Did the US Successfully Take Over TikTok, Or Not? (apnews.com) 58
Longtime Slashdot reader hackingbear writes: President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that he says will allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns. Trump's order will enable an American-led of group of investors to "buy the app" (up to 80% ownership) from China's ByteDance, though the deal is not yet finalized and also requires China's approval. However, much about the deal is still unknown. So, did the U.S. successfully snatch TikTok from ByteDance? It is probably up to individual's interpretation.
As with any deals between U.S. and China, the devil is in the details. According Shen Yi, an internet influencer and a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University, what the U.S. investor will eventually take control of is an entity known as TikTok U.S. Data Security Company ("USDS"), which is a subsidiary of TikTok U.S. and is exclusively responsible to handle data security in the U.S.. ByteDance will continue, through its U.S. subsidiary "ByteDance TikTok U.S. Company," to operate business and other related activities (such as e-commerce, advertising for brands, and cross-border commercial activities). It is important to stress that "Byte TikTok U.S. Company" remains 100% owned by ByteDance through its global TikTok subsidiary -- this arrangement has not changed. The TikTok algorithm remains the property of ByteDance, only licensed to USDS for use. This point was in fact explicitly clarified by a relevant official of China's Cyberspace Administration at the press conference following the Madrid talks.
After reaching the TikTok deal, Beijing and Washington are now selling it to their respective domestic audience, each highlighting the part of the deal that it can characterize as a win. Shen's details are not in conflict with the widely-reported account given by Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, who emphasized "a new board with six American directors out of seven." Observers can also find the TikTok arrangement being very similar to that of Apple's iCloud operation in China being run by GCBD (AIPO Cloud (Guizhou) Technology Co. Ltd.) while Apple retain controls of the brand and business.
As with any deals between U.S. and China, the devil is in the details. According Shen Yi, an internet influencer and a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University, what the U.S. investor will eventually take control of is an entity known as TikTok U.S. Data Security Company ("USDS"), which is a subsidiary of TikTok U.S. and is exclusively responsible to handle data security in the U.S.. ByteDance will continue, through its U.S. subsidiary "ByteDance TikTok U.S. Company," to operate business and other related activities (such as e-commerce, advertising for brands, and cross-border commercial activities). It is important to stress that "Byte TikTok U.S. Company" remains 100% owned by ByteDance through its global TikTok subsidiary -- this arrangement has not changed. The TikTok algorithm remains the property of ByteDance, only licensed to USDS for use. This point was in fact explicitly clarified by a relevant official of China's Cyberspace Administration at the press conference following the Madrid talks.
After reaching the TikTok deal, Beijing and Washington are now selling it to their respective domestic audience, each highlighting the part of the deal that it can characterize as a win. Shen's details are not in conflict with the widely-reported account given by Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, who emphasized "a new board with six American directors out of seven." Observers can also find the TikTok arrangement being very similar to that of Apple's iCloud operation in China being run by GCBD (AIPO Cloud (Guizhou) Technology Co. Ltd.) while Apple retain controls of the brand and business.
Meet national security concerns (Score:5, Insightful)
my ass. Even indigenous US social media platforms are a complete privacy and data safety nightmare.
At this point, I genuinely question which of China abusing Americans' private data or the American monopolies in cahoots with the American fascist state doing the same thing is worse.
Re:Meet national security concerns (Score:5, Insightful)
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To be fair, the current religio-fascist cabal in power (pathetic as its performance may be), is threatened by far the most by the possibility of too many voters finally waking up to what is going on. Hence, yes, the most credible threat to the current US administration is the US populace. Sure, most of the MAGAs are as dumb as bread and understand absolutely nothing. Hence they are easily manipulated and kept in line by tactics like "flooding the zone with shit".
A recent instance of that approach is making
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When I say "security state", and "US government", I mean the whole thing, both parties and all. Security state is a bipartisan thing. That it is currently wielded by the current party in power is not a surprise, nor is the fact that they are doing it to a greater degree than the last one, because the last one did id to a greater degree than the one before them, and so on. The simple fact is that the country is more and more fucked up with no one in charge interested in solving any of the problems, so all on
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Yes. The only real difference between the strong right-wing party ("Democrats") and the extremist right wing party ("Republicans") is that the Dems are less willing to traumatize or kill people on the way there and that they are going it slower. They are also likely to still mistakenly think they are not going into totalitarianism, while the extremists welcome it.
All in all, things are going to hell on the US. I would claim this was already predictable 30 years ago, maybe longer. Well, the US is missing an
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Indeed. Both parties are pretty bad. That one is significantly worse does not save the whole.
