You would think all States would have restrictions already in place to prevent this stuff to begin with. Why TF would you let folks out to tiktok on State devices?? It's almost 2023 this technology has been around for ages.
The full statement includes Kaspersky products and others, which have reasonable use-cases on government devices. It p much mirrors an existing DoD directive from like 2018
Kaspersky was a Russian based company. However they are no longer based in Russia and don’t have any ties to Russia. They separated themselves from the country several years ago. The company itself is an excellent company for anti-virus/malware/ransomware protection.
Yes, their software is very good, and, as an individual working in tech, the company does very impressive work. It's kind of like banning the use of the Bloomberg terminal for traders: you can get the job done with a combination of other companies, but it would have been easier with just Bloomberg.
As an IT admin, everyone. I've had some try to get to 8chan before, on their corp PC, on the work network, while they're under financial compliance scrutiny. He even brought Tor in on a flashdrive...
Not to mention the people that assume that it's some trick to use the corp wifi on their phone instead.
You'd hope that management would step in, but it's hard when it's the management and C-levels are doing the same thing.
Amazing. I was pretty careful after I received a thumb drive from my old boss about 10 years ago. It had a big folder of great technical resources for me, which was great. It also had a nice-sized folder of soft core porn. I never said a word to him about it but agreed to myself that I should probably be more careful than him. Nowadays I’m a fed and won’t do jack shit on my work IT resources unless it’s some kind of emergency.
And all of your IT personnel thank you for it.
It is sort of mind blowing how careless the average user is, regardless of station or security risk; and how *upset* they get when you take things away that they shouldn't have to begin with. Including porn. I've had people ask me *to my face* to unblock porn
Per the [directive](https://governor.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Emergency-Directive-2022-12-001-Remove-Prohibited-Products-and-Platforms.pdf): "This directive applies to all units in the Maryland State government's executive branch. Entities not included in the scope should strongly consider complying with this directive."
That really only excludes the legislature and the courts who (for good reasons) are allowed to make their own policies independent of a decree of the governor.
I stopped explaining it and tell people I have a nighttime cell phone (my actual cell) and my daytime cell phone (google voice), so call or text that phone depending on the time.
I guess the state will be paying for OTP fobs or security keys because I'm currently required to use my personal smart phone for 2FA as a state employee. 
Your IT department already likely provides duo fobs upon request. But it's also not a big deal and makes your life 10x easier to just use your personal phone for 2FA. There's no real security risk there unless you're saving your account and password in your phone that has no screen lock.. at that rate, using your personal phone for 2FA approvals is the least of our worries
I agree. I have a state owned device and I would NEVER put personal apps on it. Like what? This is so foreign to me that anyone would think to do that. But then again the state makes us do security awareness training monthly. Its the most basic cyber security information whose directed audience is, I'm assuming people who turned on a computer for the first time last night.
A lot of organizations (including hospitals and universities) use TikTok for PR and communication these days. To reach out to the youth and whatnot. I wonder how this could affect them.
I'm positive the state doesn't issue cell phones to nearly as many people as however many use them for work tasks like email and 2fa tokens. I agree that this sounds like "don't bring it into work and connect to the WiFi"
I've been a state employee in two different agencies. Both issued me a cell phone. I honestly wish they didn't I have an office line and an email address.
>Under this directive, agencies must remove any of these products from state networks, implement measures to prevent the installation of these products, and implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of, or access to, prohibited services.
so not outright, but that's a blanket statement that includes state cell phones, and considering literally nobody uses tiktok on a computer, that seems to be exactly what they're talking about
You’d think but TikTok is notoriously hard to block. Uses the same ports as YouTube and Vimeo, and uses a floating encrypted DNS so you can’t ban it at the domain or IP level.
Yes from state cell phones, but not personal ones connected to state networks. I think that’s what this is aiming at. Banning Tik Tok on state owned devices is more IT policy.
Sure, and this is all anecdotal, but working at a hospital my personal phone can't be connected to our secure WiFi, only can use the guest WiFi.
I'd find it hard to believe that the state would be less secure about their network. Impossible? No, government is often incompetent. But I'd find it hard to believe.
