They claim US data is not stored in China, though:

> The key personnel responsible for TikTok, including its CEO, Global Chief Security Officer, and General Counsel, are all Americans based in the United States—and therefore are not subject to Chinese law. U.S. content moderation is likewise led by a U.S.-based team and operates independently from China, and, as noted above, the TikTok application stores U.S. user data on servers located in the United States and Singapore.

So the US will still have your data (potentially).

Yeah, I've sort of given up on the US government having some of my data. But I'd still rather it be in Chinese hands than US hands.

Do you really want China to have the social media history (secrets, likes/dislikes, usage profile) of our future leaders?

From Tik Tok? Sure, I can't picture a scenario where that would matter much.

"Our server logs show that you were actively engaged with racist/sexist/transphobic video when you were 19. It would be a real shame if that got out. We could make it all disappear, if you helped us in the next round of trade talks..."

Maybe, but I don't think China has enough credibility in the US to blackmail anyone. The leader can simply claim it's Chinese propaganda and China wouldn't have a way to prove it, AFAIK.

Edit: Plus if that's all it takes to blackmail someone you can probably just bribe them with money or something just as easily.

It’s not like the headlines are going to be “China says ...”. It’ll be reported via an anonymous source, or some credible person that they also control.

Maybe I am, but if it's that easy to blackmail a person, why would that person not also just be willing to take a bribe? If they care that much about themselves over their country. It just doesn't seem that realistic to me.

Both political parties already elect people that have sexual assault allegations against them, have done racist things, sexist things, etc. I don't think anything on Tik Tok is gonna be scandalous enough to blackmail over.

Do you really want big tech and alphabet soup agencies to have the social media history (secrets, likes/dislikes, usage profile) of our future leaders?

You can sue big tech. If you're a Western leader, you're more likely to be aligned with Western security agencies, than with China.

Not exactly compelled to add the Chinese government into the mix on top of that. The state of privacy being internally dire already doesn't mean I'm obliged to be compromised and debased on an equal-opportunity, global basis.

They already do, so I don't understand the point of asking this. Why does another government (that is becoming increasingly at odds with our own by the day) also need to have this data?

What exactly are they going to use against anyone? The truth?

Also, what kind of credibility could anyone attach to it?

Hey TikTok claims that Person A liked video B on date C. And what proof do they have? They could already just create a bunch of fake logs like this.

I hate to break it to you, but a site like reddit is 1000000x more incriminating for anyone than tiktok is.

China has demonstrated a willingness to extend it's pressures on individuals outside China , pressure on Uighurs in Australia.

I see no reason that they would resist the opportunity to build a social credit score of sorts for outsiders as well, and put pressure on other companies to enforce it quietly.

We've seen Zoom bans enforced globally at the behest of China because some folks got together on meetings about Tiananmen, and all Zoom had to say was "sorry had to do it".

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

-MLK Jr.

Pressure on individuals outside China? Like with Assange?

Do you feel like Assange is the same as asking folks in Australia for DNA samples and implying bad things will happen to their family in China if they don't comply?

Could you provide a source?

Quick google search:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-31/chinese-government-ac...

Thanks. Still, harassing people with ties to extremist groups by asking them for their personal data isn't much worse than how the Western world handles this, which usually involves extradition and Guantanamo.

I don't see any reason to think that the situation limited to " ties to extremist groups" anymore than banning zoom users who talk about Tienanmen is considered "ties to extremist groups".

What's your opinion in China's motivation when it comes to actions like this? Sure, there's this theory that China simply hates Uighurs, but there are certain factors - such as some privileges Uighurs have, that most other Chinese don't - that make it hard to believe.

Also, I really wonder what's that Tienanmen ban thing all about, given that it's common knowledge in China and - understandably, imho - part of their school curriculum.

Influence on Uighurs outside their control that might otherwise lobby publicly for Uighurs inside China is an obvious benefit.

"I really wonder what's that Tienanmen ban thing all about, given that it's common knowledge in China "

China's control on what is discussed and how internally is no mystery, their desire to do that outside their borders should be no surprise.

Lobby for Uighurs? You'd have to assume the Chinese hadn't heard of Streisand Effect.

As for Tienanmen - okay, but this would require hiring people to follow every individual discussion, to see if the subject is being followed according to the official rules or not. It doesn't seem realistic.

> okay, but this would require hiring people to follow every individual discussion

The bans happened, Zoom said the request came from the Chinese government. How the Chinese government chose to do so really doesn't matter at that point does it? Same goes for the Streisand Effect... they're doing it none the less.

The Streisand Effect scenario only applies if you assume they are doing this to silence down Uighurs. It doesn't matter if they contacted those folks due to their involvement with religious extremist groups, which also matches the problems experienced by their family members back in China.

As for the bans - we don't know why they happened. Claims it's related to discussing Tienanmen are just that - claims.

" due to their involvement with religious extremist groups"

You keep saying this, I've no reason to assume that's the reason they contacted them.

"we don't know why they happened."

Would that apply to winnie the poo and similar things?

I'm don't get this hand waving around 'we don't' really know why'.... is that supposed to make it ok?

Sure you have no reason to believe the extremist thing, but then, the explanation you've proposed leads to the Streisand Effect. I find the former easier to believe.

As for "Winnie" - that's much easier, you can just grep for the phrase.

The "we don't know why" basically means we can't assume things, especially in this case, where there's a fundamental language barrier and ongoing propaganda war.