About 59% of Americans say TikTok a threat to the national security of the United States, according to a new survey of U.S. adults.

  • SCB@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    If it applies to troop movements, our military failed at basic infosec. If it applies to civilian movements outside of wartime, it’s useless information, since the US is very easy to map logistically.

    All of this has been done, you’re right - in like 1812.

    • galloog1@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      The only thing I can do at this point is to encourage you to trust that warfare has indeed changed in the last 200 years and that we (somewhat) know what we are doing at a strategic level.

      • SCB@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I’m quite aware of how warfare has changed, as is clearly evident from my posting so far.

        You’ve yet to articulate an actual threat TikTok’s data harvesting has on the civilian populace. We agree about military/government security protocols.

        • galloog1@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          One of the clearest takeaways from the Ukraine conflict is how little the Russian MOD will regard civilian protections. We’ve also seen the same thing with the PLA. War is an extension of politics. If they can use tools to disrupt civilian life and logistics, they will if it means delaying a military response on the Taiwanese island by weeks. That is their goal. Using information warfare also makes it more likely that they can disrupt us enough without attacking our military. This makes an attack on Taiwan more likely, not less.

          In terms of an actual threat, I detailed several ways that they can use the data to develop models of behavior and highly individualize it. It is combining the models and access with traditional and recently developed propaganda techniques that effects can be coordinated. Think of it more like traditional cyber warfare but much more effective and about combining individual actions. One person flushing a toilet does not do much but a whole town at the same time can create an issue.

          Additionally, civilians are allowed on military bases. We are not in the habit of banning phone software at gate entries. There’s no way to keep it out realistically speaking. Children have phones at home and largely follow their parents. With that level of data access and a 40+% marketshare, there is no escaping a CCP sensor at any given point now when you go out in public. It really does not take that much data to develop an information model and the more data we give them, the more accurate they will be.

          That is just the short-term uses of the data. China now has data to use against future people with security clearances, politicians, and industry leadership that will aid their intelligence services for generations.

          • SCB@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            You’re retreading ground weve covered but keep mentioning an “information model” bogeyman that you have not yet clarified as a threat.

            Our difference of opinion is due to me not seeing that as a credible threat. Can you address that specifically?

            • galloog1@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              1 year ago

              I cannot go into too much detail on a public forum but it makes traditional cyber warfare and information warfare much more effective and targeted. Machine Learning models can identify exactly the types of information, true or not, that are more likely to radicalize you and incite action at the intended moment. It takes the conversation from demographics to individualized and targeted propaganda. It then can be used to predict outcomes and effects based on location data, provide real-time feedback, and ensure that all of the individualized effects happen at the exact moment you need them to. For a real-world example that was not an attack, look at the 2014 Atlanta snowstorm. Individually, all of the problems were solvable. When the effects were combined at the same time, you had a complete collapse of public services and society for days.

              These models are not possible with only API access.

              You quite simply are not going to get a specific answer on this because it would reveal methods and techniques.

              • SCB@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                People have a right to consume propaganda if they like, though. I’m not sure how this is a unique threat.

                If people are susceptible to propaganda, by problem is with the people, not the service providers