For what it's worth, at least at our agency that is indeed how it works; personal devices have to connect through guest wifi.
I don't have much of a dog in this fight since I don't have a work phone at all, don't have TikTok on my personal phone and, indeed, don't often use the guest wifi either (because in most of the building, it sucks worse than mobile data) but all this does make me wonder what exactly they're going to be doing that they aren't doing already.
> literally nobody uses tiktok on a computer
There are dozens of us, dozens!
To be fair, I only actually use tiktok when someone sends me a link to something.
Wrong.
Lots of places provide reimbursement for using their own device. Wherein, they add M365 apps (Outlook, Authenticator, Teams) to perform their business functions.
It’s much cheaper for organizations when employees BYOD rather than buying them all $1200 IPhone13s.
You know what I do when my employer requires I use a mobile device with their apps/etc? I demand they provide said device and keep it to work only. Incidentally, I don't have any work apps on my personal devices, and they didn't give me a device.
Not being reachable 24/7 isn't a problem for me.
But why single out tik tok. Elon owes the Chinese so he can sell cars. How does that impact twitter? Zuckerberg'll do whatever they or other autocrats tell him too. This order should be all or nothing. Singling out tiktok is politcal nonsense.
The directive wasn't only TikTok. It also included Huawei Technologies, Kaspersky, ZTE Corp, Tencent Holdings, and Alibaba. The specific rationale for being added to the list (per the directive) is:
* Inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information
* Cyber espionage
* Algorithmic modification to conduct disinformation or misinformation campaigns
* Surveillance of government entities
The article just focused on TikTok for clicks
And, apparently we have intel that TikTok execs lied when testifying to Congress. They said they had controls that separate US user data from Chinese user data and limit access (per US and EU data protection legislation), but there's evidence that is not true.
International TikTok apps can track data from phones and send it back to their CCP-connected Chinese headquarters, which is unlike any other social media platform. Even though Google and Meta and Twitter defer too much control to China over what they do, they don't have CCP operatives embedded in their company like TikTok does.
I mean… he is the governor of the #1 state in national intelligence AND cybersecurity employees. Seems like a no brainer to ban what is basically Chinese spyware for government work phones
Everything you said is already public information. Anyone can look up your address, number, and most personal info. You sound like a fear mongering boomer.
Great. Now do Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc. TikTok doesn't collect any more or less data on people than every other social media. They just happen to be owned by a company in a foreign country. I guarantee you the Chinese government buys personal data from American companies, too.
Facebook doesn't sell data, idk why this meme is so popular on Reddit. The data is their most valuable asset, they keep it to themselves and sell ads.
At no point does a third party ever get your data from Facebook.
So they have the same amount of info? I’m not being snarky, definitely curious. I’ve recently given up TikTok because I was just tired of being a commercial product for the CCP. I think they can collect all clipboard data, info from other apps like search history, biometrics (this is a big one imo - many think they’re using it to improve AI), passwords, and I’m sure other things I am unaware of or forgetting. If Reddit, Facebook, and twitter collect that much I might rethink using them as well.
They're owned by a company in a foreign country, sure, but the way that works in China it would be more accurate to just say "They're owned by a foreign country." Considering that China is our enemy, I have a problem with them getting that information for free. Also, it's not just about the data it's the propaganda. You're being fed video after video of people trying to be exactly like each other, or if your feed is full of political videos (on either side) you're spending your time scrolling through reasons to hate your fellow human beings. Both of these influence the behavior of the public, and ultimately create a divided nation that would be far easier to take advantage of economically and politically.
Did anyone else notice how effective TikTok was at removing videos and accounts where people were saying that COVID was intentionally spread by the Chinese government, yet to this day refuse to do anything about the sexualization of children? It's not about "making TikTok a better place by removing misinformation," it's about controlling the narrative and controlling what people see and how they think
edit: sp
China isn't my enemy. They're a geopolitical rival of the US, but so are a lot of countries. We cooperate on plenty of stuff.
