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

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

#241

Post by UncleMeat »

spoils19 wrote: post #240
UncleMeat wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Let me get this straight. You are saying that Google and Apple, in coordination with Bytedance, have introduced code into their operating systems to specifically permit apps signed with Bytedance's signing key to access these APIs without requesting permission. And that they must have done this in an especially sneaky way, given that, at least in the case of Android, the java layer of the code running on your device is trivial to inspect and the entire platform is available as open source. And absolutely nobody has noticed this, despite it being not an especially difficult thing for a security researcher to find (TikTok would need to be accessing an especially strange API since the ordinary APIs do checks in the java side on Android).

And Google and Apple are doing this because... why? Is Bytedance paying them a shitload of money? Are their CEOs secret CCP plants?

If you are concerned about this, how would even refusing to install TikTok protect you? After all, Google and Apple could simply collect the data directly in the OS and send it to Bytedance themselves.

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

#242

Post by tsimionescu »

throwaway29812 wrote: post #237
tsimionescu wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ?

Almost certainly. They definitely turned over data to the US government to help them locate and connect people of interest (see Edward Snowden's revelations), some of which was very likely used to incarcerate people. Whether you consider incarceration equivalent to re-education is debatable. I find it quite likely that they also did this for other governments with less scruples about human rights.

Either way, pretty sure no US citizens have been incarcerated in political re-education camps in the USA because of data shared with any government by either Google or Tik Tok or anyone else.

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

#243

Post by tsimionescu »

xeromal wrote: post #145
tsimionescu wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

My parents peeping into my personal info and my neighbors down the street peeping into my personal info are two different things.

Sure, but neither Google nor Facebook are your parents.

And a US citizen has much more to lose if their private data is being shared with the US government than with the Chinese government.

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

#244

Post by snapcaster »

throwaway29812 wrote: post #232
snapcaster wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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... I…

So tiktok wasn't involved in any war crimes or anything like that, but you're still doing it. Can you just admit "i hate china, i hate all enemies of my government" or something?

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

#245

Post by throwaway29812 »

snapcaster wrote: post #244
throwaway29812 wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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... I…

So tiktok wasn't involved in any war crimes or anything like that, but you're still doing it. Can you just admit "i hate china, i hate all enemies of my government" or something?

> So tiktok wasn't involved in any war crimes or anything like that

> People who are determined to not accept this reality won't expect it

I'll save my breath.

> Can you just admit "i hate china"

Nice bit of projection there at the end. "All criticism of an authoritarian government committing human rights atrocities is all just racism, actually." Exactly what CCP state media says.

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

#246

Post by throwaway29812 »

tsimionescu wrote: post #242
throwaway29812 wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Almost certainly. They definitely turned over data to the US government to help them locate and connect people of interest (see Edward Snowden's revelations), some of which was very likely used to incarcerate people. Whether you consider incarceration equivalent to re-education is debatable. I find it quite likely that they also did this for other governments with less scruples about human rights. Either way, pretty…

If you are referencing criminals charged through the justice system, that is decidedly not the same as hunting down ethnic minorities based on their race and religion without charge or trial. You must know this.

> They definitely turned over data to the US government to help them locate and connect people of interest

Citation?

> Whether you consider incarceration equivalent to re-education is debatable.

It's not, see above.

> I find it quite likely that they also did this for other governments with less scruples about human rights.

Citation?

> pretty sure no US citizens have been incarcerated in political re-education camps

You can be very sure because political re-education camps don't exist. There is a lot to criticize about the American justice system, this isn't applicable.

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

#247

Post by filoleg »

7sidedmarble wrote: post #220
mikrotikker wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize Tik tok is owned by the CCP right?

> You realize Tik tok is owned by the CCP right? Absolutely amazing how 'national security' can just turn off all that personal liberties crap as long as the 'national threat' resonates along your political lines.

And then people on HN and Reddit and Twitter and elsewhere gasp "how were people so short-sighted and stupid to support Patriot Act back then, unlike us, who are so smart and enlightened". The current situation is the prime example of how, except it isn't even comparable to the shock of 9/11 that people experienced back then.

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

#248

Post by filoleg »

mikrotikker wrote: post #179
filoleg wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely despise how easily a lot of people on HN who were (justifiably) mocking the whole "think of the kids" (Patriot Act and many previous online censorhip attempts come to mind) can be baited into doing a full 180 and using variations of the exact same excuse to do the exact same thing.

You realize Tik tok is owned by the CCP right?

Yeah, and those opposing Patriot Act were clearly anti-american terrorist sympathizers, while those opposing CISPA and other online censorship bills were all just supporting crimes against children and were probably secret pedophiles themselves. /s

Do you realize that core principles matter, regardless of who is on the other side, right? That's the whole point of them. Back in the day, the ones on the receiving end were those opposed to the Vietnam war, and they persevered despite the government and the popular sentiment being against them (being accused of hating the america, being communism sympathizers, etc.) If we didn't hold those core principles dear, regardless of those protestors being "anti-american", imo we would be worse off.

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

#249

Post by spoils19 »

UncleMeat wrote: post #241
spoils19 wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Let me get this straight. You are saying that Google and Apple, in coordination with Bytedance, have introduced code into their operating systems to specifically permit apps signed with Bytedance's signing key to access these APIs without requesting permission. And that they must have done this in an especially sneaky way, given that, at least in the case of Android, the java layer of the code running on your device…

It's for plausible deniability. They want to rally us against them, and they can stand on the sidelines smirking and raking in the cash that TikTok provides them.

I would recommend looking into some independent thinkers and doing your own research on the collusion between these big companies. There's definitely some out there, however they suspiciously get removed from HN as soon as they're posted.

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

#250

Post by TheHappyOddish »

mybhslaptop wrote: post #3

High schoolers are used to having VPNs for school, time for college students to do that too. Especially since on-campus students have to live with managed WiFi in dorms too. It's unfortunate to see this political censorship affect grown adults who can make their own decisions - but just happen to be at a state university.

They did make their own decision. They connected to a network which has some content filtered. I'd imagine porn, gore sites, etc are - if not blocked - logged.
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