Oddbean new post about | logout
 Bingo.
I refuse to put TikTok on my phone. Every time someone sends me a TikTok video link, I cringe - and refuse to watch it out of principle. 
 True, but when you have nothing to hide, what information could TikTok possibly steal from me? Photos of cats and some food pictures? 🤷🏻‍♀️Nothing to hide 
 That’s like saying, you don’t mind the police & government regularly sniffing through your underwear drawer. Just because you’ve got nothing to hide, doesn’t make it ok.

It’s not about what you’ve got that they can steal. It’s about building a profile on who you are, and monitoring that for the purpose of targeted marketing / influence. If perhaps the TikTok algorithm gets tweaked to show you certain content more often at the exclusion of alternative viewpoints, because a profile was built on your interests and activities online. Your behaviour can be shaped by the messaging you hear.

The question you may ask is, why would they care about you? Well, most likely they don’t. But, they do care about the macro view of the hundreds and thousands of users who do regularly use the app that are outside their jurisdiction, that vote for and set policy positions that directly affects trade with their government, the users can be  subtly influenced, having their attitudes adjusted towards more favourable policy positions for them.

For example, consider two candidates in an election. One candidate proposes extremely strict tariffs on say foreign vehicles that are imported. These tariffs would mean the foreign government couldn’t dump at cost vehicles in the market and funnel millions out of the country. Now say millions of social media users get shown videos and messages that are pro the non tariff candidate, and anti the other. Their opinions get shifted, and they vote and the alternative gets elected and the tariffs get lifted. Just as an example.

Just a viewpoint to consider and think about. 
 This is true.