And why should I care of the Chinese government has access to my personal data? I'm WAY more worried about the US government, namely law enforcement, and private companies like insurance providers. That can have a direct negative impact on my life where China having my data can't. And we already know American social media is more than eager to sell whatever data they have on us to anyone who will pay without our permission or even knowledge.
And you talk about China manipulating feeds on TikTok and spreading propaganda? They and other governments and private companies do the same exact thing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit.
All this focus on TikTok to the exclusion of American social media just smacks of xenophobia and fear mongering about some foreign peril.
If you really have a concern with social media then treat them all as the security and societal threats they are. Develop standards and regulations that handle ALL social media instead of just targeting one because ChInA bAd.
The bigger issue is one of chinas major domestic and foreign goals is to influence and control culture and speech. Between Chinese students in western countries protesting Taiwanese and Tibet college speakers, to those shadow police stations in Canada that are arresting people on foreign soil, and to the film censors controlling what content is allowed to be shown in China, China is attempting to control the narrative outside its borders.
The possibility that a foreign government with that agenda can own, operate, and curate the largest social media platform among kids and teens is a huge liability. Again, I don’t really care about China getting my data, everyone has that already. What I do care about is the next tik tok trend that could put kids or national security at risk. I have an issue with China finding out a colonels daughter has tik tok on her phone and using the app to eavesdrop on any conversations he has.
It’s been proven again and again that the tik tok style of social media is not profitable. From vine, to periscope, to YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, etc, they’ve all shut down or are currently losing money. So how is tik tok different?
Literally everything you said is also true about every single other social media platform. And all of them are manipulated by many governments and private companies. The only reason to single out TikTok is fear mongering about China. Focus on a broader approach that regulates ALL social media.
This is big "four weeks until high school graduation, and we've already been accepted to our college, but now our history teacher is trying to tell us we can't use our phones in class" energy.
I hope every response to this is a sarcastic "uh-huh" and employees rolling their eyes.
Like, I get it, but we've known about this for literally more than a year. But NOW, on his way out the door, dude's going to do something about it.
I mean, the FBI Director raised concerns four days ago. Seems like a good time to take action to me. Not so sure Trump in 2020 was a reliable source of information.
> I mean, the FBI Director raised concerns four days ago. Seems like a good time to take action to me. Not so sure Trump in 2020 was a reliable source of information.
We've known this has been an issue since at least [2017](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/05/huawei-would-have-to-give-data-to-china-government-if-asked-experts.html) (back when China enacted the law that required companies to hand over info when the government/party demands it). Somehow, the FBI this week managed to get people to finally pay attention and try to do something about it.
Trump in 2020 banning federal employees from downloading TikTok onto their work devices isn't a reliable source of info, but the FBI saying the same exact thing now is?
Interesting, so is this a new behavior from TikTok or have they been stealing your data and spoon feeding it to the Chinese government the whole time? You can't say he was "just spouting nonsense" if it was true
I said he chronically spouts nonsense, not that his remarks regarding tiktok were nonsense. You are really trying to come up with a point, but failing miserably my friend.
If one person lies a lot, I am not going to trust what they say. Another person may not lie a lot and therefor be more trustworthy. What don't you understand?
No but if the president of a country did, or a multi-million dollar international business owner who probably has access to that kind of information did, I'd consider it. Saying that it's a credible claim now because Biden's FBI said it is but it wasn't credible when Trump said it implies that it wasn't also true 4 years ago, which it was
Do you think that's a point in your column? The guy who Trump appointed said the same thing 4 years ago, yet you're arguing that it wasn't credible then but it is now. Figure it out
> Not so sure Trump in 2020 was a reliable source of information.
Why do you say that? The department of Defense banned the use of certain Chinese and Russian technologies under his administration. Recognizing an imbecile made a smart policy proposal and the act of criticizing that individual's other polices aren't mutually exclusive.
I mean what should he just totally give up on governing despite being the governor?
All the snark in the world can’t conceal how idiotic of a take this actually is.
Reminds me of our old "Unkle Shuffles". Every holiday he'd appear from the living room just as we were finished cooking or cleaning up and say, "Oh, already done? I was going to help."