Re:Meet national security concerns (Score:5, Interesting)
At this point, I genuinely question which of China abusing Americans' private data or the American monopolies in cahoots with the American fascist state doing the same thing is worse.
It's not a close comparison. The American fascist state + corporations are much more dangerous to Americans than China is.
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It's not a close comparison. The American fascist state + corporations are much more dangerous to Americans than China is.
Which is why they constantly talk about China.
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It's not a close comparison. The American fascist state + corporations are much more dangerous to Americans than China is.
Which is why they constantly talk about China.
Indeed. Classical diversion from domestic problems and massive screw ups (Epstein Files, anybody?) used by all fascists and totalitarians. It is essentially in the playbook and you can simply read up on how to do that, for example in the "The Dictator's Handbook". (Intended for defenders against this crap, but information is always dual-use....) Not that the orange felon can read, but there are people in this administration that can.
Re:Meet national security concerns (Score:4, Interesting)
It's not a close comparison. The American fascist state + corporations are much more dangerous to Americans than China is.
The American fascist state + corporations are working with China. The reiprocal tariffs on goods from China were delayed until 11/10/2025 and may be delayed again, and the de minimis exception ending is not being enforced against China. I have made several small orders since it was supposedly ended and none of them had any additional customs fees applied. If you think American corporations and the government aren't simply buying information on American citizens from China, you aren't thinking. They're all in the same fascist club.
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sites like aliexpress do already take out for tariffs, and then bulk ship all items together
I didn't say they didn't. Read the comment again, if you like.
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The American fascist state + corporations are much more dangerous to Americans than China is.
Yes. But China is a bigger threat to the wallets of the rich people who pay for the laws in this country
Also; Companies being owned by a foreign entity is a bigger threat to the American Oligarchs' controls over the flow of information.
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At this point, I genuinely question which of China abusing Americans' private data or the American monopolies in cahoots with the American fascist state doing the same thing is worse.
It's not a close comparison. The American fascist state + corporations are much more dangerous to Americans than China is.
If a cold or hot war breaks out between the US and China, Chinese data security abuse will be more important by far. However, absent that war, the effects of US corporate data security abuses are more apparent and more significant.
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I also highly doubt China even cares. If they want all the data of the US population, they can simply buy it form some data-brokers. Building up something like TikTok for that purpose is way too much effort.
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I saw this. Food for thought.
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They are buying up all the means of communication. What could go wrong with that? After all, their voices deserve to be heard above everyone else's.
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China could just buy American's "private" data from data brokers. My guess is that they have decided there is no benefit to that.
The whole thing is just the old fascist playbook to confuse and hide the domestic problems they cause by demonizing and overstating foreign threats. Oh, and look, it works on a ton of soft-brained assholes.
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Not only do many US citizens believe they are not China, they hate China for their surveillance state when the US government has been doing the same all along, except while completely lying and convincing them otherwise.
Precident set (Score:5, Interesting)
So what happens when Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, etc. decide the American tech companies will be required to sell their local operations to a local investment group at a price-to-sales ratio of 1.4 times? Screaming good deal for the investors.
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So what happens when Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, etc. decide the American tech companies will be required to sell their local operations to a local investment group at a price-to-sales ratio of 1.4 times? Screaming good deal for the investors.
I’m assuming conventional warfare.
Re:Precident set (Score:4)
Stop using such horrible horseshit, yeah, and learn how to play the guitar, take up a hobby. Go for a walk?
Imagine if a whole country or say 90% of it stopped using Facebook or TT or whatever?
A man can dream, I think that's still allowed. Frowned upon, but still possible.
I know, I know, that will never happen, because I'm willing to put up with any amount of abuse to see myself immortalized on the screen.
Not sure if that's sarcasm or not.
They did that (Score:2)
We all focus on the Doom scrolling because of the obvious harm but there's a hell of a lot more to social media than that.
Doom scrolling isn't what hooks most people. If it's was the data world be worthless. It's the actual social interactions.
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Look at me!
Maybe vanity is too mild a characterization, I think narcissism is probably a better fit.
I'm in love with my image, is probably closer.
But I take your point, that it COULD have some value. Take this august forum we call Slashdot. For some reason, it kind of works. A forum for hobbyists can represent a positive application of the tech. But. We generally agree this site is a "forum" and not "social media", for reasons, one of which is that we interact with each oth
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And then you can post videos of that on ... oh, wait. Damn. :-)
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The only question is will you live long enough to see your kids drafted into the Trump wars.
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Re:Precident set (Score:5, Informative)
I sincerely doubt that anyone else in the world is stupid enough to make a deal like this.
