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Comment by chamsom | Hacker News Reader

Please cite a well written study to back up your claim that is not an opinion piece or some state sanctioned message, from any country.

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That's a bit of a ridiculous standard. Mostly because I don't think China is liable to hand out the records they've been gathering to cross check findings from other study.

You don't need records conduct research if a specific message is being spread on TikTok against chance, to at least back up an unsubstantiated theory — even if not practical in the court of law.

For anyone who uses TikTok regularly, it's evident there frequently political content that outright contradict's China's positions, spreading unfettered through the platform.

Even if there is zero evidence supporting an influence campaign on the platform, the ease of collecting user data or spying on users is something I would expect an active adversary to do. Like it or not, China and America are at odds with each other, and it's almost silly to assume that China would not be exploiting a successful tool for their own means.

They sent a push notification to every American user asking them to ask their congressman to not ban tiktok.

That's hardly the subtle influence that we're all supposed to be afraid of. If that's the only example you cas come up with... that's not a strong case.

That’s overt influence showing they aren’t afraid to use their muscle. Of course they’re willing to use more subtle messages.

The same govt that screwed the entire world with Covid-19 will use tiktok for nefarious purposes. This isn’t a stretch.

Does this count?

https://www.amazon.com/Unrestricted-Warfare-Chinese-Wang-Xia...

How does someone do data collection on how the Chinese government weaponizes a social media platform? That would almost certainly involve Tailored Access Operations (or whatever they are calling offensive cyber warfare these days), not only of questionable legality but definitely compromising the sort of Tactics/Techniques/Procedures you REALLY don't want made public.

I'm writing one right now, just waiting on the CCP to get back to me with their internal communications and commit history at tiktok which will prove this.

You contradict yourself by asserting "arbitrary action X, which will prove this" implying the party is guilty by mere speculation about unknowns.

I never implied the party is guilty, although my prediction is that they are.

My point is that it's impossible to prove what the commenter was asking for.

"which will prove this" is not a prediction, it's an assertion of absolute truth.

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