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Did they hijack TikTok searches by calling it ToTok? Not a bad strategy to piggyback on another app's popularity...
by anonu 7y ago
Did they hijack TikTok searches by calling it ToTok? Not a bad strategy to piggyback on another app's popularity...
- euix 7y agoMy theory has always been, Chinese will start behaving like Americans in protecting their IP once they reach a similar level of reach and sophistication with their products. It's starting... Then the shoe will be on the other foot. Not that a couple hundred years ago it wasn't the same.
- chapium 7y agoI doubt this will happen unless there is motivation from the central government to crack down on it. There are many cultural reasons shameless copying is less stigmatized in China than in the west (not necessarily a negative thing).
- ebiester 7y agoBritain used industrial espionage to gather the technology to reach their industrial revolution. The USA did it in turn. (It used to be a death sentence for skilled technologists to emigrate.) https://www.allaboutlean.com/industrial-espionage-and-revolution/ https://www.allaboutlean.com/industrial-espionage-and-revolu... https://www.history.com/news/industrial-revolution-spies-europe https://www.history.com/news/industrial-revolution-spies-eur...
- creato 7y agoI think the main strategy was to simply ban all alternative apps: > The government blocks specific functions of apps like WhatsApp and Skype, a reality that has made ToTok particularly appealing in the country.
- Cyph0n 7y agoAll types of VoIP are banned in the UAE by the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA). Think of it as the equivalent of the FCC. The kicker is that VoIP over VPN is also illegal. This simply leaves people with no alternative, which is why this is dangerous.
- ufo 7y agoThanks for pointing that out. I read the whole article with my brain filling in "TikTok" in place of "ToTok".
- chatmasta 7y agoNot only that, but it’s likely the same reason this story is getting airtime at outlets like Fox News. People skim the headlines, see “ToTok,” and associate it with TikTok. Even this NYT article doesn’t clarify the difference until near the end. That seems irresponsible to me. Many readers would be unfamiliar with both, but recognize the general sound of the name as “TikTok.” The author should have included the clarification in the first paragraph.