Tiktok (1 Viewer)

[rockaction]

That's two posts about the perils of non-enforcement by the executive as a method of achieving policy aims, and both needed to be deleted by me as they were political or structural discussions. Summation: I think it's a really bad idea to start doing this on the reg. It wasn't a good idea when we started it (I won't name names), and it's not a good idea now.

It seems to me that the "no politics" line is a little looser than it was, say, a year ago. Is that bad? I don't know and it ain't up to me.

I don't know about the line, really. I try to successfully toe it as often as possible and sometimes go over it. Then my posts get deleted. I'm trying to work on it so there's less work for everybody else. I started going deeper into the Constitutional structure of government, what the expectations of each branch are, and all that . . . I had to delete it. I wish I could have those discussions because they're part of who I am personally, but even I can see that there's no dice there if we're to have a civil board.

 

[Navin Johnson]

Can anyone explain the "threat to national safety" angle to me in explicit terms? That is, just saying "national safety" isn't enough. What, specifically, is the threat? I'm an IT nerd, so please, be technical.

Isn't it user and location data?

you think most other apps and websites aren't doing this?

 

[rockaction]

Can anyone explain the "threat to national safety" angle to me in explicit terms? That is, just saying "national safety" isn't enough. What, specifically, is the threat? I'm an IT nerd, so please, be technical.

Isn't it user and location data?

you think most other apps and websites aren't doing this?

The profits reaped are different. The Chinese government could be looking at kids in the Midwest hoping they'll stumble across where the missile silos that host our nuclear weapons are. I mean, they don't need kids to go cavorting next to the nukes—they just need a general idea of where they are. You get enough user data from them using the application that you partially own, and you're in business. Hell, you don't need to sell anybody anything. Your whole raison d'étre is the information itself.

 

[massraider]

Completely anecdotal but here's a FB post from a friend's husband who started his side gig through TT. It goes longer but I snipped it for politics.

TLDR the TT algorithm helped an entrepreneur reach his intended audiences better than others, allowing for better sales.

Yeah.

Someone said the algo feeds you more of what you want. It's not just that. Every other one does that as well. You look at one video on Instagram of a girl dancing, every reel suggestion is going to be some girl dancing. That is not the reason TikTok became big.

TikTok, as I understand it, has a very democratic (ironic!!) process when a user posts a clip. It shows every clip to a few hundred users, and if they respond, the algo pushes it. You get more engagement after that, and you can go viral quickly. Once people realize they have a better shot going viral on TikTok as opposed to elsewhere, new creators flocked to it. That leads to more/better content, and suddenly TikTok is where everything is happening. Once people are following you, it's easier, etc, etc, but TikTok is the most noob-friendly SM. If you post something awesome, and no one follows you, you can STILL get engagement. Massive draw.

you think most other apps and websites aren't doing this?

I asked before about the detailed risks concerning China and TikTok, and I think, in general, people have been told this is a security risk-because China-and that sounds about right to people, without many people being able to really identify why it is riskier than other apps.

But I don't think that means there is no risks. It's dumb to underestimate what China is capable of, and if the NSA or the FBI doesn't want their IT guys walking around with TikTok on their phones, I am ready to believe them. Based on how China handles their business, and what happens to Chinese businessmen who defy the government, I always will assume if the Chinese government asks/tells ByteDance to do something, they are going to listen.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Doesn't fit the narrative with Musk but NPR reporting working on Oracle taking over. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/25/g-s1...aking-news&utm_id=6731115&orgid=669&utm_att1=

 

[Eephus]

I don't trust Larry Ellison anymore than I do Zhang Yiming

 

[McBokonon]

Doesn't fit the narrative with Musk but NPR reporting working on Oracle taking over. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/25/g-s1...aking-news&utm_id=6731115&orgid=669&utm_att1=

It’s an AP article reprinted by NPR. Just a quibble but some will see NPR and dismiss it out of hand but might not do so with the AP.

 

[fatness]

Doesn't fit the narrative with Musk but NPR reporting working on Oracle taking over. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/25/g-s1...aking-news&utm_id=6731115&orgid=669&utm_att1=

It’s an AP article reprinted by NPR. Just a quibble but some will see NPR and dismiss it out of hand but might not do so with the AP.

