> Why should the government be able to control which apps people install and use on their own personal phones? The theoretical argument will be national securi

> Why should the government be able to control which apps people install and use on their own personal phones? The theoretical argument will be national security and “protect the children”. > What happened to "personal liberty and freedom"? Flies out the door for the causes mentioned above. Reasonable? No. Reality? Yes. > Are they going to ban particular websites next? This already happens at some levels. Note that The Guardian website was not accessible on DoD computers during the Snowden revelations. There was a practical reason (mass spillage is a PITA for folks who diligently report and process the reports of such things), but it was also a futile exercise of control. > And what exactly is so threatening about TikTok to make it a legitimate national security threat? 1. Lots and lots of tracking data. 2. Lots and lots of real time on-the-ground info. 3. The ability to shape the discourse and mood within certain groups via the algo (assuming that the algo can be influenced by the PRC government, which folks widely believe it can). You may not believe these things are significant, but I encourage you to chat up some sigint (esp. analysts) and psyops folks to see what they have to say about this type of data and medium.