Reuters: ByteDance's Censorship on Indonesian News App Requested Removal of Unfavourable Anti-China Content
Reuters quoted six insiders saying, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, censored content that was critical of the Chinese government on a popular Indonesian news app "Baca Berita" (BaBe) from 2018 to mid-2020. Keywords including Tienanmen and President Mao were on the banned list.
Quoting various sources, the team at ByteDance's Beijing Headquarter instructed local Indonesian moderators to remove all negative articles related to the CCP on BaBe. Previously Indonesia had banned TikTok briefly for displaying "pornography, inappropriate content and profanity". As ByteDance wanted to lift the ban, they compromised with the government to employ a local TikTok team and strengthened the company's influence in Indonesia. ByteDance acquired Baca Berita shortly after.
Insiders revealed, after the acquisition, ByteDance's Beijing Headquarter created new moderation guidelines for BaBe. Contents perceived as critical of China were prohibited from publishing or they would be removed from the platform. A person directly involved said all articles containing sensitive words, such as Tienanmen and President Mao, had to be taken down. Another direct source said ByteDance also censored an article relating to the South China Sea tension from Antara, an Indonesia official news agency.
Source: Apply Daily #Aug16
#ByteDance #TikTok #Indonesia #China #Babe #BacaBerita #SouthChinaSea #CleanNetwork
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200815/ZYTBAIXV2VCDZHXUNQPOQGSGEY/
Reuters quoted six insiders saying, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, censored content that was critical of the Chinese government on a popular Indonesian news app "Baca Berita" (BaBe) from 2018 to mid-2020. Keywords including Tienanmen and President Mao were on the banned list.
Quoting various sources, the team at ByteDance's Beijing Headquarter instructed local Indonesian moderators to remove all negative articles related to the CCP on BaBe. Previously Indonesia had banned TikTok briefly for displaying "pornography, inappropriate content and profanity". As ByteDance wanted to lift the ban, they compromised with the government to employ a local TikTok team and strengthened the company's influence in Indonesia. ByteDance acquired Baca Berita shortly after.
Insiders revealed, after the acquisition, ByteDance's Beijing Headquarter created new moderation guidelines for BaBe. Contents perceived as critical of China were prohibited from publishing or they would be removed from the platform. A person directly involved said all articles containing sensitive words, such as Tienanmen and President Mao, had to be taken down. Another direct source said ByteDance also censored an article relating to the South China Sea tension from Antara, an Indonesia official news agency.
Source: Apply Daily #Aug16
#ByteDance #TikTok #Indonesia #China #Babe #BacaBerita #SouthChinaSea #CleanNetwork
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200815/ZYTBAIXV2VCDZHXUNQPOQGSGEY/
#Trivilization #Disrespect #Holocaust #History
'Holocaust Victim' Trend on #TikTok
Role-playing Holocaust victims has been trending on the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok. The video function allows people to show fake bruises and wear a striped inmate outfit or one of the armbands marked with the Star of David Jews were ordered to wear under Nazi Germany.
The Auschwitz museum that was built on a death camp in Poland described this behavior as "hurtful and offensive" and are "dangerously close or already beyond the border of trivialization of history".
In reality, the Holocaust marked the Nazi’s genocide of 6 million European Jews, with approximately one million people killed at the Auschwitz camp between 1940 and 1945 including more than 100,000 non-Jews.
Source: The Guardian; Stand News #Aug26
#Auschwitz #Nazi
'Holocaust Victim' Trend on #TikTok
Role-playing Holocaust victims has been trending on the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok. The video function allows people to show fake bruises and wear a striped inmate outfit or one of the armbands marked with the Star of David Jews were ordered to wear under Nazi Germany.
The Auschwitz museum that was built on a death camp in Poland described this behavior as "hurtful and offensive" and are "dangerously close or already beyond the border of trivialization of history".
In reality, the Holocaust marked the Nazi’s genocide of 6 million European Jews, with approximately one million people killed at the Auschwitz camp between 1940 and 1945 including more than 100,000 non-Jews.
Source: The Guardian; Stand News #Aug26
#Auschwitz #Nazi
Washington Sanctions HK and Chinese Officials
The United States has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including the city's pro-China leader Carrie Lam, for being directly responsible for implementing the national security law, working with the Chinese Communist Party in undermining the autonomy and cracking down on the freedoms in Hong Kong.
The US Treasury Department said the sanctions on Lam and 10 other officials were authorised by an executive order signed recently by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
One of the results of this action is that blocks all property and/or other assets that the individuals have within US jurisdiction.
In the midst of this, the US is also seeking to ban several Chinese social media services due to security reasons. There is also a tariff war going on between US and China over Beijing's technological ambitions.
