Strange, it seems like they are in a way accusing ByteDance of not selling to them because MS was going to make changes to meet their "highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation".
Is it usual for a company to give out any statement when a potential acquisition does not happen?
I think if you are a publicly traded company you are even required by law (at least in Europe) to publish information about the failure of such an important acquisition as soon as you learn about it.
Edit: see for example Art. 17 of the EU market abuse regulation.
It was a political statement by POTUS to block and then later allow extension period for the sale of ByteDance to Microsoft. This is a political statement back on the results of the agreements. It is responsible that Microsoft publically posted this official notice, in addition to however else you may find it.
I don't think they're being as coy as the phrasing "in a way accusing" suggests. This is a very direct accusation that Bytedance is not on board with changes for privacy, security, etc.
> We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok’s users, while protecting national security interests
Does anyone seriously believe TikTok is a threat to national security?
> combatting disinformation
There you have it. I've seen TikTok videos go viral being really critical of the US government including its foreign policy. The kind of video that would just be invisible or outright banned from Youtube or Facebook video. That's why they want to get rid of it.
I think the last four or so years have proven without a doubt that command of social media gives immense power to threaten the national security of others.
I have no thoughts on if they are a threat right now, but I think they are a very interesting and possibly powerful piece on the board for the future.
>Does anyone seriously believe TikTok is a threat to national security?
Everyone who believes Facebook was used to influence the 2016 election should believe TikTok poses a similar threat. I'd agree that the threat is overblown, but many serious people, in good faith, seriously believe it.
The US views Chinese social media apps as being able to spread criticism (and most likely propaganda) and the US can’t do likewise in China, so they’ll just not let Chinese social media companies operate in the US until that changes.
There will be 0 official, influential Chinese social media companies operating in the US on a permanent basis until the CCP let’s US social media companies operate in China. This has bipartisan support.
Wait, you don't believe Tik Tok is a national security threat? Are we living in different worlds? Handing over content control to an arm's length foreign government controlled company of our youngest minds isn't a national security risk?
> Does anyone seriously believe TikTok is a threat to national security?
I think they are in the sense that they're collecting massive amounts of user data about their users and I believe they wouldn't hesitate to share that data with the Chinese government if asked.
On the flip side, I also think their threat to our national security is being made a bigger deal than it actually is by politicians who have an anti-Chinese agenda and companies who see an easy way to cripple a competitor.
> There you have it. I've seen TikTok videos go viral being really critical of the US government including its foreign policy. The kind of video that would just be invisible or outright banned from Youtube or Facebook video. That's why they want to get rid of it.
Videos such as? Seems to me that the kind of videos banned on Youtube, Twitter or Facebook aren't really the ones that are really critical of the US government, especially the executive branch.
> I've seen TikTok videos go viral being really critical of the US government including its foreign policy. The kind of video that would just be invisible or outright banned from Youtube or Facebook video.
Do you have any evidence of this happening? I've never heard of pro-US censorship before on any of these platforms (or any social media platform..)
A lot of creepy older men use TikTok to hit on underage girls [1], inevitably the long tail chat histories and browsing behaviors will provide ample blackmail material on future politicians, judges, and military members.
[1]: ask your nieces, daughters, or young female friends, about their experience if they ever set their Instagram or tiktok to public.
> Does anyone seriously believe TikTok is a threat to national security?
It's quite obvious since the CCP has control of it. I'd question anyone who doesn't seriously believe that the CCP is waiting for the right moment to exploit the information from TikTok and similar apps, if it isn't already.
> I've seen TikTok videos go viral being really critical of the US government including its foreign policy. The kind of video that would just be invisible or outright banned from Youtube or Facebook video.
I think even passively collected behavioral data (rather than, say, an active psyop-style intervention on social media) poses a threat, as it can be leveraged elsewhere.
Yes. They’re saying the reason the Houston Chinese embassy was closed down out of nowhere was they were using TikTok data to target/provoke protestors via TikTok in regards to George Floyd protests. People were intentionally targeted to further fan the flames of unrest in this country.
It’s also been speculated that TikTok is using the data they get from the US to train their facial recognition and AI tools better.
> Does anyone seriously believe TikTok is a threat to national security?
This deceit was the fundamental legal premise of the forced sale.
Of course it's bullshit. But even though it failed to win, Microsoft was a willing and active participant in the bullshit from day one, and can’t really call the game out now without acknowledging it's willful collaboration in the deceit when it held the potential for profit.
Plus, it would anger the petulant and corrupt executive who they are currently counting on favoring them and opposing Google in other executive actions, and they don't want to risk losing favor on that.
Absolutely. If they can tweak the algo to hide the CCP critical videos, while promoting any US critical one, regardless the merit of the information, coupled to reach and spread, that's information warfare.
There's a Reuters article that claims the Chinese government prefers TikTok close US operations like in India than go through with a forced sale and asset transfer, and they're willing to use heavy-handed policy to make Bytedance do what they want. Makes sense. Acquisitions should not be made under the barrel of a gun from the US government. It will be very harmful to the Chinese economy if more companies are required to spinoff US operations.
Yeah, it's like US companies buying UK companies and then massively profiting off them. Why should China subsidize startup costs for a company and then sell it so the US can make massive profits off it? It doesn't seem to be in their interests.
Ultimately I feel that this deal is so skeezy and coated in the slime of Trumpist corruption that I wanted it to go to the worst possible company and it looks like this happened.