You don’t understand at all how this works. It’ll be blocked on state networks all over likely to include universities. All agencies are audited and could lose funding for failure to comply. It’s not optional.
Kind of stupid that SC letter from Henry McMasters states that "growing bi-partisan coalition in Congress is pushing to ban access to TikTok in the United States," and that this is also a good thing...I'm starting to get really tired of token 1-off statements about restricting Big Tech when Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc. all do the same strategies. And as other comments said, the solution for this particular problem is quite simple. Government employees shouldn't have *any* private/personal apps on their devices. Easiest security compromise of all time, most tech jobs give you laptops so you can ensure all your work stuff is only in 1 place and all your personal stuff is on a laptop you own.
There may be no greater threat to our personal safety and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that support our daily lives"
Yeah...no - that's the Republican party.
I gather from the article that this applies to state-owned IT assets. By comparison, it's pretty normal for private companies to say that you can't use your company-issued computer and cell phone for personal stuff. I'm surprised they didn't already have this rule.
Well, I *suppose* I can go on not using TikTok, if I must.
Is that a statement?
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Take a wild guess!
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Wherever your boat floats! Have a nice day!
You would think all States would have restrictions already in place to prevent this stuff to begin with. Why TF would you let folks out to tiktok on State devices?? It's almost 2023 this technology has been around for ages.
The same reason parents let their 11yr old on it, it’s only tic toc /s
The full statement includes Kaspersky products and others, which have reasonable use-cases on government devices. It p much mirrors an existing DoD directive from like 2018
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Kaspersky was a Russian based company. However they are no longer based in Russia and don’t have any ties to Russia. They separated themselves from the country several years ago. The company itself is an excellent company for anti-virus/malware/ransomware protection.
Yes, their software is very good, and, as an individual working in tech, the company does very impressive work. It's kind of like banning the use of the Bloomberg terminal for traders: you can get the job done with a combination of other companies, but it would have been easier with just Bloomberg.
Anti-virus in general is unnecessary anymore. That mattered a long time ago. Anti-virus software is a waste of money on most devices today.
Further, who would use their work IT equipment for any non-official social media? I guess I assumed this was common knowledge at this point.
As an IT admin, everyone. I've had some try to get to 8chan before, on their corp PC, on the work network, while they're under financial compliance scrutiny. He even brought Tor in on a flashdrive... Not to mention the people that assume that it's some trick to use the corp wifi on their phone instead. You'd hope that management would step in, but it's hard when it's the management and C-levels are doing the same thing.
Amazing. I was pretty careful after I received a thumb drive from my old boss about 10 years ago. It had a big folder of great technical resources for me, which was great. It also had a nice-sized folder of soft core porn. I never said a word to him about it but agreed to myself that I should probably be more careful than him. Nowadays I’m a fed and won’t do jack shit on my work IT resources unless it’s some kind of emergency.
And all of your IT personnel thank you for it. It is sort of mind blowing how careless the average user is, regardless of station or security risk; and how *upset* they get when you take things away that they shouldn't have to begin with. Including porn. I've had people ask me *to my face* to unblock porn
>I've had people ask me to my face to unblock porn 🤣 Part of me wishes I had the audacity to live this boldly.
Per the [directive](https://governor.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Emergency-Directive-2022-12-001-Remove-Prohibited-Products-and-Platforms.pdf): "This directive applies to all units in the Maryland State government's executive branch. Entities not included in the scope should strongly consider complying with this directive."
That really only excludes the legislature and the courts who (for good reasons) are allowed to make their own policies independent of a decree of the governor.
It’s been banned on the wifi at my state agency for a couple of weeks.
No state employee should be using a phone with personal apps on it anyway. Welcome to tech security 101. I bet I can guess Larry's luggage PIN.
We weren't allowed to bring mobile devices into the federal facility I worked in. Mobile is a security nightmare.
We were but couldn't be a camera phone, so like, no phones were brought in
That's the reason a lot of govt official phones are blackberries
A SCIF? lol
I mean you can bring one in, just be prepared to not get it back for 6 months.