Source: ABC News Australia #Aug08
#USA #China #SanctionList #TikTok #WeChat #ByteDance #Huawei #TariffWar
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/us-sanctions-pro-china-leader-of-hong-kong,-other-officials/12537472
The United States has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including the city's pro-China leader Carrie Lam, for being directly responsible for implementing the national security law, working with the Chinese Communist Party in undermining the autonomy and cracking down on the freedoms in Hong Kong.
The US Treasury Department said the sanctions on Lam and 10 other officials were authorised by an executive order signed recently by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
One of the results of this action is that blocks all property and/or other assets that the individuals have within US jurisdiction.
In the midst of this, the US is also seeking to ban several Chinese social media services due to security reasons. There is also a tariff war going on between US and China over Beijing's technological ambitions.
Source: ABC News Australia #Aug08
#USA #China #SanctionList #TikTok #WeChat #ByteDance #Huawei #TariffWar
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/us-sanctions-pro-china-leader-of-hong-kong,-other-officials/12537472
www.abc.net.au
US includes Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on new sanctions list
The US imposes sanctions on 11 Hong Kong officials, accusing them of cooperating with Beijing's effort to undermine autonomy and crack down on freedom in the former British colony.
India bans 118 more Chinese apps: Tencent's "PUBG" and Alipay on the list
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT) announced the banning of 118 more Chinese applications on September 2, including the popular Tencent mobile game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). Other apps including Alipay, AlipayHK, search engine Baidu, several dating websites and even selfie-editing apps were also on the list.
In its statement, MEIT alleged that the 118 banned apps promote activities that are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order”. PUBG is popular among young people in India with an estimated several million players.
The worst bloodshed between India and China in 45 years broke out at the border earlier in June, leaving at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. The media reported that the PLA raided with spiked clubs, but Indian soldiers met the attack with only fists and stones. The two sides fought for up to seven hours, with the conflict taking place on a steep mountain ridge, resulting in many soldiers from both sides falling off the cliff and freezing to death. Since then, tensions between the two sides have grown and eventually India announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok.
Source: Apple Daily #Sep02
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200902/F5RRTGMUCVDDFN2HXEECBB4WSQ/
#India #ChineseMobileApps #Tencent #PlayersUnknownBattleground #PUBG #Alipay #AlipayHK #TikTok #SinoIndianBorderConflict
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT) announced the banning of 118 more Chinese applications on September 2, including the popular Tencent mobile game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). Other apps including Alipay, AlipayHK, search engine Baidu, several dating websites and even selfie-editing apps were also on the list.
In its statement, MEIT alleged that the 118 banned apps promote activities that are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order”. PUBG is popular among young people in India with an estimated several million players.
The worst bloodshed between India and China in 45 years broke out at the border earlier in June, leaving at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. The media reported that the PLA raided with spiked clubs, but Indian soldiers met the attack with only fists and stones. The two sides fought for up to seven hours, with the conflict taking place on a steep mountain ridge, resulting in many soldiers from both sides falling off the cliff and freezing to death. Since then, tensions between the two sides have grown and eventually India announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok.
Source: Apple Daily #Sep02
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200902/F5RRTGMUCVDDFN2HXEECBB4WSQ/
#India #ChineseMobileApps #Tencent #PlayersUnknownBattleground #PUBG #Alipay #AlipayHK #TikTok #SinoIndianBorderConflict
#Sanction
U.S. to Ban Transaction and Download of China's #WeChat and #Tiktok From Sept 20, 2020
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a statement on Sept 18, 2020, prohibiting transactions and downloads relating to Chinese mobile applications WeChat and TikTok, starting from Sept 20, 2020. Hosting or transfering internet traffic associated with WeChat will also be banned.
"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S."
These threats include "collect[ing] vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories"; being "active participant in China’s civil-military fusion"; and their "mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP."
Source: U.S. Commerce Department #Sept18
Image: AP
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/09/commerce-department-prohibits-wechat-and-tiktok-transactions-protect
U.S. to Ban Transaction and Download of China's #WeChat and #Tiktok From Sept 20, 2020
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a statement on Sept 18, 2020, prohibiting transactions and downloads relating to Chinese mobile applications WeChat and TikTok, starting from Sept 20, 2020. Hosting or transfering internet traffic associated with WeChat will also be banned.
"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S."
These threats include "collect[ing] vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories"; being "active participant in China’s civil-military fusion"; and their "mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP."
