In past posts we shared a bit of information about the TikTok case, in which basically was accused of transferring private user data to servers in China, despite the company's guarantees that it does not store personal data there.
Then a class action lawsuit was filed in California Federal Court, claiming that TikTok illegally and covertly collected large amounts of personal data from identifiable users and sent it to China. The complaint also concerns ByteDance, its parent company.
In addition, at the beginning of August, The president of United States, Donald Trump, issued executive orders to ban US transactions with WeChat, the messaging app owned by Tencent Holdings, and ByteDance, owner of TikTok, within 45 days, describing the Chinese companies as threats to national security.
The reasons that are given in the decree to combat the threat posed by WeChat
“WeChat automatically captures vast areas of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Communist Party of China to access personal and proprietary information of Americans. Furthermore, the app captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese citizens visiting the United States, thus providing the Chinese Communist Party with a mechanism to control Chinese citizens who could enjoy the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives. lives. «
The US Department of Commerce says the measure will go into effect on Sunday, September 20, 2020
In response to executive orders of President Trump signed on August 6, 2020, The Department of Commerce today announced bans on transactions related to WeChat and TikTok mobile apps to "protect the national security of the United States."
In its communication, the ministry specifies that “the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated that it has the means and the motives to use these applications to threaten national security, foreign policy and the economy of the United States. The bans announced today, when combined, protect users in the United States by removing access to those applications and dramatically reducing their functionality.
According to the ministry:
“While the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not the same, they are similar. Each collects vast amounts of user data, including network activity, location data, and search and browsing histories. Each is an active participant in China's civil-military merger and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the CCP's intelligence services. This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security. "
As of September 20, 2020, the following transactions are prohibited:
- Any service provision to distribute or maintain the WeChat or TikTok mobile applications, constituent code or application updates through an online mobile application store in the United States (in plain text, United States consumers no TikTok or WeChat will no longer be allowed to download from a US app store as of Sunday);
- Any provision of services through the WeChat mobile application for the purpose of transferring funds or processing payments in the United States.
Starting September 20, 2020, for WeChat and November 12, 2020, for TikTok, The following transactions are prohibited:
- Any provision of Internet hosting services that allows the operation or optimization of the mobile application in the United States;
- Any provision of content delivery network services that enables the operation or optimization of the mobile application in the United States;
- Any provision organized or contracted directly from Internet peering or transit services that allow the function or optimization of the mobile application in the United States;
- Any use of the code, functions or services constituting the mobile application in the operation of software or services developed and / or accessible in the United States.
What a shame that they make this note lamenting Trump's measures, when they are supposedly defenders of free software. Tiktok is the worst there is when it comes to personal privacy enslavement. The politicization of this note is really a shame.
To those who believe that what Trump is doing is right, I repeat that it is unfair. Well, assuming Trump is right (which I don't think), companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Google should close. Well, they do the same thing that TikTok is apparently accused of. Although I am against taking data without the consent of users, I also support freedom of expression and equality before the Laws. Which I don't see the US doing. Rather, it seems to me that Trump has a tough face as iron by censoring foreign companies for something that we all know US companies have been doing for years. Imagine it's like the scene from The Simpsons when Homer (or Homer) gets mad at his father because he called him an accident, but he did the same with his son Bart. This is how unrealistic the US situation with China is. The US spies on everyone, and if Trump's accusations are true, it makes no difference. Perhaps the excuse of persecuting terrorists who violate the Laws of their Country (USA). But that would also apply to China if that is the case. Be careful not to be fooled. Let's remember that China is one of the countries that has donated the most money to Free Software, so let's return part of the favor it has done us.
I completely agree with you. But we all know that espionage is not the reason why Trump wants to take TIktok or another Chinese company ahead.
Trump only does what all leaders should do: fight for the progress of his country. They vote him for that. They are decisions of economic protectionism. China bans apps it considers "dangerous". Russia prohibits them too. And of course the USA does too. Everyone at home does what they want. At the political level the difference is very clear. In one case you can say that Trump is doing it wrong. The FBI won't come after you. Try to say in China about Xi Jinping what you say in the United States about Trump and see what happens.