I think this is the article: https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-buyers-divestment-ban-8429dfb422c4cefb6b0807aeb2c5cd56

 

[fatness]

I think NCIS has become real.
"Get me that algorithm, Abs."
"On it."

"Wedbush analyst Dan Ives estimates TikTok is worth “well north of $100 billion” with the algorithm — and potentially up to $200 billion in a “best case scenario.” Without the algorithm it’s $40 billion to $50 billion,” Ives said, adding he does not believe that ByteDance and Beijing would sell TikTok with the algorithm.

 

[Terpman22]

Deleted my tiktok
Deleted my X/Twitter
Ghosting FB and IG

Feels liberating honestly

 

[Max Power]

TikTok deal expected today to sell most of TikTok's US assets to American investors

 

[urbanhack]

TikTok deal expected today to sell most of TikTok's US assets to American investors

Gee - which ones?

 

[Brunell4MVP]

I've been on FB, IG, and TT. I find them all dumb, but TT the most irrelevant. Big fan of Whats App Chats though. Keeps it to the people I really want to talk with.

 

[The Z Machine]

I've been on FB, IG, and TT. I find them all dumb, but TT the most irrelevant. Big fan of Whats App Chats though. Keeps it to the people I really want to talk with.

You old, bruh

 

[eighsse2]

I've been on FB, IG, and TT. I find them all dumb, but TT the most irrelevant. Big fan of Whats App Chats though. Keeps it to the people I really want to talk with.

I don't do any social media crap, unless things like FBG or YouTube counts. Can someone explain why you'd want to use an app for chats? What's wrong with text messaging? I know texting is technically done through an "app" too, but it's built into the phone, seems like it would be smoother than a downloaded app.

 

[Major]

I've been on FB, IG, and TT. I find them all dumb, but TT the most irrelevant. Big fan of Whats App Chats though. Keeps it to the people I really want to talk with.

I don't do any social media crap, unless things like FBG or YouTube counts. Can someone explain why you'd want to use an app for chats? What's wrong with text messaging? I know texting is technically done through an "app" too, but it's built into the phone, seems like it would be smoother than a downloaded app.

I'm not sure about Brunell but I have a lot of friends outside of the US for WhatsApp. International texts can get expensive. WhatsApp is free.

 

[fatness]

TikTok deal expected today to sell most of TikTok's US assets to American investors

Following up on this, the 'deal' announced is pretty unclear about some substantial points.

The first thing to understand about the TikTok deal is that it’s not actually a deal—at least not in any official capacity yet. Trump’s executive order Thursday simply delays the Chinese social media app from being banned in the U.S. (as required by a law passed in the spring of 2024) for another 120 days, while the various parties seek to finalize an agreement. So there’s a lot we don’t know about the agreement, and there’s a lot that could change.
But if you listen closely to everything that was said during Trump’s signing ceremony, and if you piece together the official White House statements as well as various press reports about the deal, a couple things become clear:

1. The China-built algorithm at the heart of the U.S. national security concerns will continue to serve content to Americans, albeit with some kind of oversight and “retraining.”
2. The deal creates an opportunity for a lot of the people involved to make money.

According to the White House, the portion of the TikTok service that currently serves U.S. residents will be divested from Chinese parent company ByteDance. A new, separate “American TikTok” will be created and placed under the control of a joint venture that’s “majority-owned and controlled by United States persons.” All user data for this app will be stored in U.S. data centers operated by Oracle (a practice that actually began in 2022 in response to U.S. concerns), thus ensuring the privacy and security of Americans’ data.
The joint venture will also be responsible for overseeing the algorithm that picks which video clips appear in users’ feeds. But it looks as if the actual algorithm powering American TikTok will continue to be the one developed by ByteDance—the very algorithm that lawmakers have said could not be trusted because of ByteDance’s ties to China, a “foreign adversary.”
In its official “Fact Sheet” about the executive order, the White House said “the divestiture puts the operation of the algorithm, code, and content moderation decisions under the control of the new joint venture.” The order calls for “all recommendation models, including algorithms, that use U.S. user data to be retrained and monitored by America’s trusted security partners.”
What it does not explicitly say is that American TikTok will create its own new algorithm from scratch.

The TikTok deal won’t cut off China’s algorithm, but it could allow a lot of people to get a big payout | Fortune

The deal appears to hinge on some unusual solutions.

fortune.com