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TikTok goes dark in the US

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Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#331

Post by IAmNotACellist »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #308

A point I think most people don’t understand is that the government interest in TikTok has little to do with exploiting user data per se, a lot of other companies do that. The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts. This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone…

"Grey zone conflict" sounds a lot like our powers are upset they don't have the level of control over information that the adversary has. They want to be the ones to censor, suppress, and promote, rather than another country. The goal isn't more open access to information.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#332

Post by Dalewyn »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #308

A point I think most people don’t understand is that the government interest in TikTok has little to do with exploiting user data per se, a lot of other companies do that. The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts. This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone…

>The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts.

That has been happening since time immemorial.

What is actually the issue is that for the first time ever in the post-WW2 Pax Americana era, media is being weaponized by a powerful non-American state (China).

America does through Facebook, Mysterious Twitter X, Reddit, CNN, Fox News, PBS, et al. what China does through TikTok. If anything, other countries should also seriously consider banning foreign media and realize insofar as future geopolitics that Pax Americana is ending.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#333

Post by ripped_britches »

nextworddev wrote: post #61
solfox wrote: post #41

It would be nice if such a ban meant that a small competitor could get a jumpstart. Instead I fear the result is that Meta just gets bigger.

Just have Devin or some coding AI agents to clone TikTok /s

I hear this all the time without the /s

As if merely writing the code is the only prerequisite for making a hundred billion dollar business

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#334

Post by necovek »

whoitwas wrote: post #316
firefoxd wrote: post #294

This morning I felt the urge to download TikTok for the first time. I did, but I didn't bother creating an account. There is a passage in the book Life of Pi, where Pi's family is gathered and ready to leave India for Canada. And his mother does something out of the ordinary: > The day before our departure she pointed at a cigarette wallah and earnestly asked, "Should we get a pack or two?" > Father replied, "They ha…

I would like to understand your position. China doesn't allow US apps. If Chinese apps are allowed, then China has a big advantage over USA. Do you understand what kind of information can be derived from 150 million smart phones?

One is a "bastion of democracy", and another is the "center of human rights violation".

Would you not expect the rules to be different?

If it's only about reciprocity and global hegemony, well then...

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#335

Post by deepsun »

IAmNotACellist wrote: post #331
jandrewrogers wrote: post #308

A point I think most people don’t understand is that the government interest in TikTok has little to do with exploiting user data per se, a lot of other companies do that. The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts. This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone…

"Grey zone conflict" sounds a lot like our powers are upset they don't have the level of control over information that the adversary has. They want to be the ones to censor, suppress, and promote, rather than another country. The goal isn't more open access to information.

Whether they want or not, they cannot. The democratic system, even deficient as one in US, still does its job and works against blatant information suppression.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#336

Post by raverbashing »

IAmNotACellist wrote: post #331
jandrewrogers wrote: post #308

A point I think most people don’t understand is that the government interest in TikTok has little to do with exploiting user data per se, a lot of other companies do that. The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts. This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone…

"Grey zone conflict" sounds a lot like our powers are upset they don't have the level of control over information that the adversary has. They want to be the ones to censor, suppress, and promote, rather than another country. The goal isn't more open access to information.

You are not wrong per se

> This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone conflict is, what it looks like, or why it matters

Looks like you're just confirming what OP said

Might as well look up the definition of "5th column"

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#337

Post by ripped_britches »

Regardless of what you think about TikTok or Trump, we can probably all acknowledge this is a “slow ball” pitch that he can hit out of the park politically in a number of ways. People in this thread have mentioned the flip flopping but I don’t think mid term voters care about that. Nor do the Chinese as this brings a bargaining chip to the table.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#338

Post by lmz »

whoitwas wrote: post #316
firefoxd wrote: post #294

This morning I felt the urge to download TikTok for the first time. I did, but I didn't bother creating an account. There is a passage in the book Life of Pi, where Pi's family is gathered and ready to leave India for Canada. And his mother does something out of the ordinary: > The day before our departure she pointed at a cigarette wallah and earnestly asked, "Should we get a pack or two?" > Father replied, "They ha…

I would like to understand your position. China doesn't allow US apps. If Chinese apps are allowed, then China has a big advantage over USA. Do you understand what kind of information can be derived from 150 million smart phones?

Is this supposed to be China only or should the rest of the world also be suspicious and ban e.g. Meta services especially since they don't have any competing service that is popular in the US?

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#339

Post by alwa »

IAmNotACellist wrote: post #331
jandrewrogers wrote: post #308

A point I think most people don’t understand is that the government interest in TikTok has little to do with exploiting user data per se, a lot of other companies do that. The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts. This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone…

"Grey zone conflict" sounds a lot like our powers are upset they don't have the level of control over information that the adversary has. They want to be the ones to censor, suppress, and promote, rather than another country. The goal isn't more open access to information.

“More open access to information” is not the adversary’s goal, either. Is that goal served by preserving the adversary’s control over the information environment?

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#340

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #308

A point I think most people don’t understand is that the government interest in TikTok has little to do with exploiting user data per se, a lot of other companies do that. The issue is that TikTok is somewhat unique in being aggressively weaponized in currently very active “grey zone” conflicts. This has been an open secret in national security circles but the average person on the street has no idea what a grey zone…

You mean, Romania?
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