Never used TikTok, but I’m not going to pretend that China (and pretty much every other government if it wants it) doesn’t have access to my data, there isn’t much I can do about it at this point.
EDIT: they do* have it, I’m just sleep deprived
No wörries I still had a Huawei for several years and still use the Huawei health app.
So I’m pretty sure China could — if they had any interest in — know literally my very heartbeat.
🤢
I have a Xiaomi phone. They already know everything about me.
My gf had xiaomi once. Had to visit the doctors a lot before it cleared up.
Tell me, did I have a fever dream about this or does Xiaomi actually have ads in their settings and system apps?
It isn’t a dream, more like a nightmare.
I mean, they can be disabled, but it is pain in the ass to do so.
If you even have a phone then Google, the phone’s manufacturer, your ISP, the NSA and their respective governments already know everything about you.
More like Buys the same data from Meta but okay.
And if I don’t use facebook?
Then they still have a profile on you.
Considering the few times I’ve seen targeted ads, it’s never actually relevant to me, I doubt their profile of me is in anyway accurate.
I use blockers so facebook doesn’t know what websites I’m visiting.
Accuracy is not really relevant to the conversation. The point is that though the Chinese app gets a lot of crap for being a dataminer, the American social media apps are no better and in fact worse because they create ghost profiles of non users and make a ton of money selling that data indiscriminately. There’s no need to take offense, it isn’t a personal attack on your privacy practices.
Ever notice how any time a Chinese app gets highlighted as being for data harvesting, there’s a bunch of people crawling out of the woodwork to claim “whatabout american apps!?”, but whenever an American app gets the same exposer, noone ever goes “whatabout Chinese apps apps!?”
Highly personalized, targeted ads are more dangerous because they can create tailor made political ads. This was happening with Cambridge Analytica and it’s why having any political discussion online is impossible anymore because you’re never really sure what the other person “knows” anymore. Before that shit, everyone got the same speeches, news and ads.
You also have the blackmail factor. I do consider Chinese officials getting blackmail material on American politicians and businesses more dangerous then American companies doing the same. It’s a small margin, but there is a difference.
The best I can do is minimize how much they get from me, give them bad data and block any ads. The few times I see targeted ads seems to imply they think I’m a conservative woman. Who the hell else would want Concern Carry Yoga Pants?
These data harvesting creating fake profiles to sell to ad companies are not my concern. Let these shit companies cheat each other.
Ever notice how any time a Chinese app gets highlighted as being for data harvesting, there’s a bunch of people crawling out of the woodwork to claim “whatabout american apps!?”,
Yes, because the American social media apps and other data harvesters have a much greater affect on our lives than Chinese, but American media goes on and on about the dangers of Chinese social media and most Americans don’t even think about American social media.
And did you just accuse me of crawling out of woodwork?!
but whenever an American app gets the same exposer, noone ever goes “whatabout Chinese apps apps!?”
Yes because it makes perfect sense on western social media to cry “What about tiktok?!” When an article comes out about the very scandals you’re talking about. In fact I’m not sure what point you’re even trying to make saying the outrage is manufactured but then giving reasons why it should be legitimate.
I do consider Chinese officials getting blackmail material on American politicians and businesses more dangerous then American companies doing the same.
Well that’s an insane take. American companies blackmailing American politicians is why we slide further and further into a corporatocracy.
I already get the same thing from the YouTube app which won’t shut the fuck up about Shorts
Uninstalling that app was a game changer…so much better on browser with unblock origin running.
Uuuuuse a foss youtube frontend wooooooo like freetube or pipepipe woooooooooo…
(Insert other ghostly noises)
Fr if something works in browser I will never use the app.
Some exceptions for things which require better encryption.
Check out revanced.app. You’re welcome.
Neato
YouTube shorts are fantastic. You have to be into misogyny though.
My shorts are just cats and dogs acting silly and the rare REPO clip…
I sign out to view shorts, clear site data, then manually search a couple of “seed” videos I like to get the algorithm picking out new stuff.
It won’t even show you anything unless you have some viewing history. It’s just straight up broken for people who have had accounts for many years.
I don’t get Shorts. I can’t watch them on my PlayStation, if I click on one on the phone app it’ll disconnect the PlayStation and force me to watch it on my phone.
If you try to upload a video that is less than a minute long, it forces you to do Shorts.
I also don’t get why opening up a community thread or something pauses the video I’m watching on the PlayStation.
I’ve also noticed lately that when I connect the phone app with the PlayStation, about 30% of the time, the video will play extremely slow without sound. I have to close and reboot the YouTube app on the PlayStation to watch anything afterwards.
Sounds like a bunch of shit if you ask me!
haha yeah that’s stopping them
China is a perfect communist motherland that doesn’t need anyones secrets!
Yes, I also love China and their all-seeing government.
Big brain move, let’s make them buy our data from someone else. 🙌
I mean, I have it installed, but I have it installed in a “sandbox” (Co-opting androids work profile feature) I use Insular
But looking now, it seems it hasn’t been updated in a year so I might have to look for an alternative soon if it has issues when I upgrade to Android 16 lol
What is the point of these apps besides duplicating the app space? Does it actually provide any additional sandboxing that the android OS doesn’t do already?
Look into Shelter, it works on latest Android though it’s been several months since the last update.
I like some of the content, but will not download the app either. I mostly just want to talk to other people anyway. The funny pictures and videos are just a bonus. That’s why I am here and not much else; this site is setup better for actually engaging with the users.
More like “keep your nazis”. The place is fucking infested and every report comes back with “no violation” for literal double lightning bolts and posting that one anti-semetic wojak.
They still know your name, phone number, relationships, and every piece of info ever supplied to or from you in a text message going back as far as it is recorded on every phone which has ever downloaded the app. Your mother, your brother, your sister, your ex.
It’s a cruel and terrible world for those who aren’t ignorant.
They still know your name, phone number, relationships, and every piece of info ever supplied to or from you in a text message going back as far as it is recorded on every phone which has ever downloaded the app.
Only because they bought the info off Microsoft, Facebook, and Google.
It’s a cruel and terrible world for those who aren’t ignorant.
At some point, being terminally anxious over the idea that a Chinese bureaucrat has access to a stack of high school yearbooks does nothing of benefit. There’s a long term material benefit to simply staying off social media (particularly the bigger instances) in a few rare but critical circumstances (getting a high security job, avoiding being hassled by the police). But for virtually everyone else, none of this shit matters.