Source: U.S. Commerce Department #Sept18
Image: AP
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/09/commerce-department-prohibits-wechat-and-tiktok-transactions-protect
"Trump Is Wrong About #TikTok, China’s Plans Are Much More Sinister; The West still doesn’t understand the scale of Beijing’s #SoftPower ambitions"
New York Times #17Sept2020
//The danger posed by TikTok is real: In fact, it is only a stand-in for far greater risks...
- The tech giant Huawei — which the U.S. government blacklisted last year, calling it a threat to America’s national security — is another company with close connections to China
- Zoom, the U.S.-based teleconferencing service provider established by a billionaire Chinese immigrant... uses software partially developed in China
- the Confucius Institutes [are] also an instrument of Beijing’s propaganda and pressure tactics
- A Chinese company now has a 99-year lease over the port of Darwin in northern Australia — next to an Australian naval base that hosts U.S. Navy warships.//
Read More Examples In:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/opinion/tiktok-china-strategy.html
New York Times #17Sept2020
//The danger posed by TikTok is real: In fact, it is only a stand-in for far greater risks...
- The tech giant Huawei — which the U.S. government blacklisted last year, calling it a threat to America’s national security — is another company with close connections to China
- Zoom, the U.S.-based teleconferencing service provider established by a billionaire Chinese immigrant... uses software partially developed in China
- the Confucius Institutes [are] also an instrument of Beijing’s propaganda and pressure tactics
- A Chinese company now has a 99-year lease over the port of Darwin in northern Australia — next to an Australian naval base that hosts U.S. Navy warships.//
Read More Examples In:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/opinion/tiktok-china-strategy.html
TikTok Denies Preference for Government Background as Former Official at Chinese Embassy in Iran Reported to Have Headed Its Content Policy Team
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order earlier to ban US companies from trading with TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in September for national security reasons. A federal court in Washington, D.C. has since issued a temporary injunction halting the takedown. The Financial Times quoted a source on 4 October as saying that a former official at the Chinese embassy in Iran had headed the global content policy team at TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and taken charge of developing content in line with TikTok’s “standards.” The report said the appointment has raised concerns over whether TikTok is free from the Chinese government’s influence, adding that during the appointment in question the company had reportedly banned videos that triggered Beijing. TikTok denied in response that the appointee had been involved in formulating that policy. It also stated that it had not taken into account the appointee’s government background during the hiring process and that they had not been in contact with the Chinese authorities at the time.
The report said according to a now-deleted LinkedIn profile, the appointee, Cai Zheng, had worked at the Chinese embassy in Tehran for four years before joining ByteDance in 2018 as head of its global content policy team and taking charge of developing content in line with TikTok’s “standards.” A source said he had left the content policy team this January and transferred to ByteDance’s game division. The vacancy had not been filled.
The report said the appointment of a former Chinese official as the central figure in its policymaking has raised concerns over whether TikTok is truly fre from the influence of the Chinese authorities as ByteDance had claimed.
Source: Stand News #Oct04
#China #TikTok #ByteDance #Censorship
https://bit.ly/2GPY9gj
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order earlier to ban US companies from trading with TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in September for national security reasons. A federal court in Washington, D.C. has since issued a temporary injunction halting the takedown. The Financial Times quoted a source on 4 October as saying that a former official at the Chinese embassy in Iran had headed the global content policy team at TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and taken charge of developing content in line with TikTok’s “standards.” The report said the appointment has raised concerns over whether TikTok is free from the Chinese government’s influence, adding that during the appointment in question the company had reportedly banned videos that triggered Beijing. TikTok denied in response that the appointee had been involved in formulating that policy. It also stated that it had not taken into account the appointee’s government background during the hiring process and that they had not been in contact with the Chinese authorities at the time.
The report said according to a now-deleted LinkedIn profile, the appointee, Cai Zheng, had worked at the Chinese embassy in Tehran for four years before joining ByteDance in 2018 as head of its global content policy team and taking charge of developing content in line with TikTok’s “standards.” A source said he had left the content policy team this January and transferred to ByteDance’s game division. The vacancy had not been filled.
The report said the appointment of a former Chinese official as the central figure in its policymaking has raised concerns over whether TikTok is truly fre from the influence of the Chinese authorities as ByteDance had claimed.
Source: Stand News #Oct04
#China #TikTok #ByteDance #Censorship
https://bit.ly/2GPY9gj
TikTok is Banned in Pakistan, Referring to Unfiltered “Immoral” Content
Pakistan telecommunication regulator announced the ban on the use of TikTok, a video-sharing social media application under a Chinese technology company ByteDance, as the regulator received numerous complaints on immoral and inappropriate content.
Pakistan telecommunication regulator stated that TikTok could file a complaint and they would review the ban policy after removing unlawful contents.
