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Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

businessinsider.com

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Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#401
post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> would lose its last bit of moral high ground in China I mean it is no different than the EU requiring US companies to host data in EU data centers. China has banned so many US companies - why is it unfair to retaliate? The use of economic power shouldn’t only be acceptable when done by corporations. Governments with a backbone should use it too (like the EU has done when appropriate)

Banning something unless they/it has provabley broken US laws, merely out of spite and retaliatory motives isn't something that is acceptable in a democracy like the US. Also it appears the 'national security' threat of tik-tok seem way overhyped, it is like a country speaking of Instagram as a national security threat. Neither apple not Google has found TikTok problematic enough to pull it from their app stores. Suc…

I disagree. Trade is bilateral. If China plays dirty and bans apps left and right we should encourage them to stop doing that by retaliating, much like we do when they give state aid to their private companies (which skews the free market in their favor).

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#402
post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not exaggerating about the US losing it credibility in China. The US was really the shining city on the hill before 2008 financial crisis. I personally was huge admirer of the US system. I even spent about 1 year in DC just to study the political system of the US. Before the 2008 financial crisis, China tried to copy everything from the US, from finanical market regulations to education system and to some degree…

Do you not realize it was Xi and his propaganda that caused a massive change in opinion of the west? The state news agencies constantly blames everything on foreigners and the west. It has nothing to do with financial crises or BLM or whatever. Financial crisis also happened in 2001 and 80's, they happen all the time. BLM protests are insignificant, US has protests constantly because they are not restricted by govern…

How did China hurt you?

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#403
post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You obviously don't have much experience with China. China is an authoritarian state and all companies are subject to secret control by the state, essentially branches of the military. There is no legal recourse or protection from such intervention. The government can mandate spy code be inserted and any data they want. You're well intended here, but ignorant of how China operates. There is literally no way to enforc…

The person you are replying to is Chinese and lives in China. Or at least their post history says so.

Then their comment becomes even more suspect.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#404
post #400

This would be hugely disappointing, the first international appealing social network outside of US Tech giants and they're potentially being forced to sell due to US Govt political strong arming. The world could use some diversity away from the US Tech giants. As an aside, TikTok is the happiest & most enjoyable social network I've frequented, a few seconds to show off some talent is a great way to burn some downtime…

ICQ was an Israeli company, so there's that.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#405
post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> would lose its last bit of moral high ground in China I mean it is no different than the EU requiring US companies to host data in EU data centers. China has banned so many US companies - why is it unfair to retaliate? The use of economic power shouldn’t only be acceptable when done by corporations. Governments with a backbone should use it too (like the EU has done when appropriate)

Banning something unless they/it has provabley broken US laws, merely out of spite and retaliatory motives isn't something that is acceptable in a democracy like the US. Also it appears the 'national security' threat of tik-tok seem way overhyped, it is like a country speaking of Instagram as a national security threat. Neither apple not Google has found TikTok problematic enough to pull it from their app stores. Suc…

You're confusing a pure "free market" with "democracy." A democratically elected government can ban anything they want, as long as it is constitutional (and this clearly is). A democratically elected government can be as logically inconsistent as they want. And if these are things the people want as well, then the government will get re-elected.

America has never been a pure "free market," it's a mixed market, just like every current economy in the world.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#406
post #376

It appears as though very few Hacker News commenters have spent any time using Tiktok. It is the only enjoyable, enriching social media service I've ever used. Most everything many of us liked about the old/weird internet is present on Tiktok right now: almost no ads or commercial presense, personal content from real people (not hyper produced productions from influencers and pros), weird content, niche content, orga…

On the other hand, Tiktok is the only social media platform I absolutely can't stand. Low quality content, repeated jokes, people desperate for attention, impersonal, memes, and all of it video so there's an unavoidable fixed time cost.

With so much good high content available on the internet and how little time people have, it saddens me that so much time is spent on the low quality noise.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#407
post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not exaggerating about the US losing it credibility in China. The US was really the shining city on the hill before 2008 financial crisis. I personally was huge admirer of the US system. I even spent about 1 year in DC just to study the political system of the US. Before the 2008 financial crisis, China tried to copy everything from the US, from finanical market regulations to education system and to some degree…

Do you not realize it was Xi and his propaganda that caused a massive change in opinion of the west? The state news agencies constantly blames everything on foreigners and the west. It has nothing to do with financial crises or BLM or whatever. Financial crisis also happened in 2001 and 80's, they happen all the time. BLM protests are insignificant, US has protests constantly because they are not restricted by govern…

Do you realize that the content you listed is all propaganda by the US government?

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#408
post #404
post #400

This would be hugely disappointing, the first international appealing social network outside of US Tech giants and they're potentially being forced to sell due to US Govt political strong arming. The world could use some diversity away from the US Tech giants. As an aside, TikTok is the happiest & most enjoyable social network I've frequented, a few seconds to show off some talent is a great way to burn some downtime…

ICQ was an Israeli company, so there's that.

Yeah though much smaller by today's standards, it was a different era where social networks weren't valued as much as they are now.

I'm meaning to say the world needs more diversity of powerful tech companies away from US Tech giants, that's relevant today.

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banning something unless they/it has provabley broken US laws, merely out of spite and retaliatory motives isn't something that is acceptable in a democracy like the US. Also it appears the 'national security' threat of tik-tok seem way overhyped, it is like a country speaking of Instagram as a national security threat. Neither apple not Google has found TikTok problematic enough to pull it from their app stores. Suc…

You're confusing a pure "free market" with "democracy." A democratically elected government can ban anything they want, as long as it is constitutional (and this clearly is). A democratically elected government can be as logically inconsistent as they want. And if these are things the people want as well, then the government will get re-elected. America has never been a pure "free market," it's a mixed market, just l…

The opinion seems to be that there is no authority with the president/executive to promulgate such a ban, so I doubt it is within constitutional limits to do so. However, there is some limited commercial/trade related measures available, but these are rather new and untested, and will likely expose the federal government to litigation.

The question is about how can something that isn't illegal or that hasn't evidently broken laws be banned, and that too without even a semblance of a fair process.

Was TikTok investigated, if so what was found? Have they been asked to show cause? Have they broken laws?

See: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/24/trump-cant-ban-tiktok-f...

Re: Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

#410
post #376

It appears as though very few Hacker News commenters have spent any time using Tiktok. It is the only enjoyable, enriching social media service I've ever used. Most everything many of us liked about the old/weird internet is present on Tiktok right now: almost no ads or commercial presense, personal content from real people (not hyper produced productions from influencers and pros), weird content, niche content, orga…

As long as it’s a Chinese owned surveillance application I’ll not touch it. I got rid of Facebook for similar reasons (s/Chinese/American). I’m not sure I see the synergies MSFT gets from TikTok - a Snap Inc., makes more sense as a buyer to me.

MSFT has an advertising business. TikTok Ads would be a nice addition to Bing Ads.
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