‘Zackly. What possibly could go wrong? Furthermore, it’s not like some of us didn’t see it coming from the start. TikTok, the world’s most popular video-sharing app (the most downloaded app), which is owned by Communist China’s ByteDance, has finally admitted its guilt. What else could possibly go wrong?
To begin, consider the following:
According to Bloomberg, TikTok has confirmed that “certain company employees” in China have access to the personal information of American users. The company’s admission came in the form of a letter to nine Republican senators who had raised concerns about TikTok’s controversial data-sharing practices. Senators have repeatedly inquired:
Do employees in China have access to data from US users?
What role do these employees play in the development of TikTok’s algorithms?
Is any of that information made available to the Chinese government?
Let’s get right to the point: Yes. A lot. Of course, the Chinese government has access to user data.
Furthermore, virtually every Chinese citizen is a potential Communist operative in Beijing. Chinese citizens cooperate with the ChiComs primarily out of fear. Those who refuse to comply “disappear.” Here’s some more from Bloomberg:
TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew said in a letter obtained by Bloomberg News on June 30 that China-based employees who pass a series of internal security protocols can access certain information on TikTok’s US users, including public videos and comments. None of that data is shared with the Chinese government, and it is subject to “robust cybersecurity controls,” according to him.
The social network stated that it is collaborating with the US government to improve data security surrounding that information, particularly anything defined as “protected” by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS.
This new initiative, dubbed “Project Texas,” entails physically storing US data in data centers on US servers owned by software behemoth Oracle Corp.
TikTok is also migrating its platform to Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, which means that the app and algorithm will be accessed and deployed from domestic data centers for US users.
“There is no sharing of that information with the Chinese government, and it is subject to ‘robust cybersecurity controls.'” Uh-huh. Sure, it isn’t — but it also is.
Anyone who believes the above lies hasn’t been paying attention to China’s aggressive efforts to steal top-level American technology for years. Yet we’re supposed to believe that personal information contained in TikTok accounts in the United States, which could very well be of interest to the Communists, won’t make its way to Beijing? People, don’t be as stupid as Biden and the Democrats.
On Friday, Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told Bloomberg:
“TikTok’s response confirms that our concerns about the CCP’s influence in the company were justified.” The Chinese-owned company should have been transparent from the start, but it chose to conceal its activities. Americans must be aware that if they use TikTok, Communist China has access to their data.”
Blackburn couldn’t be more correct.
According to Bloomberg, BuzzFeed News reported that TikTok’s consumer data from the United States was accessed by company engineers in China. TikTok and its parent, according to the nine Republican senators, “are using their access to a treasure trove of U.S. consumer data to surveil Americans.”
“China is going to eat our lunch?” says Joe. Come on, man.” Biden and the Democratic Party kowtow to Beijing at every opportunity, leaving the Republican Party alone to stand up to Xi Jinping and China’s theft of not only US technology and intellectual property, but also the potential threat to millions of Americans’ personal data.
America, don’t be like Joe. China can, in fact, eat our lunch. In a variety of ways, they already are.
What else could possibly go wrong?