Reuter quoted three senior Pakistan officials as saying on Friday (October 9) that the government decided to ban the social media application TikTok as the application was not able to remove “immoral” content. A senior official who directly involved in this decision said that they had requested TikTok to set up an effective system to hide immoral and inappropriate content for many times. However, the platform has failed to satisfy the Pakistan government. The government therefore decided to ban TikTok.
#Pakistan #TikTok #Ban #ImmoralContent #Reuter
Source: Stand News #Oct10
https://bit.ly/3jU7jag
Pakistan telecommunication regulator announced the ban on the use of TikTok, a video-sharing social media application under a Chinese technology company ByteDance, as the regulator received numerous complaints on immoral and inappropriate content.
Pakistan telecommunication regulator stated that TikTok could file a complaint and they would review the ban policy after removing unlawful contents.
Reuter quoted three senior Pakistan officials as saying on Friday (October 9) that the government decided to ban the social media application TikTok as the application was not able to remove “immoral” content. A senior official who directly involved in this decision said that they had requested TikTok to set up an effective system to hide immoral and inappropriate content for many times. However, the platform has failed to satisfy the Pakistan government. The government therefore decided to ban TikTok.
#Pakistan #TikTok #Ban #ImmoralContent #Reuter
Source: Stand News #Oct10
https://bit.ly/3jU7jag
US election analysis - China wants Biden to soften stance on China; Scholar: whoever is the president should not go soft
The relationship between China and the United States is at its worst in decades. It is widely believed that the Beijing government would prefer to see Democratic presidential candidate Biden defeat Trump in the White House, where conflicts over trade, technology and security are expected to ease. But many scholars believe that even if Biden were to take the stage, it is unlikely that he would go easy on Beijing because American politics across the spectrum are now disappointed with Beijing. No matter who ends up as president, his stance will not soften by much.
There is a long list of issues currently in dispute between China and the United States, including the COVID-19 epidemic, technology, trade, security, and spies; as well as matters involving Hong Kong, Taiwan, and human rights issues in Tibet and Xinjiang. Trump's trade war, which imposes punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, and his blocking of leading Chinese technology and Internet companies such as Huawei, TikTok, and WeChat, as well as his allies' efforts to blockade China, have put Beijing on a collision course. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that two-thirds of the U.S. public has a negative view of China, the highest since the survey began in 2005.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
#US #China #USelections #Biden2020 #Trump2020 #Covid #TradeWar #TikTok
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20201023/VWYZFJ646BA7NMY37PA22RU6NU/
The relationship between China and the United States is at its worst in decades. It is widely believed that the Beijing government would prefer to see Democratic presidential candidate Biden defeat Trump in the White House, where conflicts over trade, technology and security are expected to ease. But many scholars believe that even if Biden were to take the stage, it is unlikely that he would go easy on Beijing because American politics across the spectrum are now disappointed with Beijing. No matter who ends up as president, his stance will not soften by much.
There is a long list of issues currently in dispute between China and the United States, including the COVID-19 epidemic, technology, trade, security, and spies; as well as matters involving Hong Kong, Taiwan, and human rights issues in Tibet and Xinjiang. Trump's trade war, which imposes punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, and his blocking of leading Chinese technology and Internet companies such as Huawei, TikTok, and WeChat, as well as his allies' efforts to blockade China, have put Beijing on a collision course. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that two-thirds of the U.S. public has a negative view of China, the highest since the survey began in 2005.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct23
#US #China #USelections #Biden2020 #Trump2020 #Covid #TradeWar #TikTok
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20201023/VWYZFJ646BA7NMY37PA22RU6NU/
TikTok partners with Shopify on social commerce
TikTok announced its new global partnership with e-commerce platform Sportify. The agreement allows Shopify merchants to create, run and optimize their TikTok marketing campaigns directly from the Shopify dashboard campaigns directly from the Shopify dashboard by installing thew new TikTok channel app from the Shopify App Store. Once installed, merchants will have access to the key functions from the TikTok For Business Ads Manager at their disposal. Currently, e-commercial merchants can tract user action like a user browsing their page, a registration on a website, adding items to their cart, placing an order, and completing the payment.
Source: Techcrunch #Oct27
https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/27/tiktok-invests-in-social-commerce-via-new-shopify-partnership/
#TikTok #Ecommerce
TikTok announced its new global partnership with e-commerce platform Sportify. The agreement allows Shopify merchants to create, run and optimize their TikTok marketing campaigns directly from the Shopify dashboard campaigns directly from the Shopify dashboard by installing thew new TikTok channel app from the Shopify App Store. Once installed, merchants will have access to the key functions from the TikTok For Business Ads Manager at their disposal. Currently, e-commercial merchants can tract user action like a user browsing their page, a registration on a website, adding items to their cart, placing an order, and completing the payment.
