[Rancid]

We're getting off topic with the point of data privacy and companies spying on all of us. However, @Tainari88 I would say, you need the following to survive this shitty tech industry.

- Learn how to say no
- Learn to manage your own life
- Learn to manage your work life (your boss isn't going to do it for you). This is a mistake many people make, they basically wait around expecting the boss to make decisions for them. I've had to tell my reports "You own your life and career, not me." I will do my best to be sensitive to their life outside of work, and to help them manage their workload so they don't stress out, but still... at the end, they own themselves, not me. Speak up...
- Learn to not sacrifice your physical, mental, and family health
- Realize that no matter how much work you get done, you will be expected to do more, so don't overwork.
- Accept the industry is volatile, and realize you are never safe
- Realize that just doing the job, doesn't mean you will get promoted
- Realize that just doing the job, will not land you promotions (especially at higher grade levels)
- Realize that just doing the job, doesn't mean you are safe from layoff
- Realize the people are not a companies most important asset despite the bullshit HR says
- Realize the company exists to serve share holders, not employees, despite what HR says
- Realize HR is not your friend, they are there to protect the company, not you
- Realize that if you want promotions, you need to focus on organization, process improvement, and communication. This is why people that aren't as technically strong as you get promoted over you.
- Learn to not get bullied. I don't mean physically bullied, but lots of people within tech companies will treat engineering teams and engineers like cogs or lego blocks. Basically, we are treated like "human resources" just like people at other jobs are treated. People will try to take advantage of you, and you need the back bone to push back. Many people can't do this.

Most of all, your job is always at risk for redundancy.

[JohnRawls]

US hegemony is both necessary to preserve the freedom of the seas and the free exchange of goods, but also we should ban goods just because they're Chinese made. It's transparent, isn't it?

This is a bit dishonest, everybody and their grandmother know that companies in China do not have an option besides cooperating with the party. So by default all companies in China are political and under control which causes problems for business. It is a well known problem for any authoritarian system actually and its called political risk. On top of that, they are literally in to either personally stealing trade secrets or the party steals it for them.

The companies in Europe or US are apolitical while lobbying their own interest and only begrudgingly apply restrictions or regulations when they have no other choice and even at that, they still challange a lot of it in court if they don't like it.

[Politics_Observer]

@JohnRawls @Rancid @Tainari88 @Fasces

My personal opinion is that TikTock should be banned given the potential risk it poses to U.S. national security and potentially to the constitutional rights of American citizens under American law. Even though China might not be spying on U.S. citizens today (or they very well could be for all we know through TikTock), they could very well do so in the future given that most companies have to answer to the CCP and China is an adversary of the United States. It would be foolish for the U.S. to permit TickTock to operate in the U.S. given the level of control the Chinese government has over Chinese companies and the fact that China is a hostile state.

[Rancid]

This is a bit dishonest, everybody and their grandmother know that companies in China do not have an option besides cooperating with the party. So by default all companies in China are political and under control which causes problems for business. It is a well known problem for any authoritarian system actually and its called political risk. On top of that, they are literally in to either personally stealing trade secrets or the party steals it for them.

The companies in Europe or US are apolitical while lobbying their own interest and only begrudgingly apply restrictions or regulations when they have no other choice and even at that, they still challange a lot of it in court if they don't like it.

Indeed. We have very different systems, and the ways companies operate within them is an important thing to understand and consider. Fasces statement tries to sort of wash all of that away... an over-distillation basically.

Tiktok is arguably a state entity, so it is different. In America, the companies control the government, so the government is effectively a consortium of corporations. I guess the good news is that it's a consortium, so the churn of competing corporate interests can dampen the authoritarian nature of the government.

Still, both are terrible, hence why I say, all should be regulated.

@JohnRawls @Rancid @Tainari88 @Fasces

My personal opinion is that TikTock should be banned given the potential risk it poses to U.S. national security and potentially to the constitutional rights of American citizens under American law. Even though China might not be spying on U.S. citizens today (or they very well could be for all we know through TikTock), they could very well do so in the future given that most companies have to answer to the CCP and China is an adversary of the United States. It would be foolish for the U.S. to permit TickTock to operate in the U.S. given the level of control the Chinese government has over Chinese companies and the fact that China is a hostile state.

I would not shed a tear if Tiktok is banned, but my point is that this isn't good enough to safe guard national security. ALL of these types of companies need heavy regulation. American, Chinese, European, whatever.. ALL.

China, for example, can still get data on us all by simply attending those data sharing conferences that happen a few times a year. The data is generated by other apps like facebook/youtube/whatever... Banning tiktok, will not stop the ability of the CHinese state to collect the data. We need to also regulate American companies too.

I would also not shed a tear if Facebook and twitter were banned.... for the record.

[Robert Urbanek]

The data privacy debate is something of a farce. The only reason you can get most information on the internet for free is because someone is selling your browsing data so they can sell advertising that finances the information you are reading. Without that, you would have to pay for content.