No TikTok app on gov't computers?

[lpetrich]

 The Game (Star Trek: The Next Generation) - it was produced in 1991

In this episode, Riker returns from a vacation on Risa with a game that he is eager to share with the crew. The game is psychotropically addictive, and it quickly turns the Enterprise crew into a mind-controlled pawn of the Ktarians, who are using the devices to gain control of Starfleet. After Data (who, as an android, is unaffected by the game) is incapacitated, only visiting Starfleet Academy cadet Wesley Crusher and young engineering ensign Robin Lefler, played by guest actor Ashley Judd,[1][2] stand in the way of the insidious scheme.

There is now something of a real-life version of that:
TikTok - Make Your Day
 TikTok - a video-sharing social-media system.

It is made by  ByteDance, a Chinese company, and for that reason, some people speculate that its smartphone and tablet apps have spyware in them. Concern about that has led to No TikTok on Government Devices Act would ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app on all government electronics From that article,

Launched in China in 2012 and expanding to non-Chinese markets in 2017, the app is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Reports have revealed TikTok censored videos that were deemed offensive to China’s Communist Party, and reportedly may have allowed the Chinese government to obtain data from U.S. users. (Although TikTok has denied the practice.)

As a result, several U.S. government agencies or departments in recent months have banned the app for its employees on government devices, including the Army, the State Department, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

On March 12, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced S.3455 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): No TikTok on Government Devices Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

The important part of its text:

SEC. 2. Prohibition on downloading or using TikTok by Federal employees.

(a) In general.—Except as provided in subsection (b), no employee of the United States, officer of the United States, Member of Congress, congressional employee, or officer or employee of a government corporation may download or use TikTok or any successor application developed by ByteDance or any entity owned by ByteDance on any device issued by the United States or a government corporation.

(b) Exception.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to any investigation, cybersecurity research activity, enforcement action, disciplinary action, or intelligence activity.

The rest of its text is legal boilerplate.

The bill has two cosponsors, both original: Rick Scott (R-FL) and Tom Cotton (R-AR).

 

[laughing dog]

Looks like fiddling while Rome burns to me.

 

[Jarhyn]

Looks like fiddling while Rome burns to me.

Honestly, it's not unwarranted. Some corporations that work with China have internal jokes about how you sell them one, you come back to maintain it and there's a copy made of plywood when you come back. They demand cooperation from corporations to monitor their own citizens. I would not trust them to not do the same with monitoring people of other countries. I wouldn't trust CCP technology to that extent.

I think it would be more appropriate to start the conversation with Russian cyber/social war efforts, and treating that war seriously.

I think it would be prudent to remove the king of fools from the throne.

But at least this isn't entirely terrible.

 

[ZiprHead]

I don't know about spyware but I remember seeing the ads for tik tok early on. I always thought they were kinda' creepy, mostly young teenage girls being somewhat slutty. I kept thinking "what kind of pervs are you trying to attract."

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Looks like fiddling while Rome burns to me.

Honestly, it's not unwarranted. Some corporations that work with China have internal jokes about how you sell them one, you come back to maintain it and there's a copy made of plywood when you come back. They demand cooperation from corporations to monitor their own citizens. I would not trust them to not do the same with monitoring people of other countries. I wouldn't trust CCP technology to that extent.

I think it would be more appropriate to start the conversation with Russian cyber/social war efforts, and treating that war seriously.

I think it would be prudent to remove the king of fools from the throne.

But at least this isn't entirely terrible.

Second. I wouldn't trust any such app one iota.

Note that Zoom is made in China--without a doubt the government can listen in if they want to.

 

[J842P]

I don't know about spyware but I remember seeing the ads for tik tok early on. I always thought they were kinda' creepy, mostly young teenage girls being somewhat slutty. I kept thinking "what kind of pervs are you trying to attract."

Oh man, yeah. I remember thinking the exact same thing. What made it even creepier is that they were ads on Tinder.

 

[barbos]

Looks like fiddling while Rome burns to me.

Honestly, it's not unwarranted. Some corporations that work with China have internal jokes about how you sell them one, you come back to maintain it and there's a copy made of plywood when you come back. They demand cooperation from corporations to monitor their own citizens. I would not trust them to not do the same with monitoring people of other countries. I wouldn't trust CCP technology to that extent.

Russia have been burned many times. Su-27, S300 anti-aircraft system, the whole Chinese space program was bought cheap too (though it was legal on their part, but corruption was involved in Russia). Now Russia don't sell China stuff in small numbers for them to reverse-engineer it.
To be fair, americans "borrowed" some soviet millitary designs during 90s too.

I think it would be more appropriate to start the conversation with Russian cyber/social war efforts, and treating that war seriously.

Sure, Snowden should represent russians on these lovely conversations.

 

[laughing dog]

Looks like fiddling while Rome burns to me.

Honestly, it's not unwarranted. Some corporations that work with China have internal jokes about how you sell them one, you come back to maintain it and there's a copy made of plywood when you come back. They demand cooperation from corporations to monitor their own citizens. I would not trust them to not do the same with monitoring people of other countries. I wouldn't trust CCP technology to that extent.

I think it would be more appropriate to start the conversation with Russian cyber/social war efforts, and treating that war seriously.

I think it would be prudent to remove the king of fools from the throne.

But at least this isn't entirely terrible.

The law is unnecessary - it is simply a condition of employment which would require no law. Really, it is grandstanding by Republicans, although I cannot imagine who the audience would be.

 

[lpetrich]

On June 29, India banned TikTok.

