

I generally agree, but that's no reason why we shouldn't push for a law banning use of private data like this now. It seems like a first step towards that culture shift we want. And even if enforcement of this new law is lacking, I bet in the TikTok situation the US gov we be happy to enforce it.

So you want Congress to make laws that they actively abuse themselves?

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

#252

Post by encryptluks2 »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #172
sschueller wrote: post #69

We need a law to generally make this illegal. Uber did the same thing and Tesla hired PIs to do it.

How long will that take? Can we ban TikTok in the meantime?

Why not make it a crime to have a TikTok account?

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

#253

Post by mensetmanusman »

colechristensen wrote: post #250
vanadium1st wrote: post #184

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-…

In the US I’m not really afraid of China. There are some people who should be, but I’m not. I’m annoyed at American companies who bow to their wishes, but I’m also annoyed at American companies who censor to advertisers so nobody says “fuck” on YouTube and my level of annoyance is about the same. Some other places would do good to ban tiktok and people concerned about national secrets and the like sure should, but I’…

If you work for a company that could be punished by China, you should fear them. They can have you fired if your say the wrong thing.

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

#254

Post by lmm »

varenc wrote: post #144
lmm wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Laws are meaningless without enforcement, and good luck getting US law enforcement to enforce laws that they themselves are breaking routinely. We need a whole culture shift in government if we're going to have any hope of fixing this.

I generally agree, but that's no reason why we shouldn't push for a law banning use of private data like this now. It seems like a first step towards that culture shift we want. And even if enforcement of this new law is lacking, I bet in the TikTok situation the US gov we be happy to enforce it.

Selective enforcement and laws that are designed not to be enforced degrade the very rule of law and rules-based order that we're supposedly trying to protect here.

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

#255

Post by mensetmanusman »

phpisthebest wrote: post #111
bioemerl wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We should do both. This is detracting from the fact that we have an actively hostile actor with a huge platform here in our country, and that needs to be handled as soon as possible. I totally support broad regulation of privacy law. TikTok is a much deeper concern. I don't like seeing a good cause used to distract from another good cause.

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?

China can have you fired.

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

#256

Post by mensetmanusman »

DiogenesKynikos wrote: post #212
bioemerl wrote: post #138

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.

It can be on command. It might be now.

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

#257

Post by spritefs »

The legality of this kind of tracking is one thing. What I think is most egregious about this though is that ByteDance said this before:

> TikTok has never been used to ‘target’ any members of the U.S. government, activists, public figures or journalists,

This sort of outright lying is bound to piss off DC. Will it lead to TikTok getting banned? Idk, depends on their lobbying budget

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

#258

Post by choppaface »

alphabetting wrote: post #2

Tdlr: Tiktok's Chinese parent company used Tiktok user data to track US journalists who uncovered they were accessing US user data in China.

Related: the story is about Forbes journalists. And Forbes journalists include fraudsters: https://www.niemanlab.org/reading/woman-accused-of-4-5-billi...

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

#260

Post by spritefs »

spookie wrote: post #185
phpisthebest wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand the resistance cynicism, however your statement about democracy seems to be more faith based than any kind of data What data do you have to support the position that "democracy ultimately is still doing its job. " further what "job" do you believe democracy is doing. I can point to many data points that show it is not, the for mentioned lack of accountability. The fact that most of the voting population…

You can point out individual points of data as much as you want, the end result is what matters. Have you seen journalists attacking a dictatorship while living there, and go unpunished? Have you seen the same, but on democratic countries? That should answer it.

> Have you seen journalists attacking a dictatorship while living there, and go unpunished? Have you seen the same, but on democratic countries?

After Glenn Greenwald reported on the 2013 leaks, the IC and news media started up a bunch of threats of treason and were questioning his status as a journalist (to make him more legally at fault)

This doesn't necessarily contradict your statement, given we state the obvious that the US govt (and executive agencies especially) are not democratic

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