So basically if you want to serve the USA market, you have to give up the shares of your company to ruling class of USA? This is eerily similar to how communist China operates.
If TikTok were a Canadian, British, French, German, Korean, Japanese, or Taiwanese company, the US government wouldn't have intervened in the first place. It's mainland China that concerns people and governments.
So far it’s only been communist Chinese companies that have had to go through this (to my knowledge) in recent times. Tit for tat and al that. Maybe if China let Facebook, Twitter, etc operate then we wouldn’t have this problem.
Frankly, I don't give a shit about the national interest of the US or the national interest of China. As a user of tiktok, I enjoy the content and I will be saddened if it shuts down. We like to think of our country as our team, and to root for it in international struggles, but the reality is that it's the average consumer that gets harmed by these power struggles between nations. These economic proxy wars are just as much of a racket as conventional wars, and the sooner we stop allowing the few to rule the many, and play out their egoic power struggles with our lives, the better.
[+] [-] dang|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] doctoboggan|5 years ago|reply
Is it usual for a company to give out any statement when a potential acquisition does not happen?
[+] [-] chki|5 years ago|reply
Edit: see for example Art. 17 of the EU market abuse regulation.
[+] [-] yepthatsreality|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vikramkr|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] patrickaljord|5 years ago|reply
Does anyone seriously believe TikTok is a threat to national security?
> combatting disinformation
There you have it. I've seen TikTok videos go viral being really critical of the US government including its foreign policy. The kind of video that would just be invisible or outright banned from Youtube or Facebook video. That's why they want to get rid of it.
[+] [-] Waterluvian|5 years ago|reply
I have no thoughts on if they are a threat right now, but I think they are a very interesting and possibly powerful piece on the board for the future.
[+] [-] WillPostForFood|5 years ago|reply
Everyone who believes Facebook was used to influence the 2016 election should believe TikTok poses a similar threat. I'd agree that the threat is overblown, but many serious people, in good faith, seriously believe it.
[+] [-] ericmay|5 years ago|reply
The US views Chinese social media apps as being able to spread criticism (and most likely propaganda) and the US can’t do likewise in China, so they’ll just not let Chinese social media companies operate in the US until that changes.
There will be 0 official, influential Chinese social media companies operating in the US on a permanent basis until the CCP let’s US social media companies operate in China. This has bipartisan support.
[+] [-] boringg|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] superfrank|5 years ago|reply
I think they are in the sense that they're collecting massive amounts of user data about their users and I believe they wouldn't hesitate to share that data with the Chinese government if asked.
On the flip side, I also think their threat to our national security is being made a bigger deal than it actually is by politicians who have an anti-Chinese agenda and companies who see an easy way to cripple a competitor.
[+] [-] sanderjd|5 years ago|reply
I don't have enough information to know whether it's a threat, but yes, I think it's reasonable to be concerned.
[+] [-] throw_m239339|5 years ago|reply
Videos such as? Seems to me that the kind of videos banned on Youtube, Twitter or Facebook aren't really the ones that are really critical of the US government, especially the executive branch.
[+] [-] wbl|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] logane|5 years ago|reply
Do you have any evidence of this happening? I've never heard of pro-US censorship before on any of these platforms (or any social media platform..)
[+] [-] tmpz22|5 years ago|reply
[1]: ask your nieces, daughters, or young female friends, about their experience if they ever set their Instagram or tiktok to public.
[+] [-] solarkraft|5 years ago|reply
What critique of the US government would be banned on those platforms?
[+] [-] apta|5 years ago|reply
It's quite obvious since the CCP has control of it. I'd question anyone who doesn't seriously believe that the CCP is waiting for the right moment to exploit the information from TikTok and similar apps, if it isn't already.
[+] [-] chance_state|5 years ago|reply
Name one.
[+] [-] turdnagel|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] staticassertion|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] someonehere|5 years ago|reply
It’s also been speculated that TikTok is using the data they get from the US to train their facial recognition and AI tools better.
[+] [-] dragonwriter|5 years ago|reply
This deceit was the fundamental legal premise of the forced sale.
Of course it's bullshit. But even though it failed to win, Microsoft was a willing and active participant in the bullshit from day one, and can’t really call the game out now without acknowledging it's willful collaboration in the deceit when it held the potential for profit.
Plus, it would anger the petulant and corrupt executive who they are currently counting on favoring them and opposing Google in other executive actions, and they don't want to risk losing favor on that.
[+] [-] bassman9000|5 years ago|reply
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/25/revealed-...
[+] [-] jedberg|5 years ago|reply
I wonder if this is Microsoft's way of saying, "It still won't be safe under Oracle".
[+] [-] yepthatsreality|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] peacefulhat|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] newen|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Rapzid|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dilap|5 years ago|reply
I.e., US govt doesn't want a popular social network that is not under its control.
[+] [-] gumby|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] peacefulhat|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] leptoniscool|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kmfrk|5 years ago|reply
~~https://twitter.com/verge/status/1305285085722292224~~
Right link: https://twitter.com/business/status/1305179144171421708
[+] [-] metamet|5 years ago|reply
Edit: "Oracle Wins Bidding for TikTok in U.S., After Microsoft Proposal Rejected" https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-drops-out-of-bidding-...
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[+] [-] DethNinja|5 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] goolulusaurs|5 years ago|reply