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TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

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Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#101

Tiktok became a bigger national security risk after being sold than it was before.

All Americans are probably better off using Chinese apps that the Chinese government uses to snoop on them and Chinese are better off using American apps that the American govt uses to snoop on them than the opposite. The impact the Chinese government can have on an individual American is minor compared to the US govt and the same goes for the American and Chinese govts on the average Chinese person.

> The impact the Chinese government can have on an individual American is minor

I agree with this completely but I think we all need to avoid the idea that the danger of mass surveillance plays out at the personal level.

The Chinese government can do basically nothing with your individual personal data but if they have the personal data of tens millions of individuals then it suddenly becomes way easier to do things like influencing elections.

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#102
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...Highly disagree. China can (and has) manipulate the hearts and minds of the American public—skewing their biases in a way that creates internal chaos and dissent, disrupting institutional order, and sewing distrust of thy neighbor. They've been doing this for at least a decade now, and have played a silent hand in reshaping American politics. If (when) a conflict arises, trust that they will use this tool to manip…

> China can (and has) manipulate the hearts and minds of the American public—skewing their biases in a way that creates internal chaos and dissent, disrupting institutional order, and sewing distrust of thy neighbor Nothing a tin-foil hat can't prevent As if the public needed any manipulation. You can just read what actual public figures, journalists, and such have been openly saying for the last 15-20 years... When…

Two things can be true at the same time. It's not just China. Russia does it. So does Israel, many countries, as well as many institutions in the US, both public and private.

It's no secret they do this, they openly discuss it. The things they want can differ but they want to convince you of things. That's obvious.

What makes the game easy for political adversaries (both foreign and domestic) is they don't need to convince the public of a certain thing, they just drive contention. What many people call "engagement". You can see this in 2016 with Russia doing things like forming Facebook groups to spur on protests along with groups to organize counter protests to the protest they helped create. They're not trying to make you pro Russia or pro communist so much as just cause America to be chaotic, ensuring people care less when they do things like invade Ukraine. You also see it in the current administration which, developing the belief in a deep state and saying crazy things left and right so that nothing is to be believed and you're constantly distracted. While we're all talking about Greenland we're not talking about Epstein. Every week it's something new. Even Bannon discussed this strategy early on: throw a million things at them and they'll only be able to focus on a few. It's no surprise this creates chaos and confusion. We argue about the things not being discussed as if it's hidden information rather than logistic overload but there's also not a meaningful difference

The point isn't to convince you, it's to make you exhausted and apathetic

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that has nothing to do with the reality that the best response is to stop doing heroin. Someone refusing to help themselves does not change that.

>But that has nothing to do with the reality that the best response is to stop doing heroin. This is inaccurate. The best response is medically supervised detoxification. Stopping heroin without medical supervision can cause severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, cardiovascular issues and aspiration pneumonia. To say nothing of the likelihood of relapse overdose. You should never, ever tell a person addicted to h…

We're talking about social media, not literally heroin. Heroin is physically addictive and you can die by going cold turkey. That's not true for social media.

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#104
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution is simple, go interact with actual humans and make an actual bond. Hanging out with good friends feels way better than any social media I've ever used and I've been online shitposting since 1995.

How do you do that? You've stated a goal, but not a mechanism to get there.

Are you asking how you hang out with friends?

I mean this in all seriousness... you talk to them. Don't wait for them to ask you, you ask them.

Or are you asking how you make friends?

That one's harder but I'll point out something important. You notice how you made friends in school? The reality of it is that you just spent time around the same people constantly. That's the biggest driver. Bigger than any shared belief, politics, or whatever. Join a club. Go to the gym. Spend time outside your home in public in the same location at approximately the same times. You'll meet people who also spend time outside their homes in the same locations at the same times. Repeat this until you gave gained friends.

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#105
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the solution? You imply that it is just to quit using it, but then you mention how super-addictive social media and especially TikTok is. Which it is, by design, by very smart people who very intentionally exploit every aspect of human psychology they can, for profit. I don't blame the victims of social media, I blame the architects of it. To me it's clear that social media does more harm than good, and is on…

Social media is addictive, but Hacker News overplays how addictive it is. Most of what keeps people on it isn't heroin-like dependence but convenience and habit.

We call that mental addiction.

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#106
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

we’ve had this for decade+

No, they haven’t. Read the article.

I was processing “precise location data” a decade ago at work - nothing to do with the article at all. the OP comment was made as general “what is there left” and it ain’t precise location data

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Outside competition allows progress because we have been shown time and time again that the US will just not solve its problems without outside pressure. I'd also argue that any other country in its position would act the same. For example when the USSR was actively competing with the US, they could easily lob a major criticism of the US in capturing 'hearts and minds' of other nations: "Look at how they treat their…

US aid to Israel is about 0.05% of the federal budget, and around 3% of Israel’s state budget. That’s nowhere near enough to fund healthcare in either country.

I never said it did but the point is that it is money that does not need to go there when we are trillions in debt already. For years whenever any thought of providing some relief to the middle class in the US is brought up, the response is always "How are you going to pay for that?". How come that question is never asked for outlays to israel but only when it involves the American people?

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democracy is extremely vulnerable to manipulation, especially if you don't verify identity.

Except karma is tracked by your user…? I fail to see where you’re going with this. I’m not talking about political elections.

How much does it cost to create a user?

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#109
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they haven’t. Read the article.

I was processing “precise location data” a decade ago at work - nothing to do with the article at all. the OP comment was made as general “what is there left” and it ain’t precise location data

> I was processing “precise location data” a decade ago at work

Were you working at TikTok? If not, I don’t see the relevance.

The TikTok app didn’t used to demand precise location data. Now it does. That’s a difference.

Re: TikTok is now collecting more data about its users

#110
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Barely. It's like saying "don't do drugs" (thinking of heroin, meth, coke and that sort) and someone else says "caffeine is a drug too".

More like "alcohol is a drug".

Are we really taking the position that alcohol precipitated crimes are not a thing? If you take that position it's because DV and drunk driving are so normalized in this country that you don't even consider them heinous anymore. SAS, but understandable
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