Source: Techcrunch #Oct27
https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/27/tiktok-invests-in-social-commerce-via-new-shopify-partnership/
#TikTok #Ecommerce
India announces permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and Baidu
As tensions between India and China continue, India's ministry of electronics and information technology (IT) has issued its latest notice to permanently ban 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, Baidu, WeChat and UC Browser from June this year.
Indian media and Reuters report that Indian authorities have announced a "permanent ban" on 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, Baidu, WeChat, UC Browser, Helo, Likee and others. The Times of India quoted sources saying that the companies were notified of the ban last week. It also stated that the tightening of the policy came after officials in the IT ministry expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the Chinese companies involved to various queries raised by the government, including their data collection and data processing methods, as well as issues surrounding data security and privacy.
#India #China #TikTok #IT #TikTokban
Source from: Stand News #Jan26
https://bit.ly/3oS7rc4
As tensions between India and China continue, India's ministry of electronics and information technology (IT) has issued its latest notice to permanently ban 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, Baidu, WeChat and UC Browser from June this year.
Indian media and Reuters report that Indian authorities have announced a "permanent ban" on 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, Baidu, WeChat, UC Browser, Helo, Likee and others. The Times of India quoted sources saying that the companies were notified of the ban last week. It also stated that the tightening of the policy came after officials in the IT ministry expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the Chinese companies involved to various queries raised by the government, including their data collection and data processing methods, as well as issues surrounding data security and privacy.
#India #China #TikTok #IT #TikTokban
Source from: Stand News #Jan26
https://bit.ly/3oS7rc4
China Steps Up Direct Involvement in Internet-Content Firms
China is taking a more direct hand in managing its internet-content companies by acquiring stakes, filling board seats and sending dedicated regulators to police content at firms more frequently, according to corporate filings and people familiar with the matter.
The moves, which aim to strengthen the government’s control over online content, build on guidelines first mooted in 2016 but enacted with rigor over the past year as Beijing has been increasing regulatory scrutiny into its technology sector. Authorities most recently targeted ByteDance Ltd., the owner of buzzy short-video platform TikTok as well as a popular suite of other news and content apps in China.
Source: WSJ #Aug17
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-steps-up-direct-involvement-in-internet-content-firms-11629209515
#China #ByteDance #TikTok #Internet
China is taking a more direct hand in managing its internet-content companies by acquiring stakes, filling board seats and sending dedicated regulators to police content at firms more frequently, according to corporate filings and people familiar with the matter.
The moves, which aim to strengthen the government’s control over online content, build on guidelines first mooted in 2016 but enacted with rigor over the past year as Beijing has been increasing regulatory scrutiny into its technology sector. Authorities most recently targeted ByteDance Ltd., the owner of buzzy short-video platform TikTok as well as a popular suite of other news and content apps in China.
Source: WSJ #Aug17
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-steps-up-direct-involvement-in-internet-content-firms-11629209515
#China #ByteDance #TikTok #Internet
#Economy #CCP
#GeorgeSoros: Xi’s crackdown on private enterprise shows he does not understand the market economy
The following is an article written by George Soros, the chair and founder of #SorosFundManagement and the #OpenSocietyFoundations and was published in Financial Times.
//Xi Jinping, China’s leader, has collided with economic reality. His crackdown on private enterprise has been a significant drag on the economy.
The most vulnerable sector is real estate, particularly housing. China has enjoyed an extended property boom over the past two decades, but that is now coming to an end.
Evergrande, the largest real estate company, is over-indebted and in danger of default. This could cause a crash.
The crackdown by the Chinese government is real. Unnoticed by the financial markets, the Chinese government quietly took a stake and a board seat in TikTok owner ByteDance in April. The move gives Beijing one seat on a three-person board of directors and first-hand access to the inner workings of a company that has one of the world’s largest troves of personal data. The market is more aware that the Chinese government is taking influential stakes in Alibaba and its subsidiaries.
Xi does not understand how markets operate. As a consequence, the sell-off was allowed to go too far. It began to hurt China’s objectives in the world. Recognising this, Chinese financial authorities have gone out of their way to reassure foreign investors and markets have responded with a powerful rally. But that is a deception.
