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I am sorry, how is this different from Google recording my location data? Is the fact that servers are in China automatically make it malicious? What is they m

I am sorry, how is this different from Google recording my location data? Is the fact that servers are in China automatically make it malicious? What is they moved them to Switzerland?

bg24 7y ago
Home vs. Outsider. Visa vs. An-unknown-transaction-processor. Though the analogy can be questionable.
everdrive 7y ago
I don't see why every claim about a Chinese company must come with a "but X company is just as bad" comparison. Consumers need to be informed about risks to their privacy. Moralizing about who is the worst offender transforms the discussion away from privacy education.
- panpanna 7y ago
  Well, let's turn that around. Why is this automatically malicious just because the company is Chinese? (Yes, I agree that China does some horrible stuff, but let's not forget Facebook and CA were neither Chinese)
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - everdrive 7y ago
    It's malicious all on its own. Any entity handling your data poorly and collecting more than strictly necessary poses a risk to you. Where this gets fuzzy is when you get into the identities of the perpetrator and the victim. Are you a Uighar in China? Well, then China is clearly a pressing threat to you. Are you a Muslim in Burma? Perhaps then China is not very much of a threat. What if you're an American in the US military? What if you're from a hostile country, but traveling to the US? Etc ... People don't always map this risk out in a way that I believe is sensible. Many Americans are worried about using Google, and are much more comfortable with China spying on them than Google. Is this a valid concern? I think it depends on who you are and what you believe about either entity. But, that's sort of the point. The "is X company/country" evil?" discussion can be a bit fruitless, subjective, and politically divisive. A much more useful conversation for everyone is "Entity X collects the following kinds of data, and shares it with the following parties." In this scenario, a disagreement about who is the real political evil is not necessary. The more this information is made available, the more disparate groups can protect ourselves.
stunt 7y ago
> I am sorry, how is this different from Google recording my location data? There is no difference. There is a fight for privacy against almost every big tech company. It became a norm for these companies to collect data in recent years. And we just realized how powerful and destructive it can be and everybody is fighting back. Chinese are just under the spotlight because of the trade war and bold statements from Trump administration. Otherwise, many American tech companies are also accused of collecting data inside and outside the US including Google which is probably the worst.

I am sorry, how is this different from Google recording my location data? Is the fact that servers are in China automatically make it malicious? What is they moved them to Switzerland?

bg24 7y ago

Home vs. Outsider. Visa vs. An-unknown-transaction-processor. Though the analogy can be questionable.

everdrive 7y ago

I don't see why every claim about a Chinese company must come with a "but X company is just as bad" comparison. Consumers need to be informed about risks to their privacy. Moralizing about who is the worst offender transforms the discussion away from privacy education.

panpanna 7y ago
Well, let's turn that around. Why is this automatically malicious just because the company is Chinese? (Yes, I agree that China does some horrible stuff, but let's not forget Facebook and CA were neither Chinese)
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- everdrive 7y ago
  It's malicious all on its own. Any entity handling your data poorly and collecting more than strictly necessary poses a risk to you. Where this gets fuzzy is when you get into the identities of the perpetrator and the victim. Are you a Uighar in China? Well, then China is clearly a pressing threat to you. Are you a Muslim in Burma? Perhaps then China is not very much of a threat. What if you're an American in the US military? What if you're from a hostile country, but traveling to the US? Etc ... People don't always map this risk out in a way that I believe is sensible. Many Americans are worried about using Google, and are much more comfortable with China spying on them than Google. Is this a valid concern? I think it depends on who you are and what you believe about either entity. But, that's sort of the point. The "is X company/country" evil?" discussion can be a bit fruitless, subjective, and politically divisive. A much more useful conversation for everyone is "Entity X collects the following kinds of data, and shares it with the following parties." In this scenario, a disagreement about who is the real political evil is not necessary. The more this information is made available, the more disparate groups can protect ourselves.

stunt 7y ago

> I am sorry, how is this different from Google recording my location data? There is no difference. There is a fight for privacy against almost every big tech company. It became a norm for these companies to collect data in recent years. And we just realized how powerful and destructive it can be and everybody is fighting back. Chinese are just under the spotlight because of the trade war and bold statements from Trump administration. Otherwise, many American tech companies are also accused of collecting data inside and outside the US including Google which is probably the worst.