<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Why did India block TikTok and 59 other ‘made in China’ apps? Is TikTok essentially malware? What about Google? What about Facebook?</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Billions <b class="">welcomes critical responses in any form</b> about the current TikTok landscape or other topic related to social media and digital social. Please drop a direct message if interest. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We are also growing a Telegram presence. Join via: <a href="https://t.me/joinchat/Hj1enhgpXjHH-6aYNFnaPg" class="">https://t.me/joinchat/Hj1enhgpXjHH-6aYNFnaPg</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">And here’s a rundown of some recent articles about the TikTok situation. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">The United States is 'looking at' banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps, Pompeo says</b> - July 7, 2020. CNN</div><div class="">The United States is "looking at" banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.</div><div class=""><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/07/tech/us-tiktok-ban/index.html" class="">https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/07/tech/us-tiktok-ban/index.html</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">India’s TikTok Ban Dispels the Myth of the ‘China Bogeyman’</b> - July 7, 2020. Wired</div><div class="">Mark Zuckerberg and US tech giants argue that regulation will allow China to dominate. But in reality, the global market rejects unregulated, invasive tech.</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-indias-tiktok-ban-dispels-the-myth-of-the-china-bogeyman/" class="">https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-indias-tiktok-ban-dispels-the-myth-of-the-china-bogeyman/</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">TikTok to quit Hong Kong over national security law</b> - July 6, 2020. FT</div><div class="">TikTok, Zoom and Microsoft have become the latest companies to rethink operations in Hong Kong after Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national security law that has raised concerns over the handling of data in the city.</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/3a9deba4-bcdb-4a27-9c9e-8212c83aa824" class="">https://www.ft.com/content/3a9deba4-bcdb-4a27-9c9e-8212c83aa824</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><b class="">Delete TikTok now; if you know someone that is using it explain to them it is essentially malware operated by the Chinese government running a massive spying operation. </b>- July 1, 2020. Anonymous / Twitter</div><div class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/YourAnonCentral/status/1278204068175818752?s=20" class="">https://twitter.com/YourAnonCentral/status/1278204068175818752?s=20</a></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">India Banned TikTok and Other Chinese Apps After Border Tensions. Here’s What That Means for the Indian Community</b>. July 1, 2020. Vice</div><div class="">The app emerged as an inextricable part of India’s social media culture, its most popular users hailing from smaller cities and rural areas. These users migrated to TikTok for its ease of use, visual elements and vernacular language options.</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qj4j5m/tik-tok-ban-china-india-border-tensions" class="">https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qj4j5m/tik-tok-ban-china-india-border-tensions</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">With India’s TikTok Ban, the World’s Digital Walls Grow Higher </b>- June 30, 2020. New York Times</div><div class="">Censorship and politics are fracturing the global internet, isolating users and industries accustomed to ignoring national borders.</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/technology/india-china-tiktok.html" class="">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/technology/india-china-tiktok.html</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">How TikTok got political </b>- June 2, 2020. The Conversation</div><div class="">The primary uses of TikTok are for viral dances, comedy challenges and demonstrations of visual flair such as makeup and cosplay memes, but recently there has been increased political content.</div><div class=""><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-tiktok-got-political-139629" class="">https://theconversation.com/how-tiktok-got-political-139629</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></body></html>