7 ms·

would you classify Tencent on the same level as Huawei? And if so, does that mean most American youth are plugged into League Of Legends & Fortnite, a Chinese S

would you classify Tencent on the same level as Huawei? And if so, does that mean most American youth are plugged into League Of Legends & Fortnite, a Chinese Surveillance system ? lol

edoceo 7y ago
And recently Reddit too, right?
- avocado4 7y ago
  TikTok & Snapchat as well. Youths are more prone to getting radicalized too, which would be useful for the Party's geopolitical goals.
  - adventured 7y ago
    No. What's being floated in this thread is an absurd premise. By that premise, Norway controls Microsoft and Apple because they own part of the companies via their sovereign fund. Microsoft by itself of course is worth as much as Norway's entire fund. Snapchat is a publicly traded company, of which institutional money representing primarily US investors controls the dominant position in the company. Reddit is minority owned by Tencent, they hold a small share of the company. If you own 5% of a company the size of Reddit, you have close to zero control over the company. Tencent also does not own a controlling interest in Epic. Tim Sweeney all by himself is estimated to control more of Epic than Tencent does.
    - coldtea 7y ago
      Don't let arguments stand in the way of paranoia!
    - throwaway8879 7y ago
      >By that premise, Norway controls Microsoft and Apple because they own part of the companies Even so, Norway's political/ideological/moral objectives are in line with the west's. There is a difference between the Norwegians having some influence in something, as opposed to the Chinese.
      - joejerryronnie 7y ago
        I'm not sure I would agree with your statement. To me, Norway's socialism is just as abhorrent as China's communism.
        kharak 7y ago
        That's the most out of touch American thing I've ever read on this site.
        pergadad 7y ago
        Norway is not s socialist state, it's a social democracy. Please do read up a bit on the difference as it's quite relevant to understanding politics today and in particular the confusion/conflation of concepts that are pushed in US discourse. In a nutshell, the idea of social democracy is that you cannot have a democracy without ensuring all your citizens have the basics to live decently - food, healthcare, housing. It's a basic responsibility of the state that no one is left behind. This is very different from the concept of Socialism (as it is understood in the US context) which much more aims towards equalising.
    - enraged_camel 7y ago
      The only reason it seems absurd is because the level of interconnectedness in today’s society and the various entities in it is simply unprecedented. While there may not be a grand conspiracy, it isn’t too far-fetched to suggest that organizations that specialize in espionage, sabotage and propaganda can figure out, or may already have figured out, how to pull the various levers at their disposal to achieve their goals.
    - jimmydef 7y ago
      The fact that your well reasoned comment is downvoted shows how bad the Chinese hysteria has gotten.
      - oblio 7y ago
        Oh, give it time! Wait for the Chinese economy to be 2x the American one.
PenguinCoder 7y ago
I for one absolutely put Tencent on the same level. One is software and user espionage and the other is hardware. Same coin.
- jewelry 7y ago
  As a Chinese lived in mainland China for 20 years, gotta say all you guys are overestimating the authoritarian.
  - eschaton 7y ago
    Nah. There are literally historical and current events you’re not allowed to talk about in China without being arrested and charged with a crime or even disappeared. That’s not an overestimation, that’s the very definition of authoritarian.
    - magpi3 7y ago
      As someone who just came from China after living there for nine months, I think the better way to put it is this: you can talk about whatever you want, but if you make an effort to organize, initiate, or participate in a public discussion concerning a taboo topic, then you are putting yourself at risk. It's the appearance of an organizing that is really taboo. Of course please take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am a foreigner who was there less than a year.
      - friendlybus 7y ago
        A young girl (10? 12?) was a famous streamer than sung a line from the national anthem in a sing-songy way and was jailed for 'making fun of the nation anthem'. You can see the exact moment she realizes she messed up. advchina/serpentza/laowhy86 are the canaries in the coalmine atm.
  - mycall 7y ago
    WeChat has authoritarian roots.
SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
I only doubt that to the extent that the American subsidiaries have independent org charts. If news came out that Tencent were removing the position of Riot CEO or had mandatory libraries that Riot programmers had to use, I’d be pretty concerned about that.
_iyig 7y ago
League of Legends censors the phrase “Xi Jinping,” in English, in non-Chinese regions: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/93f04k/just_found_out_that_riot_censors_the_name_of_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/93f04k/just_found_o...
- eschaton 7y ago
  Does it censor Pooh-bear though?
parsimo2010 7y ago
Absolutely, but remember that they aren’t prevented from making money or conducting legitimate business just because they answer to the party officials. It’s not worthwhile to spy on teenagers wholesale, but they might pull the logs of a senator’s kid and we would never be the wiser. Also, owning some of Western popular culture is a decent geopolitical chip. Maybe it’s not as great as a nuke, but China can use popular video games to raise the next generation of kids to be more friendly to China. Just having the idea “I like the things that come out of China” in billions of brains can increase China’s share of global GDP and power.
- wallace_f 7y ago
  Yea if you want to change the world, reach out to the next generation? Remember all those other generations of people living in crazy societies with crazy ideas? People's values, behaviors and loyalties are basically imprinted on them during childhood. There is an Einstein quote where he talks about how 'most people can't even form their own opinions' and he is right.
  - FPGAhacker 7y ago
    >There is an Einstein quote where he talks about how 'most people can't even form their own opinions' and he is right. QED
    - wallace_f 7y ago
      Haha, I know what you mean.
  - friendlybus 7y ago
    >There is an Einstein quote where he talks about how 'most people can't even form their own opinions' and he is right. Pretty much Nietzsche was the only guy who said you could make your own values.
- throw0101a 7y ago
  > Also, owning some of Western popular culture is a decent geopolitical chip. Tencent is co-producing the Top Gun sequel, and Maverick's jacket no longer has either the Japanese or Taiwanese flags on the back: * https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a28479683/ https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a28479683/ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun:_Maverick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun:_Maverick > Maybe it’s not as great as a nuke, but China can use popular video games to raise the next generation of kids to be more friendly to China. K-pop seems to be helping Korea: * https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-... Though they're not a totalitarian state. I think if people get too friendly or sympathetic a couple of articles will bring reality back: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_harvesting_from_Falun_Gong_practitioners_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_harvesting_from_Falun_Go... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests

