This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
When the US does it it's just established practise. When a non-US entity does the same thing, it's suddenly a matter of national security.
The anti-Chinese vibe in the US right now is rather absurd. The rise of China should have been viewed as an opportunity, not a threat.
The only issue I've ever had with TikTok is that it's the Chinese government spying on American citizens in a way they don't allow America to do to theirs. Not that either instance is right but you can't say something is wrong and not allowed and do it yourself.
But America spies on non-American citizens in the exact same way as TikTok does. The US complaining here is just hypocrisy. And the US has been doing it for far longer than the Chinese have.
So as a European citizen there is no difference between USian or Chinese Big Tech in terms of spying on me.
China doesn't let anyone spy on their citizens as they ban all foreign social media etc. That's the difference.
This is why the US Government wants to ban Tiktok. It's very easy for them to force Google, Apple, Microsoft or Twitter to spy on people. It's much harder with a Chinese company that is headquartered overseas.
Now we understand what the "National Security Threat" was all this time, not that it wasn't painfully obvious from the jump. Every other major social media platform is in bed with the Feds, giving them access to whatever they wish at a moment's notice. The "threat" to the nation isn't foreign influence it's domestic influence. If they can't have backend access to the system to monitor these domestic threats, then the whole system is a threat. If you are using TikTok as a means of ORGANIZING then you are a THREAT to the NATIONAL SECURITY because the Feds can't WATCH YOU LIKE A HAWK.
At one point, TikTok reportedly altered language that would have allowed government officials to demand changes to the apps recommendations algorithm if it promoted content the agencies disagreed with.
But but but... MUH FREEZ PEACH!
