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submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

About 59% of Americans say TikTok a threat to the national security of the United States, according to a new survey of U.S. adults.

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[-] kobra@lemm.ee 35 points 1 year ago

Yeah I mean, I downloaded my reddit data and uh... wow. I was surprised to see how much you could learn about someone when it's all bundled up like that 👀

[-] muddybulldog@mylemmy.win 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Which is why I find the whole banning TikTok concept absurd.

It’s picking one easy scapegoat company to rally around, completely ignores the thousands upon thousands of other applications that collect data on us.

It’s not security, it’s security theater. It’s lazy and designed to distract us. It’s to keep us from not asking questions about any company’s practices that might hurt someone politically or financially.

We don’t need to ban TikTok. We need to ban Tik Tok and thousands of others like it. We need to have real conversations and put forth real solutions with regards to privacy, globally. It won’t happen though. Because it’s going to cost somebody money.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

It's not a company, it is the CCP. There's is a massive difference, both in terms of what the organizations can access and the warrant requirements at the governmental level. I'm getting really tired of having to explain the difference in privacy rights concerning governments and private institutions. It's just like freedom of speech or religion. It has everything to do with private vs public institutions.

[-] Sir_Kevin@discuss.online 8 points 1 year ago

You don't think Meta, Google etc are passing data to the American government?

[-] Phillaholic@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

They will comply with any court order. They won’t hand over unfettered access like TikTok has to in China.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

You think the American government is as bad as the CCP in this regard?

[-] agitatedpotato@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Considering the CCP can't arrest Americans but the US government can, it makes no sense to be more afraid of china on a personal level.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

And that is exactly what the Ukrainians thought about Russia. These are all actions intended to gain an edge to enable a potential future conflict. They are acting like it. We should too. War in the South China Sea is something everyone should be afraid of.

[-] agitatedpotato@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

That would be a very convincing arguement if China bordered the US.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Very American of you. Americans felt the same way about the Japanese until 1941. Then it was about control of the newly important resource of oil.

[-] SCB@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Lmao no japanese soldier set foot on the continent of north America dude

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Not only is that factually false with them invading Alaska, it's like you're saying that you'd be okay with another world war because we would win in the end. I would personally prefer to deter one which this effort is a part of.

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[-] SCB@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

It's not about the CCP. It's because kids watch TikTok and then don't like conservatives

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I am not inherently conservative but I am involved in the defense space and I could not disagree with this take more strongly. It 100% is about the CCP. Don't try to make this a partisan issue. It is not.

[-] SCB@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It is absolutely a partisan issue because that's why Republicans brought it up in the first place. The CCP gathering metadata on users has no bearing on our ability to beat them at sea, which is the only sphere of influence that matters with Chinese aggression.

Should US military bases ban TikTok? Sure. Should the government block the app on all government phones, also sure. Banning social media wholesale is a disgusting precedent to set, and is fundamentally anti-American.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

There is precedent in banning spyware. So, what is your reason for why the current administration wants to ban it? You cannot provide any proof for your claim outside of conjecture. There are no records and it doesn't even make sense in the current political climate.

[-] SCB@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Unless you can prove TikTok is spyware and not just gathering user data per already accepted guidelines then you have no leg to stand on here.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

They have the access to the data on your device and the CCP has been accessing it at scale according to former employees. You are not going to find a government record out of the CCP like you would in the US.

ByteDance has lied on multiple occasions about their security protocols and only fess up when they are caught.

The CCP according to their own bylaws do not see chinese companies as private. It is literally the definition of a fascist government system.

This is not including what the intelligence services know which is undoubtedly more extensive. Something tells me you wouldn't believe them one way or another but they do not come out with things as specific as this without cause and it certainly is not partisan.

[-] SCB@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

TikTok now makes it clear that it may collect users' images and audio to enable filters and video effects, allow it to moderate content, and "for other non-personally-identifying operations."

Not a problem for me or any other sane person

As for the CCP bylaws, I'm all for the Chinese overthrowing their hell-gov and instituting liberal democracy but until they do, it's a non-factor.

[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Folks just won't get it until it hurts you and your families. By then it will be too late and they will have already invaded Taiwan. They want to generate video and audio models of you. They want to use those against your family and for propaganda purposes. They want to ensure they know where you are at all times to gain maximum impact when they do. It's not insanity. It's what they are actively trying to do.

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[-] NightOwl@lemmy.one 8 points 1 year ago

I've come to the conclusion that it is algorithms that have become evil. There was a thread where someone was asking for help stoppinh YouTube from radicalizing their mother due to the videos it would suggest to her.

I use stuff like newpipe and freetube to try and get away from these personalized attempts at content, since there is still good content on YouTube. It's just that so many sites try and keep you there as long as possible and then start feeding you content that can warp people. But, algorithms don't understand the impact of it, since it's either a 0 or 1 of user stays or user leaves.

[-] stefenauris@pawb.social 5 points 1 year ago

algorithms can't "become evil" any more than your toaster can. It's being directed and programmed by people who know exactly what they're intending to achieve.

[-] NightOwl@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But, algorithms don’t understand the impact of it, since it’s either a 0 or 1 of user stays or user leaves.

It's to say algorithms despite no intent to be evil have led to negative impact due to no care for the context of the recommendation. So someone can go in searching up health information then go down a rabbit hole of being recommended pseudo health advice then flat earth and so on. Not because the algorithm wants to turn people a certain way, but because it's just recommending videos that users that liked similar videos might find of interest. It's just broad categories.

Wasn't implying algorithms are sentient. At least not yet until AI integration happens.

[-] SCB@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

If you can be radicalized by videos from YouTube, it isn't the algorithm, it's you

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[-] c2h6@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Aggregated data is always scary.

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this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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