People don’t like it because:
- It’s the new thing. If alcohol were introduced today it would be banned in every country on earth. People tolerate Facebook, Twitter, Insta because that’s what’s been around. They all do the same thing, but TikTok is new and scary.
- Short form video is scary! It’s a new form of entertainment, and old people don’t like new forms of entertainment. See: every newly introduced form of entertainment in history, books included.
- They are misinformed about what data a mobile application can and cannot do, and the level of security built into both iOS and Android. Rest “assured”, they are collecting as much data as they can – just like every app creator on the planet. What they aren’t doing is capturing mic data while you’re sleeping (that’s not how microphones in phones work), stealing your passwords from your clipboard (OS’s notify users about clipboard paste)
- China bad. This primes people to consider negative press about it with a less skeptical eye, feeding the above points. (Don’t misconstrue me as being pro-China, I’m not, and that’s not what this post is about.)
TikTok bans aren’t considered because people dislike TikTok. They are considered because TikTok refuses to comply with local laws regarding sending user data across borders. There are some strict regulations on how this can be done.
And while this plays into your point 4 it’s not a China only problem. Facebook and co had similar issues in the EU. But they have found a way to stay compliant with local laws. TikTok was repeatably caught doing not following the laws. And even in the latest hearing they refused to commit to stop sending data to China.
And that’s also where TikTok being more invasive comes into place. Because once the data is in China there are fewer rules in place what they can do with it. I also have no way of getting that data deleted either. While if the data stays in the EU there are regulations on what they can do with it, how to store it etc.
I am not that knowledgeable about the difference in data law between China and the US so maybe for US citizen the difference is negligible.
Can you share some sources?
Why is it bad for one app to share data to their country when all other apps are sharing data to theirs, not to mention selling data to data brokers who can do literally anything.
Call for legislation of data brokers if you’re interested in calling for anything.
Recently TikTok basically confirmed they are sending US citizens’ data abroad. Yes, it’s “only” from creators but it still goes against their previous statement of not storing any user data in China.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2023/06/21/tiktok-confirms-data-china-bytedance-security-cfius/?sh=5b9082b63270
This was in response to evidence surfacing that TikTok is giving China access to user data.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/08/tech/tiktok-data-china/index.html
Yes, the evidence is a little thin. Saying they have been “caught” might have been a bit overzealous on my part. But there was a leaked audio recording where TikTok employees talked about how US user data can be accessed by China before that.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access
In 2020 TikTok acknowledged that their protocols aren’t protecting the user data sufficiently. This was in response to an investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in 2019.
https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/our-approach-to-security
So even though “caught” might have been overzealous, there has been plenty of evidence dating back to 2020 or maybe even before that, that supports the claim of TikTok sending user data illegally to China. Either by actually sending it or by giving the engineers from China access to the data.
Why sending Data abroad is an issue has multiple reasons. The first is that each country has its own privacy laws. You can only do certain information with the Data, certain Data can only be stored for a short period of time, others can’t be stored at all. Again, as a European citizen, I have the right to have my data deleted. But that’s pointless if a copy of my data exists in China where the EU has no authority.
Calling for legislation on data brokers isn’t stopping TikTok, these legislations exist already. There are rules and protocols on how and which data can be sent abroad. TikTok isn’t compliant with that.
Then there is the issue of national security. And that’s why China doing this is deemed more dangerous than other western countries because China is a potential hostile nation. You just need to take a look at how social media is a security risk in Ukraine for both the Ukrainians and the Russians. Having a foreign nation access to more extensive data than what is publicly shared is even worse. For example, tracking user Data of key military and government personnel gives them a much easier time on creating a profile. Hence banning TikTok on government phones. If Google or another domestic company does this kind of stuff then the information is at least not in potential hostile hands. And further, the US has the authority and capability to do something against it if the data were used in a hostile manner. They can seize the servers, arrest key personnel, etc. They can’t do that with Chinese nationals living in China.
Thanks for being the only person in the otherwise large thread to give an actual response.
So to make sure I understand correctly, the crux of these arguments are:
I gotta be honest, while you’ve laid it out well, I’m not convinced this is worth the outsized response to it.