Better a GRU-managed honey pot than a CIA-managed honey pot. My country is a vassal to the US, not the Russians, and GRU power over me is considerably less threatening.

I feel the same way about TikTok. I'd rather have a Hong Kong based company with a threat of Chinese interception because I don't give a shit if the Chinese have my data (at least I dont yet).

I do care about using US/Canada/UK/German/etc apps where you know at least 75% of your data is ending up in some database of a country you live in or your country is has a free-wheeling data sharing policy (with some rubber stamp exceptions which foreign partner interception easily bypasses).

How is TikTok a Hong Kong based company?

Good point I don’t know why I thought they pretended to operate out of Hong Kong. Must be thinking of another company.

Not to mention the Durov brothers are exiled from Russia after Russia took VKontakte from them.

Nice cover, close Putin's ally has also provided him with 250 million to make the app. Follow the money.

There's no imaginable way that that's better, unless you're engaging in actual treason.