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FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

blog.malwarebytes.com

661–670 of 899 posts

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#661
post #10

I don't have a horse in this race at all, but the annoying part is that the same rules don't get applied across the board. Everything they're accusing TikTok of - from data harvesting to the government having access to said data - is true for western companies as well and that should be the problem. Not the fact that the data is now in the hands of the Chinese but that the data is being collected at all provided to t…

> The problem should be that the data is collected and provided to the government whenever they want - not that it's not the Chinese government. We had this discussion after the Snowden leaks and nothing changed whatsoever. Back then it was the US government and the US gov had the chance to change the rules so this could not happen. Now they're up in arms because other governments do the exact same thing. It's really…

Not a good analogy. As a private citizen, my own national government having my private data is far more of a threat to me than Daddy Xi or Mr. Putin. Those two and their spooks are an ocean away. The local government is the one I need to live under.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#662

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you think fair elections are less important than your own security? You may have a problem after your country turns authoritarian, even if your computer is secure.

We don't have "fair" elections after Citizen's United. We don't have "fair" elections after the FCC scrapped the Fairness Doctrine in the 80s under Regan. We don't have "fair" elections for the president since we don't directly elect the president. The scenario where china somehow designs a dastardly TikTok video that convinces---I'm sorry "manipulates"---young people to vote en mass in a way that somehow advances th…

Sure, your elections have a lot of problems. Don't you think you should fight that and not introduce more problems, "because it's already bad"?

> The scenario where china ... "manipulates" ... young people to vote en mass in a way that somehow advances the national interests of China is remote

Didn't it already happen with Russia affecting the elections via Facebook?

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#663
post #611

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US Navy ensures that global shipping routes stay open and safe, the US economy provides the globe with advanced technological research and products, and the US's natural resources allow for it to export tons of commodities including food and energy. During pax americana, we've seen massive increases in quality of life around the world. Do you think the world is going to be more stable as the US retreats and other…

I think the world will be more stable when there are few major players around with not a single one having complete control / dominance. This will insure competition and cooperation between our "masters" and will keep them on their toes.

When there are multiple major players conflicts between them often occur.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#664
post #622

Earlier quoted context omitted.

72 101 108 108 111 32 119 111 114 108 100

Above means "Hello world"....

I remember going to a computer club talk by Woz where a significant portion (certainly the important parts) of the conversation were all in 6502 assembler. I was so lost, and at the same time inspired.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#665

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you eat food, something had to die for that. It was a transfer of biochemical energy from that creature to you. Even if it was a vegetarian meal, it got transported to you and dumped CO2 into the atmosphere. The truck probably hit bugs and maybe ran over some small wildlife. If you didn't exist, there would be slightly less demand. If 300 million of you didn't exist, there would be a whole lot less demand. The w…

I think this is a stretch here, you’re saying “entropy is real, thus the universe is zero sum.” Hell, we don’t even know if the energy budget for the universe is a constant - we just haven’t observed the opposite yet.

In terms of the energy you want to consume in a form factor you can utilize - food, coal if you want electricity today, plastics in tour phone, Amazon shipping, etc. - it's very much not constant.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#666

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't have "fair" elections after Citizen's United. We don't have "fair" elections after the FCC scrapped the Fairness Doctrine in the 80s under Regan. We don't have "fair" elections for the president since we don't directly elect the president. The scenario where china somehow designs a dastardly TikTok video that convinces---I'm sorry "manipulates"---young people to vote en mass in a way that somehow advances th…

Sure, your elections have a lot of problems. Don't you think you should fight that and not introduce more problems, "because it's already bad"? > The scenario where china ... "manipulates" ... young people to vote en mass in a way that somehow advances the national interests of China is remote Didn't it already happen with Russia affecting the elections via Facebook?

They, allegedly, bought ads like anyone else would have. Did that ~$100k ad buy stop Hillary from campaigning in the Mid West and visiting Wisconsin?

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#667

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In that case I have no problem with the U.S. banning tiktok until China relaxes its laws.

Trying to legislate other countries? You are aware that sword cuts both ways, right?

Other countries are already trying to control US companies. Thats already the situation.

So there is no need for you to bring it up, as a possibility, when it is already happening.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#668
post #368
post #33

Lots of folks here arguing that the focus on TikTok is unfair, given the data collection practices of domestic corps like Facebook. From a privacy point of view, this argument is well-founded, but I think it's tangential to the argument TFA is making, which is: this data collection done by a foreign government and exploited for surveillance or espionage is a national security risk. I get it. We want corps to stop hoo…

> this data collection done by a foreign government and exploited for surveillance or espionage is a national security risk. How were Snowden revelations of USG Bigtech relationship materially different from what's happening here? Maybe it was less transparent? Any "woke" person can see the cognitive dissonance here. It's all fine that you use the geopolitical rivalry argument but not if you try to paint one side of…

China is not the US.

China's kompromat and industrial espionage policies differ from those of the US.

It is off base to compare while ignoring intentions and impact, because they're Very different countries.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#669
post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> this data collection done by a foreign government and exploited for surveillance or espionage is a national security risk. How were Snowden revelations of USG Bigtech relationship materially different from what's happening here? Maybe it was less transparent? Any "woke" person can see the cognitive dissonance here. It's all fine that you use the geopolitical rivalry argument but not if you try to paint one side of…

'National security risk' is all the FCC is arguing; they're not arguing that these data collection practices are bad in themselves, only that they're bad if it happens in a way that strengthens a foreign government.

The "nationality" of a company is basically irrelevant here. Foreign governments could obtain this data from an "American" company in numerous different ways.m The most obvious vector would be a subpoena, but they could also negotiate payment for the data or infiltrate the company.

There's a shitload of data for sale from brokers. So foreign governments might not even need much from a company like FB. Perhaps just enough to confirm the validity of data purchase from other sources.

Re: FCC: TikTok is unacceptable security risk and should be removed from app stores

#670
post #368
post #33

Lots of folks here arguing that the focus on TikTok is unfair, given the data collection practices of domestic corps like Facebook. From a privacy point of view, this argument is well-founded, but I think it's tangential to the argument TFA is making, which is: this data collection done by a foreign government and exploited for surveillance or espionage is a national security risk. I get it. We want corps to stop hoo…

> this data collection done by a foreign government and exploited for surveillance or espionage is a national security risk. How were Snowden revelations of USG Bigtech relationship materially different from what's happening here? Maybe it was less transparent? Any "woke" person can see the cognitive dissonance here. It's all fine that you use the geopolitical rivalry argument but not if you try to paint one side of…

Americans pick and choose which media to listen to. And the media across the spectrum is aligned on one thing: China Bad, US Good. However, if you listen to NPR, it _does_ matter that we're locking up immigrants in the South. But did you hear that NPR story about Uyghur genocide? Then you look for other non-American affiliated publications on the matter and they are slim pickings. Why does the United States focus so much on China? And yeah, it's mostly to manufacture consent.
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