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Comment by kube-system

18 hours ago

> a compelling national interest (which in turn seems based on speculation about the future, rather than a factual analysis of events).

I keep seeing this claimed, but these aren't hypothetical risks. China has managerial control over ByteDance. China has laws that require prominent companies to cooperate in their national security operations, and they've recently strengthened them even more. China has already exercised those powers to target political dissidents. This is the normal state of affairs in Chinese business; this is how things work there. It isn't like the west where companies have power to push back, or enjoy managerial independence.

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kube-system

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9cb14c1ec0  17 hours ago

Let's not forget that the US government has forced US companies to secretly hand over user data for "national security" purposes. Anyone who denies that China does similar things either doesn't know how the world works or is consciously denying reality.

  • kube-system  17 hours ago

    As do countries on every continent.

    But China is a bit different in that they don't simply have the authority to request data, they have the authority to direct management of the company.