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

71–80 of 250 posts

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

#71

Post by 1MachineElf »

snapcaster wrote: post #57
jrexilius wrote: post #14

A good, albeit somewhat impotent, move. The companies wont yank it from the app stores in the US for fear of reprisal, but that is the better next step.

Why is this good? why are people suddenly down to ban software? I don't use tiktok and never will but seeing all this discussion about how it should be banned is depressing. If US companies want it to be less popular how about they compete and make a better product? Why are so many people carrying water for social media companies? To get ahead of the criticism I'll likely get for this comment: I don't think tiktok/ch…

>why are people suddenly down to ban software?

>Why ban tiktok and not every other social media app?

If we banned all software that tracks users, capitalizes on their data, and doesn't respect privacy/GDPR/whatever - the world would be a better place.

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

#73

Post by rchaud »

jrexilius wrote: post #14

A good, albeit somewhat impotent, move. The companies wont yank it from the app stores in the US for fear of reprisal, but that is the better next step.

On what grounds would Apple/Google remove it from their app stores?

Did they remove Facebook after it was fined $5bn by the FTC for privacy breaches?

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

#74

Post by rchaud »

1MachineElf wrote: post #71
snapcaster wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this good? why are people suddenly down to ban software? I don't use tiktok and never will but seeing all this discussion about how it should be banned is depressing. If US companies want it to be less popular how about they compete and make a better product? Why are so many people carrying water for social media companies? To get ahead of the criticism I'll likely get for this comment: I don't think tiktok/ch…

>why are people suddenly down to ban software? >Why ban tiktok and not every other social media app? If we banned all software that tracks users, capitalizes on their data, and doesn't respect privacy/GDPR/whatever - the world would be a better place.

Seems to me that Google and Apple could simply not provide hardware API access that leaks privacy info. But that would hurt all the other 'legitimate' uses of that information (targeted advertising), and no one wants to be the first person to jump off that gravy train.

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

#75

Post by pessimizer »

snapcaster wrote: post #57
jrexilius wrote: post #14

A good, albeit somewhat impotent, move. The companies wont yank it from the app stores in the US for fear of reprisal, but that is the better next step.

Why is this good? why are people suddenly down to ban software? I don't use tiktok and never will but seeing all this discussion about how it should be banned is depressing. If US companies want it to be less popular how about they compete and make a better product? Why are so many people carrying water for social media companies? To get ahead of the criticism I'll likely get for this comment: I don't think tiktok/ch…

> If US companies want it to be less popular how about they compete and make a better product?

They don't want it to be less popular; the US encourages media monopolies. The larger the better. US government belligerence towards TikTok served the same purpose as US government belligerence towards Twitter and Facebook: leverage in order to be able to censor it and emphasize US narratives.

They won, TikTok is fully censoring based on US government "suggestions," and this state/local-level political grandstanding are people jumping into an operation that is already over.

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

#76

Post by deely3 »

1MachineElf wrote: post #71
snapcaster wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this good? why are people suddenly down to ban software? I don't use tiktok and never will but seeing all this discussion about how it should be banned is depressing. If US companies want it to be less popular how about they compete and make a better product? Why are so many people carrying water for social media companies? To get ahead of the criticism I'll likely get for this comment: I don't think tiktok/ch…

>why are people suddenly down to ban software? >Why ban tiktok and not every other social media app? If we banned all software that tracks users, capitalizes on their data, and doesn't respect privacy/GDPR/whatever - the world would be a better place.

> better place

..definitely a lot more expensive, but better.

Hm. Is it ok if we will actually block poor people from using internet?

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

#77

Post by pessimizer »

tarotuser wrote: post #60
throwaway29812 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Citing the very real and horrible history of ethnic discrimination to dismiss valid criticism of an authoritarian state is odd. It's also exactly what the CCP does. https://twitter.com/nathanlawkc/status/1464891227694850049 https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/stopasianhate-chinese-dias...

I'm not sure what you're trying to get at. Looking narrowly at Tiktok, it doesn't really capture any more than what Google/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Linkedin all would. And regulators and orgs are OK with those systems hoovering up all the data they can. But when Tiktok showed up, it's the "China Restaurant Syndrome" all over again, with breathless scares about the evil Chinese stealing our data! Yes, China is a com…

He's trying to suggest that you are a Chinese agent who should be imprisoned. This is based on your "odd" opinions and your way of making arguments "exactly like the CCP does."

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

#78

Post by rchaud »

zugi wrote: post #22

Banning the app on government (including university) devices is one thing. Blocking the website is another. Perhaps someone who sets UT policies doesn't understand the difference?

> Perhaps someone who sets UT policies doesn't understand the difference?

Or they just don't want the hassle of being targeted by a governor who's looking to score easy points against radical leftist college elites.

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

#79

Post by foreverobama »

jrexilius wrote: post #14

A good, albeit somewhat impotent, move. The companies wont yank it from the app stores in the US for fear of reprisal, but that is the better next step.

Nothing "good" about this move. It's a nothing burger. Everyone's phone literally tracks them with every other app, basically in the same way. Hell, the cell phone carriers are even tracking you, along with the U.S. government. So yeah, great job removing tiktok which ultimately does nothing for your opsec or privacy.

It's completely and utterly political. Just like banning twitter would be, although that actually has more merit than the banning of tiktok.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

Post reply on HN