Should We Ban TikTok?

[rogue06]

Thought this thread deserved a bump what with the recent authoritarian legislation being pushed by both parties to allow the government to be able to in vote a nationwide ban on tiktok and other apps they deem to be a "threat"
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/7/23...an-bill-warner

They should ban it from government devices and even government workplaces given that the Chicoms have admitted (after getting caught^[1]) that ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has been conducting electronic surveillance of customers. For instance, they use the tracking app to see where tech reporters are at in an attempt to determine their sources.

But a national ban? No. Caveat emptor.



1. it must be an open and shut case for the Chicoms to admit it, otherwise they'd do what they always do - lie.

[Gondwanaland]

They should ban it from government devices and even government workplaces given that the Chicoms have admitted (after getting caught^[1]) that ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has been conducting electronic surveillance of customers. For instance, they use the tracking app to see where tech reporters are at in an attempt to determine their sources.

But a national ban? No. Caveat emptor.



1. it must be an open and shut case for the Chicoms to admit it, otherwise they'd do what they always do - lie.

Sure, but the same could be said for pretty much any social media software/app/site

[rogue06]

Sure, but the same could be said for pretty much any social media software/app/site

They "could" but I doubt they would be much interested in such things, unlike a hostile government.

[Gondwanaland]

They "could" but I doubt they would be much interested in such things, unlike a hostile government.

You doubt that social media companies which have been caught surveiling, taking data and selling it, and monitoring and working hand in hand with the government would be interested in such things? pull the other one.

[Sparko]

Sure, but the same could be said for pretty much any social media software/app/site

I think we would be better off if all government employees and politicians were banned from all social media.

[rogue06]

You doubt that social media companies which have been caught surveiling, taking data and selling it, and monitoring and working hand in hand with the government would be interested in such things? pull the other one.

I doubt that they would be tracking reporters in order to determine their sources. And can you figure out why would the Chicoms would be interested in their sources?

[Gondwanaland]

I doubt that they would be tracking reporters in order to determine their sources. And can you figure out why would the Chicoms would be interested in their sources?

You do? So the companies working hand in hand with Biden would not, say, be interested in tracking reporters critical of him or who publish leaks? Riiiiiiight.

[rogue06]

You do? So the companies working hand in hand with Biden would not, say, be interested in tracking reporters critical of him or who publish leaks? Riiiiiiight.

They might get interested after Biden's keepers asked them to. Aside from that... OTOH, it appeared to be SOP with TikTok. Not a bug but a feature sort of thing.

[Gondwanaland]

I've been watching the Congressional hearing today with the CEO of TikTok.

I have never in my life been more convinced than now that there needs to be very strict, low age limits on who can serve in Congress. Hoooooleeeeee Crap the absurdly technologically ignorant questions being asked. I think that once you're maybe 45 max you shouldn't be able to serve and make laws about technologies and things like this that you have little to no understanding. I think after that point you're too separated from current advancements on average and have little understanding of how things work.

Like, these are grown men that don't grasp WiFi, dont understand data, dont even know how the app works (one guy declared it was terrifying and should be looked into that Tiktok can view publicly posted videos of people to determine if they appear to be an age similar to what they claimed. PUBLICLY POSTED videos. And they're making laws that affect all of us and our access to technology and apps.

[Diogenes]

I've been watching the Congressional hearing today with the CEO of TikTok.

I have never in my life been more convinced than now that there needs to be very strict, low age limits on who can serve in Congress. Hoooooleeeeee Crap the absurdly technologically ignorant questions being asked. I think that once you're maybe 45 max you shouldn't be able to serve and make laws about technologies and things like this that you have little to no understanding. I think after that point you're too separated from current advancements on average and have little understanding of how things work.

Like, these are grown men that don't grasp WiFi, dont understand data, dont even know how the app works (one guy declared it was terrifying and should be looked into that Tiktok can view publicly posted videos of people to determine if they appear to be an age similar to what they claimed. PUBLICLY POSTED videos. And they're making laws that affect all of us and our access to technology and apps.

Meh, just ban the app as a national security risk and be done with it. The US needs to fight back against CCP intrusion into the US digital sphere, among other places.

[Gondwanaland]

Meh, just ban the app as a national security risk and be done with it. The US needs to fight back against CCP intrusion into the US digital sphere, among other places.

Found the totalitarian.

[Diogenes]

Found the totalitarian.

It's hardly totalitarian to recognise the strategy of geopolitical adversaries. TikTok has been known to be a security issue. If some American company wants to platform the same nonsense, that would be different from a national security standpoint. China and subsidiaries should be banned from entering any US market or buying land in the US. Of course, you probably think the USPS having a statutory monopoly on post roads is "totalitarian".

[Gondwanaland]

It's hardly totalitarian to recognise the strategy of geopolitical adversaries. TikTok has been known to be a security issue. If some American company wants to platform the same nonsense, that would be different from a national security standpoint. China and subsidiaries should be banned from entering any US market or buying land in the US. Of course, you probably think the USPS having a statutory monopoly on post roads is "totalitarian".

Very much totalitarian. By definition. TikTok has been doing nothing every single other social media company does. Whether you like that or not. There is zero reason to limit the free speech and rights of Americans by telling them what social media they are allowed by Mommy Government to use.

as to your braindead nonsense at the end of your post, I am a libertarian and dont think the US PS has any business existing, you twit.

[Machinist]

Ya'll just mad cause you can't do the money-don't jiggle dance.

[rogue06]

I've been watching the Congressional hearing today with the CEO of TikTok.

I have never in my life been more convinced than now that there needs to be very strict, low age limits on who can serve in Congress. Hoooooleeeeee Crap the absurdly technologically ignorant questions being asked. I think that once you're maybe 45 max you shouldn't be able to serve and make laws about technologies and things like this that you have little to no understanding. I think after that point you're too separated from current advancements on average and have little understanding of how things work.

Like, these are grown men that don't grasp WiFi, dont understand data, dont even know how the app works (one guy declared it was terrifying and should be looked into that Tiktok can view publicly posted videos of people to determine if they appear to be an age similar to what they claimed. PUBLICLY POSTED videos. And they're making laws that affect all of us and our access to technology and apps.

It isn't age but living in a bubble where everything is done for you. It was like when the elder Bush was amazed to see a checkout in a store with a scanner that reads the bar code. They weren't around when he became VP and stopped going to stores to buy things. Similarly, IIRC, Clinton was stumped when he tried to use a phone that was attached to several lines (which button do I press again to get a line out?).

The part I saw was how the company rep testifying danced around questions, utterly refusing to provide answers and instead simply repeating various prepared statements -- some times ones that weren't even remotely related to the question.