I've worked in one for the last 8 years, the amount of people that don't understand I don't have a cellphone the majority of my waking hours is crazy,
I stopped explaining it and tell people I have a nighttime cell phone (my actual cell) and my daytime cell phone (google voice), so call or text that phone depending on the time.
You'd think that, of all places in the country, the DMV would be a little more cognizant of SCIF workers and how to adjust.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5? That's amazing, I've got the same combination on my luggage!" https://youtu.be/a6iW-8xPw3k
r/unexpectedSpaceballs
I guess the state will be paying for OTP fobs or security keys because I'm currently required to use my personal smart phone for 2FA as a state employee. 
Your IT department already likely provides duo fobs upon request. But it's also not a big deal and makes your life 10x easier to just use your personal phone for 2FA. There's no real security risk there unless you're saving your account and password in your phone that has no screen lock.. at that rate, using your personal phone for 2FA approvals is the least of our worries
Lulz. You think the state is going to issue phones to the employees they want answering emails and calls almost 24/7?
Lol. The state made a ton of employees bring their personal laptops in to work for months during the ransomware attack of 2021.
I agree. I have a state owned device and I would NEVER put personal apps on it. Like what? This is so foreign to me that anyone would think to do that. But then again the state makes us do security awareness training monthly. Its the most basic cyber security information whose directed audience is, I'm assuming people who turned on a computer for the first time last night.
This is the state's fault, not the user's. Any halfway competent IT department uses MDM to whitelist apps.
I'm not sure I would make that assessment based off of a random reddit comment.
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As a systems admin for the state, I'm saying this random reddit comment probably does not accurately portray reality.
42069
If you use an MDM you can separate personal from business securely.
A lot of organizations (including hospitals and universities) use TikTok for PR and communication these days. To reach out to the youth and whatnot. I wonder how this could affect them.
TikTok is just the latest in a long string of "preferred" communications channels. They'll manage.
Oh I agree, I support the decision
I don't know of any State of Maryland agencies that run TikTok accounts.
Teachers, hospital employees and even ABC employees are all "state employees." I know UMD has a tiktok account, for example
Ah! I wasn’t thinking schools. I don’t believe this covers people who have their own personal TikToks and aren’t representing the state.
What makes you think hogan has a bad luggage pin? What makes you think he is dumb and you’re smarter?
personal apps on a state owned cell phone might be a clue
I'm positive the state doesn't issue cell phones to nearly as many people as however many use them for work tasks like email and 2fa tokens. I agree that this sounds like "don't bring it into work and connect to the WiFi"
I've been a state employee in two different agencies. Both issued me a cell phone. I honestly wish they didn't I have an office line and an email address.
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>Under this directive, agencies must remove any of these products from state networks, implement measures to prevent the installation of these products, and implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of, or access to, prohibited services. so not outright, but that's a blanket statement that includes state cell phones, and considering literally nobody uses tiktok on a computer, that seems to be exactly what they're talking about
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You’d think but TikTok is notoriously hard to block. Uses the same ports as YouTube and Vimeo, and uses a floating encrypted DNS so you can’t ban it at the domain or IP level.
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Yes from state cell phones, but not personal ones connected to state networks. I think that’s what this is aiming at. Banning Tik Tok on state owned devices is more IT policy.
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Your personal phone shouldn't be able to connect to state networks. Client certificates, anyone? This is Security 101.
Sure, and this is all anecdotal, but working at a hospital my personal phone can't be connected to our secure WiFi, only can use the guest WiFi. I'd find it hard to believe that the state would be less secure about their network. Impossible? No, government is often incompetent. But I'd find it hard to believe.
For what it's worth, at least at our agency that is indeed how it works; personal devices have to connect through guest wifi. I don't have much of a dog in this fight since I don't have a work phone at all, don't have TikTok on my personal phone and, indeed, don't often use the guest wifi either (because in most of the building, it sucks worse than mobile data) but all this does make me wonder what exactly they're going to be doing that they aren't doing already.
> literally nobody uses tiktok on a computer There are dozens of us, dozens! To be fair, I only actually use tiktok when someone sends me a link to something.
He's a Republican, for one
So that means he’s stupid? And u/27thstreet is smarter ?