Xi regards all Chinese companies as instruments of a one-party state. Investors buying into the rally are facing a rude awakening. That includes not only those investors who are conscious of what they are doing, but also a much larger number of people who have exposure via pension funds and other retirement savings...//
Read the full article:
https://www.ft.com/content/ecf7de34-e595-4814-9cbd-4a5119187330
Source: Financial Times #Aug30
#Crackdown #PropertyMarket #CommunistChina #Birthrate #Tiktok #Alibaba #Evergrande
#GeorgeSoros: Xi’s crackdown on private enterprise shows he does not understand the market economy
The following is an article written by George Soros, the chair and founder of #SorosFundManagement and the #OpenSocietyFoundations and was published in Financial Times.
//Xi Jinping, China’s leader, has collided with economic reality. His crackdown on private enterprise has been a significant drag on the economy.
The most vulnerable sector is real estate, particularly housing. China has enjoyed an extended property boom over the past two decades, but that is now coming to an end.
Evergrande, the largest real estate company, is over-indebted and in danger of default. This could cause a crash.
The crackdown by the Chinese government is real. Unnoticed by the financial markets, the Chinese government quietly took a stake and a board seat in TikTok owner ByteDance in April. The move gives Beijing one seat on a three-person board of directors and first-hand access to the inner workings of a company that has one of the world’s largest troves of personal data. The market is more aware that the Chinese government is taking influential stakes in Alibaba and its subsidiaries.
Xi does not understand how markets operate. As a consequence, the sell-off was allowed to go too far. It began to hurt China’s objectives in the world. Recognising this, Chinese financial authorities have gone out of their way to reassure foreign investors and markets have responded with a powerful rally. But that is a deception.
Xi regards all Chinese companies as instruments of a one-party state. Investors buying into the rally are facing a rude awakening. That includes not only those investors who are conscious of what they are doing, but also a much larger number of people who have exposure via pension funds and other retirement savings...//
Read the full article:
https://www.ft.com/content/ecf7de34-e595-4814-9cbd-4a5119187330
Source: Financial Times #Aug30
#Crackdown #PropertyMarket #CommunistChina #Birthrate #Tiktok #Alibaba #Evergrande
Ft
George Soros: Investors in Xi’s China face a rude awakening
The leader’s crackdown on private enterprise shows he does not understand the market economy
"Let's Say We're Japanese": Chinese in #Ukraine Fear Retribution after Insulting Posts from #ChineseNetizens
As Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine, numerous Chinese netizens made posts in support of Russia. Some posts even sarcastically said, "beautiful ladies of Ukraine, come to China".
These posts have drawn the ire of the Ukrainian public, according to a video by a Chinese student who said he was living in Ukraine. "They're a bit emotional about this," he said. Chinese living in Kyiv have begun telling others that they're Japanese; "We don't even dare to call ourselves Chinese anymore."
He called on China's "keyboard warriors" to show restraint, and stop offending the Ukrainians.
The student quoted posts made by Chinese netizens, such as: "Good for Ukraine to have a war; the more deaths the better. This way I could have an Ukrainian mistress." Local media have reported about these posts, complete with translations; "basically, all Ukrainians know."
In shelters, locals would ask Chinese students like himself about the posts, and whether Chinese people are really like this. As a result, many of them don't dare to take shelter in the metro stations with other Ukrainians.
"Give us a little chance to survive," he implored his audience in China. He said that when Ukrainians in Kyiv asked Chinese citizens where they are from, "We say we're Japanese. We don't even dare to call ourselves Chinese anymore, all thanks to you. Do you need a wife that badly? You've lost your humanity. So many of them are dying in the war; how dare you say "good for them" because you might get an Ukrainian wife."
With a sigh, he concluded: "If Chinese people here get beaten or shot to death, it will be thanks to you keyboard warriors."
Since Friday, Feb 25, 2022, China's social media giants #Weibo, #WeChat, and #TikTok have begun censoring accounts that made such offensive remarks. Weibo announced that they processed 542 such posts, and deducted social credit scores of 74 accounts. Tiktok said that it had processed 6,400 videos that have violated rules, and terminated 1,620 live streams.
Source: In-Media HK #Feb27
https://bit.ly/3IDPdFG
#RussiaInvasion #Ukraine #China #LittlePink #SocialMedia
As Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine, numerous Chinese netizens made posts in support of Russia. Some posts even sarcastically said, "beautiful ladies of Ukraine, come to China".
These posts have drawn the ire of the Ukrainian public, according to a video by a Chinese student who said he was living in Ukraine. "They're a bit emotional about this," he said. Chinese living in Kyiv have begun telling others that they're Japanese; "We don't even dare to call ourselves Chinese anymore."
He called on China's "keyboard warriors" to show restraint, and stop offending the Ukrainians.
The student quoted posts made by Chinese netizens, such as: "Good for Ukraine to have a war; the more deaths the better. This way I could have an Ukrainian mistress." Local media have reported about these posts, complete with translations; "basically, all Ukrainians know."
