• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    National security concerns? Oh please. They’re not going to post TikTok videos on a phone with top-level security clearance.

    • Lee Duna@lemmy.nzOP
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      9 months ago

      This was on AP News the day before

      Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that TikTok owner ByteDance could share user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government. Biden in 2022 banned the use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly 4 million employees on devices owned by its agencies, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes. The secretive and powerful Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has been reviewing the app for years.

      Biden’s campaign joins TikTok, even as administration warns of national security concerns with app

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Yes, I know they’re terrified of China spying on people with TikTok. Which is why they wouldn’t use a phone which could access sensitive documents on it.

    • The Pantser@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      No but if they use that device for recording the president and it somehow tracks it’s location they could use it to track where the president is. Bitedance better be giving them a special version so they can ensure it’s not tracking. Or does tiktok allow uploading of outside videos?

      Edit: to be clear, “tracking” I mean when they need a new video if they record him for that video they could see where it was recorded if using TT app. Unless they only create videos at the same location at all times then that’s fine.

      • ButtCheekOnAStick@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        You really think these videos are being uploaded by Biden’s personal cell phone or something? All of this is handled by a social media team.

        • The Pantser@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          No but they need to record the man, unless like I said they can upload outside videos. I don’t know TT works, just speculation. If they don’t allow outside videos then they would need to use that phones camera to record him.

          • Jentu@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            9 months ago

            I used to work for a company that pushed a lot of TikTok content- most of it is filmed on a phone, then the footage is sent to an editorial team to edit on a computer, then sent to marketing to post on their dedicated socials phone (and oftentimes a great deal of effort is made into making it look like it was all shot, edited, and uploaded from one device to look more “genuine”). It’s very likely that if someone tracked the location of the account that posted White House content, it would never move out of a single office. Exporting a compressed video, as far as I’m aware, strips the original metadata from the device- and if not, there are definitely ways to strip metadata in the post production process.

          • HikingVet@lemmy.ca
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            9 months ago

            Right, because they don’t have the capability or capacity to vet a camera, and laptop for this purpose…

      • Dem Bosain
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        9 months ago

        They’re not using a phone, the video quality isn’t ‘presidential’ enough. TikTok is available through the windows store, probably on some intern’s laptop.

      • BruceTwarzen@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        American president: not allowed to drive, security team 24/7, has his own airplane, drives around in a tank, afraight to get tracked.
        European counterparts: goes to work by train ir bicycle or drives his own car like a big boy.

  • Kid_Thunder@kbin.social
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    9 months ago

    There’s an old saying Pennsylvania, I know it’s in Delaware, probably in Pennsylvania that says – rules for me, no trees have rules wait wait no rules for…rules…uh, you follow the rules and I don’t is the point.

    -- Dark Brandon in response as to why other government employees can’t use TikTok for work but he can for his campaign, circa 1774 just before the Civil War kicked off

    While you’re here downvoting this (you should, it isn’t very funny), it is OK to criticize government officials, even if you support them.

    Consider that President Biden created the “Protecting Americans’ Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries” Executive Order (EO 14034), President Biden’s administration also threatened TikTok with a “ban” if ByteDance (TikTok’s owners) via CFIUS mentioned in the article and elsewhere if they didn’t sell to someone not affiliate with the CCP, the FBI and DOJ have at least investigated, if not still investigating TikTok for spying on American Journalists and that he also signed the “No TikTok on government Devices Act” seems to be a hypocritical decision regardless if an actual government device is being used to manage the account or not, doesn’t it? At the very least, it sends a mixed message on to whether TikTok in its current state should be considered such a big deal in light of the bipartisan flogging that is currently being given to them.

    Perhaps they deserve it but I think we also deserve an official explanation that isn’t a hand wave as to why this is a reasonable decision in light of the supported political actions and allegations from the same administration that is deciding to use it anyway.

    • rhythmisaprancer@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      I agree that this sends some mixed messages. I understand that executive branch employees (for example, people who work in national parks) cannot use tiktok in an official capacity, so this is an interesting decision for sure. An explanation of how this is different would make sense. I’m sure parks would like to meet younger folks “where they are” as well.