What's behind India’s TikTok ban? | The Drum

It’s the season to ban, boycott and abandon – in just a matter of a couple of weeks we have witnessed 1,032 brands join the #StopHateForProfit Facebook boycott campaign globally, India deciding to ban 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and WeChat, while tech giants Google, Facebook and TikTok decided to leave Hong Kong due to its new security laws.

The common thread among each of these is the intertwining of geopolitics and technology. Both continue to impact each other’s sphere of influence. With the rise of nationalistic sentiments, countries are increasingly scrutinising potential national security threats posed by data leaks, and are subjecting software and hardware companies, especially those owned and operated by foreign companies, to comply with stricter checks, norms and policies. In some cases we've seen outright bans.

TikTok’s India Rival Booms With 500,000 Users Added Every Hour

n late June, when India banned 59 Chinese apps, including global sensation TikTok, the short-video platform stopped working for its 200 million local users. Within hours, an avalanche of new sign-ups pushed the servers of one of its Bangalore-based rivals, Roposo, to breaking point.

Two weeks on, Roposo, which also offers short videos, says it’s peaking at 500,000 new users an hour and expects to have 100 million by month’s end. That’s almost double the 55 million it had before the ban, and puts Roposo among a profusion of Indian startups to benefit from TikTok’s troubles in the country.

The ban from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government covered other big Chinese names such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s UC Web mobile browser and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat messaging app, and came amid a brutal border face-off between India and China that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

...
With Indian names like Chingari (Hindi for spark), Mitron (meaning friends) and Bolo Indya (Tell me, India), a string of small Indian TikTok challengers, have been notching up titanic user numbers since the ban on the Chinese apps. Some like the Moj app are barely weeks old.

Battlers in other categories have also received a windfall as other Chinese names like highly-downloaded image scanner CamScanner were also blocked. The new contenders from a variety of categories have three themes in common. Their apps are made in India. Their data is stored in India. Their content, mainly in regional languages, is attuned to local sensibilities.

The followers of an Indian spiritual guru, Sri Sri Ravishankar, created Elyments, an all-in-one rival for WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, of the Reliance conglomerate, launched JioMeet, a video conferencing rival to the popular San Jose-based Zoom.

 

[lpetrich]

India and China are major geopolitical rivals, and Indian officials may consider TikTok a security risk. A smartphone or tablet app may be able to forward lots of stuff to its servers back home, like where its residence currently is and what its users are currently doing.

TikTok in a web browser is likely much less of a security risk, since browser pages are well-sandboxed, as far as I can tell from documentation on web programming. One is not able to access very much.

TikTok ban in India undercuts ByteDance - CNN

The Indian government this week said it will ban TikTok and other well-known Chinese apps, including messaging platform WeChat and mobile browser UC Browser, saying they pose a "threat to sovereignty and integrity."

The move follows a border clash between the two countries earlier this month that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.

Instagram begins Reels test in India after TikTok is banned - CNN

TikTok ban: The US is 'looking at' banning Chinese social media apps, Pompeo says - CNN Sec'y of State Mike Pompeo was interviewed about this Laura Ingraham.

Washington's top diplomat added that people should only download the app "if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party."

"TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the US," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement following Pompeo's comments. "We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked."

 

[Metaphor]

I cannot believe that the US government allows its employees to download any unsigned code/program on its computers. I have never worked for any large employer where it is possible to run any executable not approved by IT on its systems.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I cannot believe that the US government allows its employees to download any unsigned code/program on its computers. I have never worked for any large employer where it is possible to run any executable not approved by IT on its systems.

They don’t and everything is run through IT. This bill is a paper tiger. Perhaps some DOI agencies can more easily run software not preloaded in their govt computers but most cannot.

 

[lpetrich]

Saagar Enjeti EXCLUSIVELY EXPOSES DC Lobbyists Taking Chinese Cash, Media Coverup For TikTok - YouTube

I found it very entertaining. TikTok officials are hiring expensive lobbyists from both parties to keep their smartphone and tablet apps from being banned in the US. Among them is a "gentleman" who posed for a modeling photo shoot, showing off $5,000 shoes and other such expensive clothing items. Also a reporter for the New York Times.

Krystal Ball (I like her name!) noted that while Hong Kong protests were everywhere in most social-media platform, they were absent from TikTok. Also on TikTok was hushing up someone's mention of Xinjiang concentration camps.

 

[barbos]

I cannot believe that the US government allows its employees to download any unsigned code/program on its computers. I have never worked for any large employer where it is possible to run any executable not approved by IT on its systems.

I cannot believe that people are not aware of sandboxing

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I cannot believe that the US government allows its employees to download any unsigned code/program on its computers. I have never worked for any large employer where it is possible to run any executable not approved by IT on its systems.

Signed doesn't provide much security. All major malware is signed.

 

[Metaphor]

I cannot believe that the US government allows its employees to download any unsigned code/program on its computers. I have never worked for any large employer where it is possible to run any executable not approved by IT on its systems.

Signed doesn't provide much security. All major malware is signed.

I ought not have included the word 'signed'.

I can't even download anexecutable on my work laptop, let alone run it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I cannot believe that the US government allows its employees to download any unsigned code/program on its computers. I have never worked for any large employer where it is possible to run any executable not approved by IT on its systems.

Signed doesn't provide much security. All major malware is signed.

I ought not have included the word 'signed'.

I can't even download anexecutable on my work laptop, let alone run it.

Yeah, a reasonable policy in most large corporate environments.