would you classify Tencent on the same level as Huawei? And if so, does that mean most American youth are plugged into League Of Legends & Fortnite, a Chinese Surveillance system ? lol

edoceo 7y ago

And recently Reddit too, right?

avocado4 7y ago
TikTok & Snapchat as well. Youths are more prone to getting radicalized too, which would be useful for the Party's geopolitical goals.
- adventured 7y ago
  No. What's being floated in this thread is an absurd premise. By that premise, Norway controls Microsoft and Apple because they own part of the companies via their sovereign fund. Microsoft by itself of course is worth as much as Norway's entire fund. Snapchat is a publicly traded company, of which institutional money representing primarily US investors controls the dominant position in the company. Reddit is minority owned by Tencent, they hold a small share of the company. If you own 5% of a company the size of Reddit, you have close to zero control over the company. Tencent also does not own a controlling interest in Epic. Tim Sweeney all by himself is estimated to control more of Epic than Tencent does.
  - coldtea 7y ago
    Don't let arguments stand in the way of paranoia!
  - throwaway8879 7y ago
    >By that premise, Norway controls Microsoft and Apple because they own part of the companies Even so, Norway's political/ideological/moral objectives are in line with the west's. There is a difference between the Norwegians having some influence in something, as opposed to the Chinese.
    - joejerryronnie 7y ago
      I'm not sure I would agree with your statement. To me, Norway's socialism is just as abhorrent as China's communism.
      - kharak 7y ago
        That's the most out of touch American thing I've ever read on this site.
      - pergadad 7y ago
        Norway is not s socialist state, it's a social democracy. Please do read up a bit on the difference as it's quite relevant to understanding politics today and in particular the confusion/conflation of concepts that are pushed in US discourse. In a nutshell, the idea of social democracy is that you cannot have a democracy without ensuring all your citizens have the basics to live decently - food, healthcare, housing. It's a basic responsibility of the state that no one is left behind. This is very different from the concept of Socialism (as it is understood in the US context) which much more aims towards equalising.
  - enraged_camel 7y ago
    The only reason it seems absurd is because the level of interconnectedness in today’s society and the various entities in it is simply unprecedented. While there may not be a grand conspiracy, it isn’t too far-fetched to suggest that organizations that specialize in espionage, sabotage and propaganda can figure out, or may already have figured out, how to pull the various levers at their disposal to achieve their goals.
  - jimmydef 7y ago
    The fact that your well reasoned comment is downvoted shows how bad the Chinese hysteria has gotten.
    - oblio 7y ago
      Oh, give it time! Wait for the Chinese economy to be 2x the American one.