In shelters, locals would ask Chinese students like himself about the posts, and whether Chinese people are really like this. As a result, many of them don't dare to take shelter in the metro stations with other Ukrainians.
"Give us a little chance to survive," he implored his audience in China. He said that when Ukrainians in Kyiv asked Chinese citizens where they are from, "We say we're Japanese. We don't even dare to call ourselves Chinese anymore, all thanks to you. Do you need a wife that badly? You've lost your humanity. So many of them are dying in the war; how dare you say "good for them" because you might get an Ukrainian wife."
With a sigh, he concluded: "If Chinese people here get beaten or shot to death, it will be thanks to you keyboard warriors."
Since Friday, Feb 25, 2022, China's social media giants #Weibo, #WeChat, and #TikTok have begun censoring accounts that made such offensive remarks. Weibo announced that they processed 542 such posts, and deducted social credit scores of 74 accounts. Tiktok said that it had processed 6,400 videos that have violated rules, and terminated 1,620 live streams.
Source: In-Media HK #Feb27
https://bit.ly/3IDPdFG
#RussiaInvasion #Ukraine #China #LittlePink #SocialMedia
A #US Federal Communications commissioner pushes #Apple and #Google to remove #TikTok from their app stores
In a letter to the companies released on Tuesday, Jine 29, 2022, #BrendanCarr, a Republican commissioner, said he believed that “TikTok’s pattern of conduct and misrepresentations regarding the unfettered access that persons in Beijing have to sensitive U.S. user data” violated Apple’s and Google’s standards and that TikTok should be taken out of the app stores...
The Biden administration has considered other measures to keep American data away from China but has not publicly pushed TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese owner.
TikTok has maintained that it is taking steps to keep employees in China from gaining access to its data. Shortly before a recent news report revealed it was struggling to do so, it said it was routing all data from its U.S. users through servers controlled by Oracle.//
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/technology/apple-google-tiktok.html
Source: New York Times #Jun29
#CyberSecurity #DataSecurity #App #MadeinChina
In a letter to the companies released on Tuesday, Jine 29, 2022, #BrendanCarr, a Republican commissioner, said he believed that “TikTok’s pattern of conduct and misrepresentations regarding the unfettered access that persons in Beijing have to sensitive U.S. user data” violated Apple’s and Google’s standards and that TikTok should be taken out of the app stores...
The Biden administration has considered other measures to keep American data away from China but has not publicly pushed TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese owner.
TikTok has maintained that it is taking steps to keep employees in China from gaining access to its data. Shortly before a recent news report revealed it was struggling to do so, it said it was routing all data from its U.S. users through servers controlled by Oracle.//
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/technology/apple-google-tiktok.html
Source: New York Times #Jun29
#CyberSecurity #DataSecurity #App #MadeinChina
NY Times
An F.C.C. commissioner pushes Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores.
Brendan Carr, a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, said he was concerned that the Chinese-owned app could provide Beijing with access to the data of Americans.
#MassSurveillance
#TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research
Source: New York Times #Aug19
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research
Source: New York Times #Aug19
Read more
⬇️⬇️⬇️
#MassSurveillance
#TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research
// The web browser used within the TikTok app can track every keystroke made by its users, according to new research that is surfacing as the Chinese-owned video app grapples with U.S. lawmakers’ concerns over its data practices.
The research from Felix Krause, a privacy researcher and former Google engineer, did not show how TikTok used the capability, which is embedded within the in-app browser that pops up when someone clicks an outside link. But Mr. Krause said the development was concerning because it showed TikTok had built in functionality to track users’ online habits if it chose to do so.
Collecting information on what people type on their phones while visiting outside websites, which can reveal credit card numbers and passwords, is often a feature of malware and other hacking tools. While major technology companies might use such trackers as they test new software, it is not common for them to release a major commercial app with the feature, whether or not it is enabled, researchers said. //
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/technology/tiktok-browser-tracking.html
Source: New York Times #Aug19
#BigBrother #CreditCard #Privacy
#TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research
// The web browser used within the TikTok app can track every keystroke made by its users, according to new research that is surfacing as the Chinese-owned video app grapples with U.S. lawmakers’ concerns over its data practices.
The research from Felix Krause, a privacy researcher and former Google engineer, did not show how TikTok used the capability, which is embedded within the in-app browser that pops up when someone clicks an outside link. But Mr. Krause said the development was concerning because it showed TikTok had built in functionality to track users’ online habits if it chose to do so.