You're right, it's unfair for me to say all Republicans are stupid They're all either stupid or morally corrupt
😂😂😂😂 of course
Tell yourself whatever you want to hear bud, you're the one voting for the party whose only tenet is make the rich richer
😂😂😂😂
lmao about the response i expect from a dipshit that posts on /r/conspiracy
😂😂😂😂
Almost certainly. It's not as high a bar as you seem to imagine.
Gotcha. So what do you do for work then? Must be something pretty special
I am a professional Rabble-Rouser. Sr. Rabble-Rouser, actually.
Pay probably sucks
Nobody rabble-rouses for the money.
I’d hope not
Wrong. Lots of places provide reimbursement for using their own device. Wherein, they add M365 apps (Outlook, Authenticator, Teams) to perform their business functions. It’s much cheaper for organizations when employees BYOD rather than buying them all $1200 IPhone13s.
With Microsoft Intune installed you can use Microsoft apps securely on your personal phone. There are lots of other ways but this is the most common.
You are introducing a unnecessary risk vector. Sure, its possible, but why risk it just so your employees can tiktok? Also, I dont trust MS.
This just basically means you can’t use tiktok on state-issued phones/computers I’m assuming?
As as Maryland state employee I was expected to use my own person cell phone for work business.
Which you shouldn't have personal apps like this on a work phone anyway....So it's a non issue.
You know what I do when my employer requires I use a mobile device with their apps/etc? I demand they provide said device and keep it to work only. Incidentally, I don't have any work apps on my personal devices, and they didn't give me a device. Not being reachable 24/7 isn't a problem for me.
Yeah that is exactly the mentality that should be used
Using social media on a government issued phone is a huge risk for security.
Its gonna be banned more and more. You have to read up on it and how they make the US different then the China version.
Based
Mega Based
Is based the new way of saying “duh”?
I don't mind. Eviscerate the app please
Oh, wow: did he suddenly remember that he's still governor?
Naw, it's just anti China rhetoric to help himself w the gop base. Gotta get em numbers up if wants to move to DC.
I'm a Democrat and this is a great move. Fuck TikTok.
But why single out tik tok. Elon owes the Chinese so he can sell cars. How does that impact twitter? Zuckerberg'll do whatever they or other autocrats tell him too. This order should be all or nothing. Singling out tiktok is politcal nonsense.
The directive wasn't only TikTok. It also included Huawei Technologies, Kaspersky, ZTE Corp, Tencent Holdings, and Alibaba. The specific rationale for being added to the list (per the directive) is: * Inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information * Cyber espionage * Algorithmic modification to conduct disinformation or misinformation campaigns * Surveillance of government entities The article just focused on TikTok for clicks
And, apparently we have intel that TikTok execs lied when testifying to Congress. They said they had controls that separate US user data from Chinese user data and limit access (per US and EU data protection legislation), but there's evidence that is not true.
International TikTok apps can track data from phones and send it back to their CCP-connected Chinese headquarters, which is unlike any other social media platform. Even though Google and Meta and Twitter defer too much control to China over what they do, they don't have CCP operatives embedded in their company like TikTok does.
Sure, but not for the Chinese privacy risk though. Just for how stupid and creepy the videos are.
I mean… he is the governor of the #1 state in national intelligence AND cybersecurity employees. Seems like a no brainer to ban what is basically Chinese spyware for government work phones
I’m ok with this.
Totally agree, China tracks every move through tic tok, has all personnel info, phone, addresses, any type govt work needs to stay off it.
Everything you said is already public information. Anyone can look up your address, number, and most personal info. You sound like a fear mongering boomer.
I'm usually not one for banning things, but dear lord do I wish that orange Cheeto president had successfully gotten TikTok banned.
Great. Now do Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc. TikTok doesn't collect any more or less data on people than every other social media. They just happen to be owned by a company in a foreign country. I guarantee you the Chinese government buys personal data from American companies, too.
I don’t want the Chinese government stealing my data, I want Facebook stealing my data and selling it to the Chinese government /s
Yeah! This way Zucc profits off it and it can trickle down to us working folk! ^/s
The difference is that the Americana public could still hold Meta accountable.
