this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2024
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[–] Ghyste@sh.itjust.works 42 points 3 months ago

And everything else...

[–] IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world 40 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I for one am shocked that TikTok is gathering usage statistics. Just SHOCKED!

The DoJ is desperate to try and pretend TikTok is doing something evil rather than what every website on the planet does. As if lemmy mods aren't collecting data on here right now.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 60 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I am a mod of a community that I lost interest in after I created it, still exists though, so I am a mod.

I have an entire notebook full of notes like this:

IsThisAnAI@lemmy.world believes that the DoJ is desperate to try and find that TikTok is doing something evil, when they are doing the exact same thing as other website does. They are also catching on to the secret cabal of lemmy mods, I must inform 17.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 28 points 3 months ago

"Only we can do that".

[–] filister@lemmy.world 21 points 3 months ago

If only the US was applying the same level of scrutiny to Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 3 months ago (2 children)

no offence but i'm gonna have to see a lot more evidence before i believe something from us state media.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 32 points 3 months ago (1 children)

On the other hand, it would be quite surprising if tiktok wasn't collecting everything it could about its users.

[–] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Like literally every American company does. I'm not a tankie and I'm definitely not a fan of China, but this is one of those situations where the US government doesn't actually care about the issue, just that they're not the one doing it

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

True. I think the US government's concern is the relationship bytedance has with the Chinese government. But considering how easily US companies will roll over and provide/sell user data I'm not sure how much different it really is over here.

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

The government's billionaire owners got worried TikTok would propagandize Americans in a wrong direction.

[–] wafflez@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

This is literally not new information. Social media tries to harvest as much data as it can. Data analysts frequently quit and instantly start using ad blockers and other protective measures for a reason.

[–] xiao@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 months ago

Just like GAMAM in most of countries -_-... Ban them all

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 months ago

Why is collecting that specifically bad?

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com -4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

VOA News... US claims

Oh it's that shill who only posts VOA. Untrustable.

TikTok

Definitely just some sinophobic BS about stuff that every tech company and govt surveillance agency does.

[–] Flatworm7591@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 3 months ago

We definitely shouldn't normalise this sort of surveillance, whether it's simply for advertising or for more nefarious purposes. China already banned apps like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter, so was that due to anglophobia or is it ok when China does it, but not when the US does it?

I agree with you on some level - it's definitely not cool to only focus on TikTok, because these surveillance machines are IMO all equally problematic. But most Lemmy users have a dim view of all mainstream social media apps because they all suck with regards to user privacy. But is TikTok hated on more than Threads or Facebook? I really don't think so. And the narrative that any criticism of the Chinese state must be sinophobic is total bullshit. The Chinese state is just as sleazy and authoritarian as any other large nation state. They all deserve criticism when they use these digital panopticons for political purposes.