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I'm not sure how I feel about any of this. China is a legitimate security concern. The practices of that government has always been predatory around I.P and pri

I'm not sure how I feel about any of this. China is a legitimate security concern. The practices of that government has always been predatory around I.P and privacy. But the US government has been very thin on details on how serious the security concern actually is, and whether moving the infrastructure to an American owned company would actually change anything. The US appears to regulate data protection under a number of sector specific regulatory acts. It will be difficult to restrict the flow of data between US and China without a recognition of social media as a sector that needs its own regulation without it affecting Google and Facebook. Considering how powerful US tech companies are I can't see this sale making Americans safer through a legal framework.

harryf 6y ago
> China is a legitimate security concern. The practices of the government has always been predatory around I.P and privacy. The same could be said of the US, perhaps with the exception of I.P. where there hasn’t been a real need to date. Either way, if this leads to a ban of TikTok in the US, it’s going to be interesting to see how boards of teenagers react.
- batsigner 6y ago
  The same could be said of Germany.
- rvz 6y ago
  > Either way, if this leads to a ban of TikTok in the US, it’s going to be interesting to see how boards of teenagers react. Take India for example. Either of the following is happening: Users use VPNs to bypass the ban, Influencers move to Triller, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, or just give up altogether. What's certain is like all social networks, the teens just find the next craze which the celebrities and influencers are. Even better if it makes them more money than before. I won't be surprised to see the same happening in the US.
tjansen 6y ago
"But the US government has been very thin on details on how serious the security concern actually is" Even assuming that there are no vulnerabilities in Android and iOS, the Tiktok app has access to video, audio and GPS. If the infrastructure would be hosted in the US and the Tiktok source code has been reviewed, there would still be the possibility that the Tiktop application has a hidden backdoor that allows a third party to execute code within the context of the app and to locate a user (at least when the app is open) and listen to any conversion she has.
- xster 6y ago
  Doesn't that conceptually apply to all Chinese apps? Also, all your TVs, phones, routers etc are all made in China. Isn't the real solution to the conceptual problem you're referring to to stop trading with China? That's the only way to be consistent logically.
  - tjansen 6y ago
    You're right. If you have any app or device that's capable of recording audio, you need to be aware of the real possibility that the Chinese government would have the ability to hear any word you speak. Not sure how relevant it is for a 'regular' person, but as a person of interest you shouldn't have such device or app. Nor anyone who is known to be close to you.
- tupputuppu 6y ago
  Tiktok doesn't have or ask for location permission at least on iPhone

harryf 6y ago

> China is a legitimate security concern. The practices of the government has always been predatory around I.P and privacy. The same could be said of the US, perhaps with the exception of I.P. where there hasn’t been a real need to date. Either way, if this leads to a ban of TikTok in the US, it’s going to be interesting to see how boards of teenagers react.

batsigner 6y ago
The same could be said of Germany.
rvz 6y ago
> Either way, if this leads to a ban of TikTok in the US, it’s going to be interesting to see how boards of teenagers react. Take India for example. Either of the following is happening: Users use VPNs to bypass the ban, Influencers move to Triller, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, or just give up altogether. What's certain is like all social networks, the teens just find the next craze which the celebrities and influencers are. Even better if it makes them more money than before. I won't be surprised to see the same happening in the US.

tjansen 6y ago

"But the US government has been very thin on details on how serious the security concern actually is" Even assuming that there are no vulnerabilities in Android and iOS, the Tiktok app has access to video, audio and GPS. If the infrastructure would be hosted in the US and the Tiktok source code has been reviewed, there would still be the possibility that the Tiktop application has a hidden backdoor that allows a third party to execute code within the context of the app and to locate a user (at least when the app is open) and listen to any conversion she has.

xster 6y ago
Doesn't that conceptually apply to all Chinese apps? Also, all your TVs, phones, routers etc are all made in China. Isn't the real solution to the conceptual problem you're referring to to stop trading with China? That's the only way to be consistent logically.
- tjansen 6y ago
  You're right. If you have any app or device that's capable of recording audio, you need to be aware of the real possibility that the Chinese government would have the ability to hear any word you speak. Not sure how relevant it is for a 'regular' person, but as a person of interest you shouldn't have such device or app. Nor anyone who is known to be close to you.
tupputuppu 6y ago
Tiktok doesn't have or ask for location permission at least on iPhone