Collecting information on what people type on their phones while visiting outside websites, which can reveal credit card numbers and passwords, is often a feature of malware and other hacking tools. While major technology companies might use such trackers as they test new software, it is not common for them to release a major commercial app with the feature, whether or not it is enabled, researchers said. //
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/technology/tiktok-browser-tracking.html
Source: New York Times #Aug19
#BigBrother #CreditCard #Privacy
NY Times
TikTok Browser Can Track Users’ Keystrokes, According to New Research
In the web browser used within the TikTok app, supplementary code lets the company track every character typed by users. The company said the capability was for troubleshooting.
Cyberspace Administration of China: Already Held 30 Large IT Companies' Algorithm Technologies
Cyber Administration of China (#CAC) indicated on #Aug12 that 30 top IT companies have submitted part of their algorithm details, such as how to collect personal data and how to set up individual recommendation content.
Companies includes #Tencent, #TikTok under #ByteDance, #MeiTuen, #iFeng, #Weibo, #Youku, #Kuaishou, #Baidu, #Sina, #Xiaomi, #WeChat, and #Tmall and #Taobao under #Alibaba.
#Bloomberg report stated that China can have full grasp of every move done by the citizens on the internet, and even all purchase detail and personal information can be seen clearly via the relevant enterprises and applications.
The CAC passed the regulations on algorithm recommendation in March this year, requiring all enterprises to reveal the algorithm used in every application.
Nominally, they can solve the issue of data misuse and enhance cyber security. But once when the authority obtained algorithm technology, they can take further control over web activity and carry out political propaganda.
They even can take "National Security" as an excuse, to obtain citizens' and companies' information.
Source: PC Market #Aug17
https://www.pcmarket.com.hk/china-netcom-algorithm-technology-of-30-technology-giants-has-been-mastered/?fbclid=IwAR3nrfecOdr8bYlAdIkaE3S783sF8pEprBrq_7Jg46s3lLXzzi1Pv8aSX0k
#CyberAdministrationofChina #surveillance #NationalSecurity #Webtracking #AlgorithmTechnology
Cyber Administration of China (#CAC) indicated on #Aug12 that 30 top IT companies have submitted part of their algorithm details, such as how to collect personal data and how to set up individual recommendation content.
Companies includes #Tencent, #TikTok under #ByteDance, #MeiTuen, #iFeng, #Weibo, #Youku, #Kuaishou, #Baidu, #Sina, #Xiaomi, #WeChat, and #Tmall and #Taobao under #Alibaba.
#Bloomberg report stated that China can have full grasp of every move done by the citizens on the internet, and even all purchase detail and personal information can be seen clearly via the relevant enterprises and applications.
The CAC passed the regulations on algorithm recommendation in March this year, requiring all enterprises to reveal the algorithm used in every application.
Nominally, they can solve the issue of data misuse and enhance cyber security. But once when the authority obtained algorithm technology, they can take further control over web activity and carry out political propaganda.
They even can take "National Security" as an excuse, to obtain citizens' and companies' information.
Source: PC Market #Aug17
https://www.pcmarket.com.hk/china-netcom-algorithm-technology-of-30-technology-giants-has-been-mastered/?fbclid=IwAR3nrfecOdr8bYlAdIkaE3S783sF8pEprBrq_7Jg46s3lLXzzi1Pv8aSX0k
#CyberAdministrationofChina #surveillance #NationalSecurity #Webtracking #AlgorithmTechnology
PCM
騰訊、淘寶、抖音、小米無一倖免 中國網信辦 : 已掌握 30 間科技巨企的演算法技術
根據中國網信辦 (國家互聯網信息辦公室) 12 日表示，包括騰訊、阿里巴巴、字節跳動、美團等 30 間科技巨頭已提交部分應用程式的演算法詳細資訊，包括如何收集個人數據及制定個人推薦內容的技術...
U.S. FBI director says TikTok poses national security concerns
The U.S. operations of Chinese-owned TikTok raise national security concerns, FBI Director Chris Wray said on Tuesday, flagging the risk that the Chinese government could harness the video-sharing app to influence users or control their devices.
Risks include "the possibility that the Chinese government could use [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations," Wray told U.S. lawmakers.
Source：Reuters #Nov15
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-fbi-director-says-tiktok-poses-national-security-concerns-2022-11-15/
#FBI #TikTok #Security #China
The U.S. operations of Chinese-owned TikTok raise national security concerns, FBI Director Chris Wray said on Tuesday, flagging the risk that the Chinese government could harness the video-sharing app to influence users or control their devices.
Risks include "the possibility that the Chinese government could use [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations," Wray told U.S. lawmakers.
Source：Reuters #Nov15
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-fbi-director-says-tiktok-poses-national-security-concerns-2022-11-15/
#FBI #TikTok #Security #China