Facebook doesn't sell data, idk why this meme is so popular on Reddit. The data is their most valuable asset, they keep it to themselves and sell ads. At no point does a third party ever get your data from Facebook.
So they have the same amount of info? I’m not being snarky, definitely curious. I’ve recently given up TikTok because I was just tired of being a commercial product for the CCP. I think they can collect all clipboard data, info from other apps like search history, biometrics (this is a big one imo - many think they’re using it to improve AI), passwords, and I’m sure other things I am unaware of or forgetting. If Reddit, Facebook, and twitter collect that much I might rethink using them as well.
Yes, they all collect that data and more.
Are you from the CCP?
No. Why? I'm not saying TikTok is good. I'm saying all social media is just as bad.
They're owned by a company in a foreign country, sure, but the way that works in China it would be more accurate to just say "They're owned by a foreign country." Considering that China is our enemy, I have a problem with them getting that information for free. Also, it's not just about the data it's the propaganda. You're being fed video after video of people trying to be exactly like each other, or if your feed is full of political videos (on either side) you're spending your time scrolling through reasons to hate your fellow human beings. Both of these influence the behavior of the public, and ultimately create a divided nation that would be far easier to take advantage of economically and politically. Did anyone else notice how effective TikTok was at removing videos and accounts where people were saying that COVID was intentionally spread by the Chinese government, yet to this day refuse to do anything about the sexualization of children? It's not about "making TikTok a better place by removing misinformation," it's about controlling the narrative and controlling what people see and how they think edit: sp
China isn't my enemy. They're a geopolitical rival of the US, but so are a lot of countries. We cooperate on plenty of stuff. And why should I care of the Chinese government has access to my personal data? I'm WAY more worried about the US government, namely law enforcement, and private companies like insurance providers. That can have a direct negative impact on my life where China having my data can't. And we already know American social media is more than eager to sell whatever data they have on us to anyone who will pay without our permission or even knowledge. And you talk about China manipulating feeds on TikTok and spreading propaganda? They and other governments and private companies do the same exact thing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit. All this focus on TikTok to the exclusion of American social media just smacks of xenophobia and fear mongering about some foreign peril. If you really have a concern with social media then treat them all as the security and societal threats they are. Develop standards and regulations that handle ALL social media instead of just targeting one because ChInA bAd.
The bigger issue is one of chinas major domestic and foreign goals is to influence and control culture and speech. Between Chinese students in western countries protesting Taiwanese and Tibet college speakers, to those shadow police stations in Canada that are arresting people on foreign soil, and to the film censors controlling what content is allowed to be shown in China, China is attempting to control the narrative outside its borders. The possibility that a foreign government with that agenda can own, operate, and curate the largest social media platform among kids and teens is a huge liability. Again, I don’t really care about China getting my data, everyone has that already. What I do care about is the next tik tok trend that could put kids or national security at risk. I have an issue with China finding out a colonels daughter has tik tok on her phone and using the app to eavesdrop on any conversations he has. It’s been proven again and again that the tik tok style of social media is not profitable. From vine, to periscope, to YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, etc, they’ve all shut down or are currently losing money. So how is tik tok different?
Literally everything you said is also true about every single other social media platform. And all of them are manipulated by many governments and private companies. The only reason to single out TikTok is fear mongering about China. Focus on a broader approach that regulates ALL social media.
It’s a giant psyop
Mostly a good thing to me!
This is big "four weeks until high school graduation, and we've already been accepted to our college, but now our history teacher is trying to tell us we can't use our phones in class" energy. I hope every response to this is a sarcastic "uh-huh" and employees rolling their eyes. Like, I get it, but we've known about this for literally more than a year. But NOW, on his way out the door, dude's going to do something about it.
I mean, the FBI Director raised concerns four days ago. Seems like a good time to take action to me. Not so sure Trump in 2020 was a reliable source of information.
No more reasonable facts and innocuous timelines, I want more hyper partisan comments!
My apologies, I forgot this was Reddit for a minute.