PenguinCoder 7y ago

I for one absolutely put Tencent on the same level. One is software and user espionage and the other is hardware. Same coin.

jewelry 7y ago
As a Chinese lived in mainland China for 20 years, gotta say all you guys are overestimating the authoritarian.
- eschaton 7y ago
  Nah. There are literally historical and current events you’re not allowed to talk about in China without being arrested and charged with a crime or even disappeared. That’s not an overestimation, that’s the very definition of authoritarian.
  - magpi3 7y ago
    As someone who just came from China after living there for nine months, I think the better way to put it is this: you can talk about whatever you want, but if you make an effort to organize, initiate, or participate in a public discussion concerning a taboo topic, then you are putting yourself at risk. It's the appearance of an organizing that is really taboo. Of course please take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am a foreigner who was there less than a year.
    - friendlybus 7y ago
      A young girl (10? 12?) was a famous streamer than sung a line from the national anthem in a sing-songy way and was jailed for 'making fun of the nation anthem'. You can see the exact moment she realizes she messed up. advchina/serpentza/laowhy86 are the canaries in the coalmine atm.
- mycall 7y ago
  WeChat has authoritarian roots.

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago

I only doubt that to the extent that the American subsidiaries have independent org charts. If news came out that Tencent were removing the position of Riot CEO or had mandatory libraries that Riot programmers had to use, I’d be pretty concerned about that.

_iyig 7y ago

League of Legends censors the phrase “Xi Jinping,” in English, in non-Chinese regions: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/93f04k/just_found_out_that_riot_censors_the_name_of_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/93f04k/just_found_o...

eschaton 7y ago
Does it censor Pooh-bear though?

parsimo2010 7y ago

Absolutely, but remember that they aren’t prevented from making money or conducting legitimate business just because they answer to the party officials. It’s not worthwhile to spy on teenagers wholesale, but they might pull the logs of a senator’s kid and we would never be the wiser. Also, owning some of Western popular culture is a decent geopolitical chip. Maybe it’s not as great as a nuke, but China can use popular video games to raise the next generation of kids to be more friendly to China. Just having the idea “I like the things that come out of China” in billions of brains can increase China’s share of global GDP and power.

wallace_f 7y ago
Yea if you want to change the world, reach out to the next generation? Remember all those other generations of people living in crazy societies with crazy ideas? People's values, behaviors and loyalties are basically imprinted on them during childhood. There is an Einstein quote where he talks about how 'most people can't even form their own opinions' and he is right.
- FPGAhacker 7y ago
  >There is an Einstein quote where he talks about how 'most people can't even form their own opinions' and he is right. QED
  - wallace_f 7y ago
    Haha, I know what you mean.
- friendlybus 7y ago
  >There is an Einstein quote where he talks about how 'most people can't even form their own opinions' and he is right. Pretty much Nietzsche was the only guy who said you could make your own values.
throw0101a 7y ago
> Also, owning some of Western popular culture is a decent geopolitical chip. Tencent is co-producing the Top Gun sequel, and Maverick's jacket no longer has either the Japanese or Taiwanese flags on the back: * https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a28479683/ https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a28479683/ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun:_Maverick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun:_Maverick > Maybe it’s not as great as a nuke, but China can use popular video games to raise the next generation of kids to be more friendly to China. K-pop seems to be helping Korea: * https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-... Though they're not a totalitarian state. I think if people get too friendly or sympathetic a couple of articles will bring reality back: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_harvesting_from_Falun_Gong_practitioners_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_harvesting_from_Falun_Go... * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests