TikTok NSFW if you work for the South Dakota government
- Reference: 1669807866
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/11/30/tiktok_nsfw_if_you_work/
- Source link:
In a [1]press release the state government said the order was in response to the growing national security threat posed by TikTok's data-gathering operations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The order comes into immediate effect and prohibits not only the use of the platform, but also the downloading of the app, and even just visiting the site on any state-owned device with internet connectivity.
[2]
The [3]order [PDF] goes on to claim that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, could gain control of user data stored on mobile devices, such as browsing history, location and keystrokes, and use it to gather sensitive information, steal intellectual property or for other "illicit purposes."
[4]
[5]
"The Chinese Communist Party may attain this personal information because ByteDance is headquartered in China and Chinese national security laws compel companies operating in China to share their data with the government upon request," asserts the order.
According to the EO, 135 million of the platform's 1 billion users are in the United States.
[6]
"South Dakota will have no part in the intelligence gathering operations of nations who hate us," said Governor Kristi Noem. "The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people, and they gather data off the devices that access the platform."
[7]TikTok under investigation in US over harms to children
[8]China is likely stockpiling and deploying vulnerabilities, says Microsoft
[9]90+ groups warn US Senate of 'damaging consequences' from Kids Online Safety Act
[10]TikTok: Yes, some staff in China can access US data
South Dakota is not the first government entity to ban TikTok from government-issued devices. The United States Military and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have taken similar actions.
Noem said she hopes other states will follow South Dakota's lead in banning the platform and Congress will take "broader action."
FCC commissioner Brendan Carr [11]praised the move, calling it a "smart and strong step."
Carr has previously [12]warned that TikTok doesn't just see user videos, it "collects search and browsing histories, keystroke patterns, biometric identifiers, draft messages and metadata, plus it has collected the text, images, and videos that are stored on a device's clipboard."
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The United States Committee on Foreign Investment previously asked Bytedance to stop allowing US user data to flow across borders to China. TikTok [14]said earlier this year it is making efforts to improve its data handling and that its protection of US user data was being reviewed by CFIUS.
The company has maintained that 100 percent of US user data is routed to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, with backups in a Singapore datacenter with further improvements in progress.
The legitimacy of that claim was brought into question when a letter from the company's CEO to US Republican senators revealed some China-based employees did have access to US TikTok data, "subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by [the] US-based security team."
Common criticisms against TikTok, other than its lax security and allegiance to the CCP, are that it is [15]harmful and addictive , and contains misinformation. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://news.sd.gov/newsitem.aspx?id=31872
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y4eMMh1vAW1Mo-HQVGLU-gAAAEQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://governor.sd.gov/doc/GovNoem-EO_2022-10.pdf
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y4eMMh1vAW1Mo-HQVGLU-gAAAEQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y4eMMh1vAW1Mo-HQVGLU-gAAAEQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y4eMMh1vAW1Mo-HQVGLU-gAAAEQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/04/tiktok_harms_to_children/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/07/china_stockpiles_vulnerabilities_microsoft_asserts/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/29/90_groups_oppose_kosa/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/02/tiktok_china_us_data/
[11] https://twitter.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1597695583334338561
[12] https://twitter.com/brendancarrfcc/status/1541899558006837248
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y4eMMh1vAW1Mo-HQVGLU-gAAAEQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/02/tiktok_china_us_data/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/04/tiktok_harms_to_children/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Terrorist vs Freedom fighter
*GCHQ sits quitely in the corner giving thumbs up to anyone pointing at the NSA first*
> TikTok doesn't just see user videos, it "collects search and browsing histories... plus ... stored on a device's clipboard."
Pretty standard fare for any old 'phone app
> Chinese national security laws compel companies operating in China to share their data with the government upon request
Whereas the US laws explicitly prevent anything like that, eh?
> The Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people
The US party (parties!) have never, ever attempted to manipulate anyone, American or dirty foreign scum (aka "allies").
> Common criticisms against TikTok ... are that it is harmful and addictive, and contains misinformation
And competes in these important arenas with Good Old Yank companies like FB, YT, Twitter
There is that, but it IS still a spy tool from the CCP.
Don't need excuses (but other apps horde data too) laws, and or competing products to know that it is what it is.
But I do think you (that one in the corner) should use it, be sure to try the "Invisible Challenge" app too :P
Sounds like a replay
will they remake the Manchurian Candidate to have all the sleeper agents controlled by tiktok?
I do wish that "these people" could be a bit more imaginative when coming up with bogey people.
Re: Sounds like a replay
At least it is an example of banning a "social" media site. It's not a great example, but we need more even if it's just for one entertainment+gossip.
"...nations who hate us,"
China hates us? Can't say I believe that for 1 second. I know the banks can't believe that.
The whole thing comes.off as a deceptive hate speech (which IMO is worse than an intentional hate speech).
So they'll be surprised instead
As nobody will be permitted to monitor the latest tiktok trends, they'll be utterly shocked when something happens.
Like a concerted effort to get people to vote, or other anti-GOP acts.
TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective
Social media is mental torture, it's doing us all in and the quicker we stop using it and try to get our kids off it and back to having more than 15 sec attention spans, the better humanity will be. Have you ever watched Snapchat video feeds? 10-15 secs back to back continous video stream of absolute garbage! TikTok, basically Chinese spyware pretending to be "for da yoof", meanwhile turning our young people into jibbering morons, all in the name of making people crave careers as "content creators". Some of it is valid but 95% of it is trash.
Re: TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective
Oh dear, have you lost your bottle of dried frog pills?
Re: TikTok is not safe from a mental health perspective
When I used to use public transport I saw it every morning but it was with the adults... You recognize it immediately because they use their phone with one hand and just need a small thumb movement to switch between the videos. There was never any text on the screens, it was just ensledd videos.
I have never actually seen TikTok outside of what I have seen on the YT streams.
"contains misinformation"
User provided content is not always accurate?
I'm shocked. Shocked I say!
Pot calling Kettle, Pot calling Kettle. Come in Kettle.
And in related news, Germany has announced that it is banning Microsoft 365 products from its schools because of their inability to operate without sending personal information to the United States.
Governor bans platform and website from all state-owned devices that can connect to the internet
Well duhhh! Who'd want to run it on a device which can't connect to the internet. Just ban it from all state-owned devices
The problem with legislators they always like to add extra phrases to any statement which in other circumstances can be used as loop-holes. That's why the very rich pay less tax than lower income earners.
A good start
Not because TikTok is turning the children of South Dakota into Manchurian candidates, but because it's a time waster unrelated to their jobs. My wife is a government employee (not of South Dakota) and at her workplace all social media and a lot of other time wasting nonsense are blocked, simply because the taxpayers would appreciate it if their public employees would do something other than watch videos all day.
She is told that the public affairs office has a pass. Which makes sense because those folks are paid to watch and create time wasting nonsense.
The anti-commie rhetoric is a bit silly, but they're politicians. When the electorate is silly, it's pretty much a job requirement to say silly things.
Terrorist vs Freedom fighter
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, could gain control of user data stored on mobile devices, such as browsing history, location and keystrokes, and use it to gather sensitive information, steal intellectual property or for other "illicit purposes."
How dare they, that's the NSA's job