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

UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

texastribune.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

231–240 of 250 posts

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#231

Post by hot_gril »

tzs wrote: post #213
type-r wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's not enacting similar policies though. it's taking a reciprocal stance -- don't want to allow our apps? that's fine, but you can't expect we'll allow yours. default to open but restrict if others restrict feels like a very fair policy to me. right now we have open no matter what. this is too permissive.

China allows foreign apps if they obey the same rules on content and reporting and providing government access that Chinese apps must follow. The reciprocal stance by the US would be to allow TikTok but subject it to the same rules Facebook and Twitter and YouTube are subject to.

China blocks foreign apps just cause they're foreign and popular, under the guise of whatever law was deliberately designed for this purpose, and now we're doing the similar thing with TikTok.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#232

Post by throwaway29812 »

snapcaster wrote: post #229
throwaway29812 wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do you respond to every mention of the US with links of all the war crimes? If the private companies in question was complicit and potentially had a role in these crimes, yes I would. But to highlight your false equivalency, private industry in the US doesn't obey the US government, despite what the bizarre TwitterFiles PR campaign by right wing operatives is trying to tell you.

So what did TikTok do specifically?

That question is answered by what we know.

TikTok has the ability (and have been caught) tracking specific American citizens (journalists) https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-employees-improperly-acc...

TikTok as a Chinese company cannot refuse data requests on behalf of the Chinese government. TikTok's top security official resigned over this reality: https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/15/tiktoks-chief-security-off...

If you are naive enough to think an authoritarian government obsessed with digital surveillance would simply not use the largest data gathering tool on persons in the world, I don't know what to tell you. Considering what we know what they use their connections to Chinese companies for (theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/15/documents-link-huawei-uyghur-surveillance-projects-report-claims), it's fairly easy to connect the dots.

People who are determined to not accept this reality won't expect it, i'm not going to play the "give me more proof" game if no proof will ever do.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#233

Post by hot_gril »

type-r wrote: post #210
hot_gril wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want to follow the line of thinking that the US govt should enact similar policies to the CCP.

it's not enacting similar policies though. it's taking a reciprocal stance -- don't want to allow our apps? that's fine, but you can't expect we'll allow yours. default to open but restrict if others restrict feels like a very fair policy to me. right now we have open no matter what. this is too permissive.

I'm almost ok with this cause of my dislike for China-based companies, esp TikTok, but then I remember how YouTube's been unopposed and twiddling their thumbs for like a decade until they knocked off TikTok. Our economy and world influence grow by building better products, not by trying to limit outside competition to the benefit of a few domestic companies. US govt banning TikTok would be like saying, we have TikTok at home (YT Shorts).

It's not just China, btw. EU is extra protectionist too. I don't want to be like them.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#234

Post by purpleblue »

snapcaster wrote: post #64
purpleblue wrote: post #31

Does China allow Instagram and Facebook in the country?

Do you want your government to behave the same way as the CCP?

Yes. China has walled itself off economically, preventing American companies from making money in China. It's pretty crazy for the US to let the CCP run rampant in the US and compete against American companies when American companies don't have that same right in China.

I think we should definitely ban Bytedance and all Chinese companies until China opens up their economy to the US. I hate Trump and was against a lot but I supported tariffs against Chinese products.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#235

Post by kerpotgh »

snapcaster wrote: post #230
kerpotgh wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because that’s why we still have a society. You can’t put the ability to launch nuclear missiles in a freely distributed app so consider this a less exaggerated version of that restriction.

Come on man, can you not make absurd false equivalencies? Do you _really_ believe TikTok is comparable to an app launching NUCLEAR WEAPONS?! get a grip

I don’t see why not? I did point out it’s an exaggerated analogy but a hostile nation having a direct propaganda line of access to a nation’s youth can potentially be used destructively.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#236

Post by throwaway29812 »

rockinghigh wrote: post #115
throwaway29812 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite incredible he can go from DoD spokesperson to working at TikTok. I guess there's no law against it, but incredible personal choice.

In the same vein, Michael Flynn went from being a US Army lieutenant general to a foreign agent lobbying for governments like Turkey.

I think there was a law against that.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#237

Post by throwaway29812 »

tsimionescu wrote: post #94
TurkishPoptart wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a panic when it's clear as day this app is used for surveillance purposes

So is Google Search, but few are calling for banning that.

Did Google turn over data to a government to help track that person down, arrest them, and intern them in a political reeducation camps ?

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#238

Post by throwaway29812 »

UncleMeat wrote: post #223
flappyeagle wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would be more sympathetic to this line of argument if the CCP weren't currently banning every single US-based social network. Reciprocation is the only sensible response. This shouldn't be about race, or even data. It should be about trade policy.

"The Chinese Government is bad." "We should enact policy similar to what the Chinese Government does." Not sure if I agree.

Oversimplifications to this degree aren't helpful. A specific policy should see a specific response, no matter who you think is "bad".

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#239

Post by UncleMeat »

lumb63 wrote: post #224
UncleMeat wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the operating system controls that and you can tell the operating system to deny these features.

But how do you know the OS is being honest? Or the hardware?

You can build an app and test it yourself. It also isn't terribly difficult to extract the java side of the platform code.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#240

Post by spoils19 »

UncleMeat wrote: post #239
lumb63 wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But how do you know the OS is being honest? Or the hardware?

You can build an app and test it yourself. It also isn't terribly difficult to extract the java side of the platform code.

How can you trust that there isn't a backdoor that's not available to you?
Post reply on HN