this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2025
228 points (91.9% liked)

Technology

60526 readers
6456 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 198 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Meanwhile, American users are flocking to RedNote because authorities have worked themselves into a lather over privacy concerns about TikTok, while U.S. tech giants harvest user data with industrial efficiency. The difference? American data collection is done for profit, and Chinese data collection is done for control. Pick your poison.

Hard to argue Zuck and Elon don't want control either...

[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 24 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Isn't it the exact opposite? The only thing China can do with my data is try to sell me stuff. Meanwhile, the authorities in my own country have the power to kick in my door and drag me away to some blacksite.

If I were Chinese, I would rather the US government have my data than the Chinese government, but since I'm American, I would rather the Chinese government have it than the US. Pretty much everyone anywhere in the world ought to regard their own government as their highest security risk.

[–] WhatSay@slrpnk.net 7 points 19 hours ago

The only thing China can do with my data is try to sell me stuff.

Anyone that collects your data could use it for many legal and illegal activities. If you see it only as marketing, you are not imagining the possibilities of stolen identity, fraud, blackmail, etc.

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The difference? American data collection is done for profit, and Chinese data collection is done for control. Pick your poison.

No the difference is that these US companies give the US government a backdoor into everyone's data (while also harvesting it all for profit) while the Chinese apps don't in favor of giving the Chinese government a backdoor into everyone's data. They don't give a shit about propaganda and brainwashing occurring which is why they'll allow the app to stay up in the US just so long as it's an American company controlling it here because then they can install their backdoor for the US government.

[–] SoftTeeth@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago

And all of this social media shit is a distraction from real problems in the world. This is what our government does to run out the clock and prevent meaningful change.

Unfortunately nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives

[–] fan0m@lemmy.world 96 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I’d argue profit and control are two sides of the same coin

[–] ElderReflections@fedia.io 23 points 2 days ago (3 children)

"In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 15 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Then, when all your desires are fullfilled, you realize that your life is empty because nobody around you actually gives a shit about you and are only using you as a connection to money and/or power. You end up a soulless husk of a human being whose only goal in life is line go up.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

Then when you get the power, then you get the women.”

Then when you get the power you tell the plebs to make more money. "This is America. If you don't make more money (for me), you're a douchebag".

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

Honestly, if they all stopped trying to get more money or power at the point where they have all the women and luxuries they could ever want it would be a vast improvement over the status quo at this point.

[–] coherent_domain@infosec.pub 26 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

How do people not think that China is also a hyper capitalistic society, especially in the tech sector. Your data is 100% being sold if you are on any Chinese platform, just like in the U.S.

If anything, Chinese big tech tends to be less privacy-respecting than the west, because they don't need to operate in area with basic privacy laws, like Europe and California; and there are much less alternative products to choose from because of the GFW.

The founder and CEO of Baidu openly stated that "Chinese people are less sensitive about privacy, which gives us more data to work with" See https://m.163.com/dy/article/DDRTB01Q0511FQO9.html?spss=adap_pc

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They all operate under the same laws in any given area. And neither respect your privacy if not forced by laws that are actually enforced.

[–] coherent_domain@infosec.pub 3 points 2 days ago

You are right, but I imagine it is harder to sue a company over GDPR if they don't even exists in Europe...

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago

Yeah, this may have been true before the upcoming administration, but Trump's government (which will be a full-blown oligarchy) absolutely wants Chinese/Russian style control over its citizens.

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 days ago

profit is simply a means of seeking control...

[–] kid2908@slrpnk.net 12 points 2 days ago

The article talks about how America is mirroring China's tactic. So yeah, now they want control too.

[–] takeda@lemm.ee 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is crystal clear now, but it was less clear before.

I started saying that social media finally figured out how to monetize the platform and it's customers aren't people, aren't even companies, the customers are now billionaires and foreign governments.

[–] alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

foreign governments

The influence of foreign governments is negligible next to what the US exerts on us. Americans have the jester's privilege, we can say whatever we want, as long as they know it doesn't matter. As soon as the government feels like it matters, they have a million tools to silence you.