TikTok Tells European Users Its Staff in China Get Access To Their Data (theguardian.com) 36
TikTok is spelling out to its European users of the platform that their data can be accessed by employees outside the continent, including in China, amid political and regulatory concerns about Chinese access to user information on the site. From a report: The Chinese-owned social video app is updating its privacy policy to confirm that staff in countries, including China, are allowed to access user data to ensure their experience of the platform is "consistent, enjoyable and safe." The other countries where European user data could be accessed by TikTok staff include Brazil, Canada and Israel as well as the US and Singapore, where European user data is stored currently. [...] Data could be used to conduct checks on aspects of the platform, including the performance of its algorithms, which recommend content to users, and detect vexatious automated accounts. TikTok has previously acknowledged that some user data is accessed by employees of the company's parent, ByteDance, in China.
No way! Shocking! (Score:1)
TikTok told the US that Chinese mainlanders don't get access to US data until oh wait... they do!
Why anyone but children uses these things I'll never figure out.
I took a look at TikTok before I fire walled them off my home network. I saw nothing but toxic trash and idiocy. Is there anything redeemable on the entire site?
Re: (Score:2)
It helped remind you of how bad FB can truly be!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Is there anything redeemable on the entire site?
I saw a video on Instagram that originated on TikTok. Apparently there's a trend wherein one rap-talks some gross personal story over the riff from MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" or something similar. This one young Indian woman related a tale about visiting her grandmother when she was 10 years old and unable to shit outside of her own home. Long story short, she didn't shit for an entire 10 days and ended up in the hospital and finally produced a bowel movement when her mother literally squeezed it out
Re: (Score:2)
I think that the calm, deadpan delivery is simply cultural. My understanding is that in India, people don't find discussing bodily functions in public gross, disgusting or otherwise inappropriate. It makes me wonder, now that I think about it, what topics that we find acceptable in public but they don't.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
TikTok told the US that Chinese mainlanders don't get access to US data until oh wait... they do!
when pressed by US senators, tiktok said yes, US data can be accessed by mainland chinese engineers (if memory serves, the video is of senator cruz questioning a tiktok exec).
when asked if that includes anyone belonging to the CCP, tiktok only repeated they are not aware of the political affiliation of their employees.
Yes we know. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Why yes. I would indeed argue that China, a well know oppressive totalitarian regime, being able to 'look at data' is worse than almost any other country being able to do that.
And before you spout another false equivalence, I did not say, and will not say, that other countries 'looking at data' is perfectly fine.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Yes we know. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Is it logical to suspect everyone equally? (Score:2, Insightful)
China looking at data is bad. Everyone else gets a pass.
It depends. If one knows nothing about the different countries, then it makes sense to suspect and treat all countries similarly. However, if past history and current relationships and circumstances indicate that some countries are more or less friendly, then it's reasonable to differentiate based on that understanding. Furthermore, this understanding of each country is multi-dimensional and multi-valued. It's not simply a binary matter of whether a country should be trusted. There are many reasons for
Re: (Score:2)
Privacy concerns about google, twitter, facebook, Microsoft are frequently topics on here as well.
Remember the Cambridge Analytica thing and how Zuckerberg looked like a walking corpse during that testimony? No? There's your problem.
If you likely willfully ignore everything else than what happens around TikTok, then of course it looks like everyone else gets a free pass.
Re: (Score:3)
China looking at data is bad. Everyone else gets a pass.
The difference is that in Western nations we don't expect that the national intelligence agencies won't have people more or less openly accessing user data.
It is a just a difference of degrees, for instance it's still a bit vague how much access Prism had [theguardian.com]. But even when the US gets that data it's expected to be used in investigations relating to terrorists and high profile foreign political targets.
China and Russia on the other hand don't really cordon off things like that, if it helps the country it's fair
Re: (Score:2)
The difference is that in Western nations we don't expect that the national intelligence agencies won't have people more or less openly accessing user data.
The difference in the USA is that it's our national intelligence agency that will have people more or less openly accessing user data. Did you forget the lessons of the NSA whistleblowers already? So much for never forget, huh?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Yes we know. (Score:4, Insightful)
The difference is that in Western nations we don't expect that the national intelligence agencies won't have people more or less openly accessing user data.
The difference in the USA is that it's our national intelligence agency that will have people more or less openly accessing user data. Did you forget the lessons of the NSA whistleblowers already? So much for never forget, huh?
No, that's why I provided a link to it.
As I said, it's a difference of degrees, but there's definitely still a difference.
Re:Yes we know. (Score:5, Insightful)
When you're Chinese-American and interrogated for 28 days straight by Chinese authorities because your teenage daughter waved a Uyghur flag at a peaceful protest in the US, then yes, it's a problem.
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Yes we know. (Score:5, Interesting)
So if the CCP finds out that your great-great-grandfather had children they didn't know of previously, congratulations: you are now a Chinese citizen, and thus subject to Chinese laws whether you like it or not.
Re: (Score:1)
Grow up, son. There is a huge and fundamental difference between the Chinese Communist Party, and Western civilization. Pretending that they are just different by degree or sides of the same coin is foolish and requires a concerted effort to ignore the rules of history.
How embarasing (Score:2)
Chinese people can watch videos Europeans acting stupid? There should be laws!
So is it inactive when not being used? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's my guess that this "user data" includes geolocation, and that that's available even when the app is officially closed. It may include other things, but geolocation would be bad enough.
Re: (Score:1)
On Android apps need to ask permission to get location data when the app is not in the foreground, so unless iOS allows it (I don't think it does) then that isn't likely.
Remember that in the EU personal data covers a lot of stuff. Name, email address, phone number, age, country of residence, even IP addresses can be covered in some circumstances.
Everyone has problems with this. The EU can't finalize that agreement with the US over data transfers. I think it's fine though, encourages companies to keep data i
Re: (Score:2)
I've heard that this is forbidden. I've also repeatedly heard that this or that app ignored the prohibition, sometimes rather sneakily. Perhaps IOS prevents this, but it doesn't only run on IOS.
Re: (Score:2)
Android is quite strict about it. Not only does the app not get access to location APIs when it doesn't have permission, it also can't access things like wifi scans or Bluetooth scans, because they can be used to locate you too.
That leave IP address, which can give a rough location, but is error prone. I believe that iOS is the same.
Re: (Score:2)
iOS is highly restrictive. It gives you three options - deny access, allow only when active, and allow always. Except the last option is only valid for 2 weeks, then it reverts back to allow only when active. (You can force it if you want, by going to the Settings app and changing it there where it will be selected permanently, so any accid
Re: (Score:2)
Android is marginally better than iOS on this front: the three options in the pop-up location privileges dialog are deny, only allow this time, and allow while open; you always have to go to the permissions settings to enable "always".
Captain obvious? (Score:3)
GPDR (Score:2)