This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it during the week.
Don’t ban TikTok. Restrict it. And then apply those same restrictions to American internet powers, too.
That’s what Kevin Roose, a New York Times tech columnist, wrote in his latest column about TikTok, the app owned by a Beijing-based internet giant. Some American officials fear the app will allow the Chinese government to spy on Americans or spread propaganda.
I spoke to Kevin about his proposed solution to make TikTok, and also American internet companies, more open and less data grabbing, and how to spot valid video app concerns from the least legitimate ones.
Shira: Let’s start with TikTok. What are reasonable concerns about it?
Kevin: Because TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, it could be forced to provide the data it collects about people who watch videos to the Chinese government and comply with its censorship laws.
And let’s face it, TikTok has done things in the past that contributed to the feeling of suspicion: temporarily removing a viral video criticizing the Chinese government’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, for example.
Well if TikTok is potentially dangerous because it is Chinese then it is not the solution to ban it or sell it to non-Chinese owners?
A US-owned TikTok could still legally sell user data to an external data broker, who could then sell it to the Chinese government.
What you really need is a federal privacy law that applies to all Internet platforms operating in the United States, regardless of whether they are Chinese or American. If data security is a major concern, this is a useful time to impose more rules for TikTok and other companies on how they collect and use information about us.
TikTok also plays an important role in American technology. It is the only real competitor to Facebook, and the creative culture in the app would be a shame to lose.
yes to more data regulation! What else?
Another thing that makes TikTok powerful, and potentially dangerous, is that the videos presented to us are based on opaque algorithms that we cannot see or inspect. The US government may require more transparency as a condition to allow TikTok to continue operating.
Ideally this should also apply to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These algorithms shape our culture, politics, and personal beliefs, and we basically know nothing about how they work.
Why does the United States no longer have national laws on algorithm transparency and data privacy?
Big question! Many of our elected officials are, how to say it delicately, poorly educated about technology Tech companies have also been pushing against some of these problems when they arose.
Why is all this talking about TikTok now? What changed?
Well, we have been sourcing tech hardware from China for many years with few complaints from regulators. I think what’s new here is the Trump administration’s desire to appear tough on China.
Isn’t TikTok useful for American internet powers? At an antitrust congress listening This week, I bet Facebook will cite TikTok as evidence of healthy competition. And Facebook can say: LOOK OVER THERE – SCARY!
Yes, it is a great picture. And Facebook’s new TikTok competitor Instagram Reels is about to launch, making this all the more interesting.
Tip of the week
The nerdy gadget I wish everyone had
Brian X. Chen, a personal technology writer for The Times, wants us all to consider an alternative to cloud computing services like iCloud and Dropbox.
Let me tell you why the strange sounding NAS is worth considering
It’s synonymous with network-attached storage – horrible jargon for what is essentially a mini computer data center in your home. Setting up one is not easy, but it gives us a more private and potentially less expensive way to save and access our digital files, photos and videos from anywhere.
A NAS is a device that contains one or more hard drives that connect to your home Internet service. You create something like a personal cloud service, similar to Google Drive or Dropbox, but you don’t have to pay a subscription fee to those companies. And because all the data is stored on its own computer, no company can see the information it has stored there.
I have a Synology NAS with a couple of terabyte hard drives that I use in place of Apple’s iCloud to back up data on my Mac. When my smartphone and tablets start to run out of storage space, I move large video and photo files to NAS and delete files from my devices.
If I’ve already lost you, I get it. NAS servers are designed for people with above average levels of technological proficiency. And they are not cheap to install. A decent NAS server, including hard drives, will cost more than $ 500.
But it is worth considering if you have the interest and the time to study. Read Techradar’s guide on choosing a NAS. Then, check out Synology’s tutorials on how to use a NAS to back up your Windows or Mac computer. You can also research other things you want to do with a personal cloud, like streaming movies or creating a private network virtual to protect your information when you use the insecure Wi-Fi connection of a hotel, for example.
Setting up a NAS can be difficult and frustrating, but the potential reward is enormous.
Before we go …
-
It’s hard to be above the fray in the nation’s capital: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wanted to make a big splash in Washington as a statesman dealing with big policy issues like climate change and as the manager of The Washington Post. But Bezos has been drawn into grim political realities, including testifying later this week at the Congressional hearing investigating the power of big tech companies, my colleagues David McCabe and Karen Weise write. (In Tuesday’s newsletter, I will have a conversation with Karen about Bezos.)
-
The information war is developing in the verification of Facebook data: My colleague Anton Troianovski searches a small group that Facebook has hired to curb Russian propaganda and other false information online in Ukraine. Critics say the work of fact-checkers skews into political activism, showing how finding impartial fact-checkers can be difficult in a country at war.
-
The creative uses of TikTok continue: The Los Angeles Times writes about middle-aged Latino parents making TikTok videos of them playing with their children in a way that sometimes exploits the cultural stereotypes of hyper-male Latino parents.
Hugs to this
This 20-year-old college student made a stunning TikTok video showing him transforming into superheroes using the special effects he created himself. And it’s getting Hollywood attention.
We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think about this newsletter and what else would you like us to explore. You can contact us at [email protected].
If you still don’t receive this newsletter in your inbox, please register here.