The US is not buying the local operations. Tik-Tok USA, which gets all the e-commerce and advertising money, will still be 100% owned and controlled by Bytedance in China. Bytedance still controls the algorithm and IP. The US are are only buying a minority share in the Tik-Tok US data security subdivision, basically getting the right to manage the data storage, content "safety" assurance, and review the software.
Basically, the US bought the right to spy and censor, while not really controlling any other part of Tik-Tok, for $14 billion, plus license fees for the intellectual property.
China gets the same thing from Bytedance for free.
Re: Precident set (Score:2)
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Trump doesn't seem to think through many the precedents he sets. For example, Trump White House hangs image of Biden autopen signature in new ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’ [cnn.com]. Sure, he's snubbing Biden and "owning the libs", but he (probably) won't be president forever and eventually a Democrat will be in office. Let's think about all the photos that can be substituted for Trump's portrait ... cankles [futurism.com], stroke face [thenews.com.pk], makeup hand [thedailybeast.com] - and those are just off the top of my head... He's perpetually short
legal vs software & practical control (Score:5, Insightful)
Making the assumption that what's hidden doesn't change what's visible, which is a big assumption to make. They will have legal theoretical control, whilst the software will be written by ByteDance who will then have practical / software control of the system.
What that means is that when a Chinese developer embeds a feature to manipulate the US political system or to spy on US citizens, that developer will have breached US law, ByteDance China will have breached it's agreement with GCBD and so, if someone managed to prove that it had happened, was done by the ByteDance developer and then that developer was foolish enough to travel to the US, the developer could end up imprisoned. In any case, ByteDance might end up with a civil judgement against them if they do something like that and get caught, which is quite unlikely.
The statement "Observers can also find the TikTok arrangement being very similar to that of Apple's iCloud operation in China" is deeply misleading because American courts are still practically somewhat independent of the US Regime whilst Chinese courts are fully under control of the CCP. That means that whilst Apple would be at serious risk if they breached their agreements with GCBD at the request of the US Government, Bytedance will be able to get an absolute assurance of protection if they ever breach their agreements with USDS .
At the same time, if there are working spying features already built into the software then the US company will likely be able to order operators to us those to spy on US users, so this might be quite useful to the US government if they ever end up fighting against the US people.
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The software is far less relevant than the data. ByteDance will no longer have direct legal access to the data, so any spying will become harder and higher stake (easy enough to find plausible excuses for transfers to China while it was their own data, now if they get it, it will be theft).
Sure they can build in sidechannels to try to exfiltrate data and NSA can find them too ... so they won't.
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What that means is that when a Chinese developer embeds a feature to manipulate the US political system or to spy on US citizens, that developer will have breached US law,
Twitter does this on a regular basis.
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Right, but that's an immigrant with US citizenship. Although he's probably loyal to China, there's no real way someone is going to prove that.
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data sharing arrangement (Score:4, Insightful)
So if you buy low fat fish sticks, you get low fat. But you probably got a lethal dose of corn syrup to make up for the lack of fat.
Oh OH! How about Signal App. We ONLY keep your phone number and not well known, we ping your GPS location. So we know your device address and your physical whereabouts. Surely, they would never monetize that? I wonder where all the money comes from to pay for your free service?
face it, you're just not asking the right questions.
<spooky music from X-Files plays>
Trust no one.
el Bunko wins again!! (Score:3)
He gets a new talking point to help distract from the economy and Epstein. He also gets the love and admiration of Larry Ellison's billions and additional kickbacks from the other investors, known in the deal making trade as chumps, that are stupid enough to get in on this. Notice that none of his own money is being risked here.
"Succes" and "US" do not go together anymore (Score:1)
At least until the orange felon is removed.
No (Score:3)
No, last I heard (today), China and ByteDance did not agree with this yet. It could very well be Trump talking out of his a**, which we all know he does a lot.
Commentary, sed-style (Score:2)
s/Chinese authoritarian algorithm/American authoritarian algorithm/g
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China this, China that.
The proles are saying that we've always been at war with EastAsia.
Build a bridge and defeat the common enemy, Eurasia.
Details not finalized - NO, did nothing (Score:3)
This is a promise to China that they will definitely get to keep Tik Tok and a prayer that we will negotiate something that is acceptable.
But China has no desire to give us anything acceptable,hence the original problem.
In other words, TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out.
And we lose.
Tiktok? (Score:2)
Seriously?
National interest and security (Score:2)
Fentanyl is pennies when compared to TikTok.
The same is for the national debt.
s/Take Over/Steal\/Nationalize/ (Score:2)