Your comment lead me to this article (CNN), because I kept hearing stuff like bytedance is primarily owned by American or non-chinese companies, blah blah blah. So I appreciate you prompting me to look further into it. Seems pretty cut and dry that you’re correct. (Wasn’t just this article that pointed it out, but it was the most inclusive and concise one I found)

All that said, what information can china get from the app that they don’t already have, or can already purchase from any of the other data collectors/sellers available? Is it just the fact they can do it for free?

There’s also the option that perhaps the CCP will decide (or maybe has already) to influence what Americans see on the app. Perfectly feasible, but in my experience, it shows you what it knows you like to see. My feed is primarily related to human rights, recent politics, American history, science and tech, and cute dog/cat videos. My wife’s feed is primarily horse/animal, music, entertaining things. creepy old dudes complain all they see is half dressed teenagers dancing (we all know why they’re seeing that). If they’re interfering with the algorithm to influence American politics (like Russia did with Facebook), I think they’re doing so poorly.

Fair point, but if they were at all actually interested in American privacy, they’d not only target TikTok. Facebook, Twitter and Google have all been actually proven to have leaked or sold user information to anyone that’ll pay (including American adversaries).

While I don’t disagree that the risk is there with TikTok, all they can bring to bear against it is speculation and what-ifs. They have concrete proof of other companies willingly doing what they’re afraid TikTok MIGHT do.

I don’t think you can blame Twitter and TikTok for that. People who like Tate’s toxic masculinity incel garbage will find somewhere that feeds into their preferences.

Had to reach pretty far back for that one.

Look. Nobody here is saying that the Democratic party is perfect. In fact, most of us are aware it sucks too. But, while we live in a democracy with an electoral college, and a two party system, we vote for the candidate who has the most chance of making a good change (but also has a chance to win). Even if Stein won, and she’s the perfect person with all the perfect ideals and policies, she still wouldn’t be able to do shit as president, because the president can’t do anything significant without support from the house. IIRC there’s not a single green party member in the house to support her. She’d be dependant on the DNC for anything that isn’t awful.

Since she only pops her head out for presidential elections, and doesn’t seem to ever do anything to grow her party in the house, I don’t see this ever changing until someone who actually has the chance to win (due to the aforementioned electoral college) comes in and could be persuaded to make changes like ranked choice voting, etc.

There’s no such thing as the perfect president, certainly can’t be perfect for everyone. But if you have morals, and it seems like you do, how can you ignore the fact that you’re throwing out your vote for someone who can’t possibly win, in turn depriving a better candidate of your vote, when you know all that does is increase Trump’s chances, and Trump will be worse on everything you care about?

Want to upvote your comment, but you’re at 69… Dilemma

Mine was printed day of, just to be a pedantic jerk 🙂‍↕️

Can’t believe what we do to those poor perfect beings.

I’ve had this thought many times, glad I’m not alone. Also makes you wonder if possibly everyone’s “favorite” color is the same color, we just all call it different things because of how we individually perceive it.

This is a fun thought, but I can disprove this myself easily enough due to having had my favorite color change multiple times in my lifetime. Currently enjoying green.

October 7th, 1999. Was a miserable date. Early snow. Sucked.

Unfortunately not everyone

I’d like someone to ask them their thoughts on the recent evidence that Israel was selling the weapons we’ve given them to Russia. So in a way, we’re supporting Russia in their invasion of Ukraine at the same time we’re supporting a genocide.

Somewhat bad faith, VP has almost no real power or influence on these masters. With both as potential POTUS’, they should both be held to the same standard by the press.

That’s the thing though. They know nobody would ever do this voluntarily.

It’s the principle of the thing. These companies keep overreaching all the time.

While I agree, how sad is it that we live in a world where this kind of trash isn’t abnormal

That would be funny, but probably just best to ignore the creep

Just saw that her endorsement prompted 307k new voter registrations TODAY.

Heh nice call, did grow up in Idaho, but didn’t start doing temple stuff until I was in California.

Anywho, sorry never heard anything about changing any historical facts about anyone. (Not even sure where that came up in the thread, but forgive me, it’s almost 4 am 🤣). The past is the past. Just offering them the “atonement” or whatever. They could still decide whether or not to accept.

Anywho, it’s a sucky religion, and I’ve used up my quota of energy on it for the quarter.

I hope you have an excellent rest of your life, free from the special Mormon flavor of religion!

Not really sure what you mean. Me and everyone I knew absolutely believed we were offering salvation for each person we were doing this for. If you didn’t, then you weren’t a good mormon (honestly, good for you, I wish I wasn’t so in the coolaid)

They have kids, 12+ do this all the time, and they use other submitted names, with literally no relationship to any of the names the kid is baptized for. There’s no “supposed to be related” they just encourage it to make you feel more personally attached to the work.

Also if you were in it more recently than I, perhaps they changed it. It’s been about a decade, and despite what they say, they change their story all the time.

And Mormonism does it more than others. There’s not only 4 places you can go after you die, but the “heaven” (best) one has 3 separate levels in it as well. You can only go to super secret top tier heaven if you’re Mormon, get sealed (eternity married) in the temple, and remember all the secret handshakes and your special name learned in the temple.

(The name isn’t even that special, they just make it seem like it is. Every person of the same gender as you (remember there’s only 2 🙄🙄) gets the same name for that date. They’re all biblical names, and since there’s only like 8 women mentioned in the Bible (because why would they right?), they’re recycled even more making your super special secret temple name super common.)

Additionally, of you get a special placement in the afterlife based on what church you associate with, and not even based on your deeds and intentions, then that’s F’d up. You could be literally the best person ever, but if your Catholic or atheist, you don’t get into super secret top tier heaven. That’s reserved for the sycophants.