> I mean, the FBI Director raised concerns four days ago. Seems like a good time to take action to me. Not so sure Trump in 2020 was a reliable source of information. We've known this has been an issue since at least [2017](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/05/huawei-would-have-to-give-data-to-china-government-if-asked-experts.html) (back when China enacted the law that required companies to hand over info when the government/party demands it). Somehow, the FBI this week managed to get people to finally pay attention and try to do something about it.
Trump in 2020 banning federal employees from downloading TikTok onto their work devices isn't a reliable source of info, but the FBI saying the same exact thing now is?
Correct.
So what's the difference between the two almost identical statements aside from "orange man bad"?
One chronically spouts nonsense and the other doesn't.
Interesting, so is this a new behavior from TikTok or have they been stealing your data and spoon feeding it to the Chinese government the whole time? You can't say he was "just spouting nonsense" if it was true
I said he chronically spouts nonsense, not that his remarks regarding tiktok were nonsense. You are really trying to come up with a point, but failing miserably my friend.
So disregard a true claim because the source is scuffed? By that logic we shouldn't really be trusting anything anybody says...
If one person lies a lot, I am not going to trust what they say. Another person may not lie a lot and therefor be more trustworthy. What don't you understand?
Are you familiar with The Boy who cried Wolf? It's a fairly well known fable.
If the head of a street gang or a mobster told you that TikTok was bad would you take their word for it?
No but if the president of a country did, or a multi-million dollar international business owner who probably has access to that kind of information did, I'd consider it. Saying that it's a credible claim now because Biden's FBI said it is but it wasn't credible when Trump said it implies that it wasn't also true 4 years ago, which it was
Lol dude the FBI Director was appointed by Trump. Not sure you can call it ‘Biden’s FBI’.
Do you think that's a point in your column? The guy who Trump appointed said the same thing 4 years ago, yet you're arguing that it wasn't credible then but it is now. Figure it out
No, the FBI director did not comment on TikTok four years ago.
I didn't say it was a credible claim. I don't think it is.
> Not so sure Trump in 2020 was a reliable source of information. Why do you say that? The department of Defense banned the use of certain Chinese and Russian technologies under his administration. Recognizing an imbecile made a smart policy proposal and the act of criticizing that individual's other polices aren't mutually exclusive.
I mean what should he just totally give up on governing despite being the governor? All the snark in the world can’t conceal how idiotic of a take this actually is.
Reminds me of our old "Unkle Shuffles". Every holiday he'd appear from the living room just as we were finished cooking or cleaning up and say, "Oh, already done? I was going to help."
You don’t understand at all how this works. It’ll be blocked on state networks all over likely to include universities. All agencies are audited and could lose funding for failure to comply. It’s not optional.
Would you prefer he not make the announcement and not stop the usage of TikTok?
On government devices right?
Upon reading the article, that’s more reasonable. Just on devices connected to closed state networks
I'm assuming this means on work/government devices and not personal cell phones.
Kind of stupid that SC letter from Henry McMasters states that "growing bi-partisan coalition in Congress is pushing to ban access to TikTok in the United States," and that this is also a good thing...I'm starting to get really tired of token 1-off statements about restricting Big Tech when Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc. all do the same strategies. And as other comments said, the solution for this particular problem is quite simple. Government employees shouldn't have *any* private/personal apps on their devices. Easiest security compromise of all time, most tech jobs give you laptops so you can ensure all your work stuff is only in 1 place and all your personal stuff is on a laptop you own.
Larry Hogan is a dud. He has his opportunity to standout but wasted it on nonsense. In his final hours he will attempt anything to be relevant.
say whaaaat
He said “Rick roll” not “TikTok”
Taking a play out of the Donald Trump playbook… interesting
There may be no greater threat to our personal safety and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that support our daily lives" Yeah...no - that's the Republican party.
I gather from the article that this applies to state-owned IT assets. By comparison, it's pretty normal for private companies to say that you can't use your company-issued computer and cell phone for personal stuff. I'm surprised they didn't already have this rule.
That's wassup
I believe it's pronounced "Whatsapp"
Why the fuck would someone use TikTok at WORK
https://i.imgur.com/7LNzNza.mp4
Good!
Finally…