Technology

Did YOU read what you said?

Your entire spiel from before was literally nothing more than a collection of fallacies. You used a false equivalence by comparing worst case domestic repression (death squads) to foreign data misuse, which are fundamentally different types of risk and not logically comparable. It engages in whataboutism by deflecting concerns about China’s data access with references to American authoritarian threats, which doesn’t actually refute the original concern. The argument also builds a straw man by reducing all China related security worries to racist “Yellow Peril” panic, ignoring more nuanced, non racial critiques about state power and influence. Finally, it also leans on appeals to extreme outcomes and fear, invoking Nazis and executions to shut down debate rather than assess proportional, evidence based risks. Together, these fallacies prove two things: 1) You're engaging in bad faith and 2) your points were inherently flawed and logically unsound.

Like what even is the thesis supposed to be, that the concerns about China aren't real or serious because propaganda exists or because other threats exist? It's such a nonsensical take. People aren't concerned about China because of propaganda, they're concerned because China's actions, intentions, and track record raise a lot of red flags that are concerning. It doesn't take a genius to see that something nefarious is going on with these Chinese apps. Like for example...

• Why is the international version of TikTok banned in China?
• Why does the domestic version of the app and the international one use different algorithms?
• The CCP has unrestricted control over all corporations in China, how much of the data collection is directly ordered from the government?
• There are reports from multiple countries stating that China is collecting massive amounts of data for military purposes, what are they collecting and why?
• China is also well known for spending tens of billions on propaganda campaigns, are they using the data from apps like TikTok to more effectively manipulate public opinions around the globe to further their interests?
• What about the secret police networks that the CCP has established in foreign cities where there's large populations of ethnic Chinese residing? Countries around the globe have uncovered hundreds of these networks, is the CCP using this data to find, target, and silence dissent?

These are are valid concerns that you're trying to conveniently dismiss because you're either ignorant of them or you're being dishonest. Like do you not find any of these things even slightly concerning? Trying to chalk up these legitimate concerns as nothing more than product of fearmongering and propaganda is the most intellectually lazy way to dismiss them because you can't be bothered to parse through the implications and consequences.

If you don't care about things like privacy, tyranny, freedom, ownership, safety, and the like then that's your problem. However, just because you don't care that doesn't mean others don't or that their concerns are product of propaganda. If anything that's a more of a reflection of you and how your own beliefs came to be. Your stance, even if we ignore all the fallacies, isn't even a principled one. At least what I'm saying is consistent and principled. You on the other hand? You're acting smug over a disingenuous, fallacious, and inconsistent stance, it's, as you would say, fucking pathetic.