Well that's somewhat unexpected. Wonder what so valuable in their source code that they would choose this route. The entire app from the ground up seems pretty unremarkable at the surface level. I guess their algorithm could have some proprietary value, but even then, Microsoft – at the very least – should have the ability to far surpass whatever they've created.
I don't really want to pointlessly speculate with a tinfoil hat, so I'll just leave it at that. This move is a bit unexpected, to say the least.
I'd be grateful if TikTok was outright banned in the US, though. Maybe kids would regain a bit of their attention span.
Wonder what so valuable in their source code that they would choose this route.
I'll wear that tinfoil hat, so you don't have to.
Its the spying software they don't want U.S. agencies getting hold of.
And yeah, its better for the nation as a whole if the app was just outright banned, better than some American corp getting it and immediately giving it to the CIA and NSA to further spy on Americans with.
EDIT: Also, its quite likely that the spying software is just a copy of something the U.S. already uses. China loves its "OC donut steal" design philosophy.
The spyware part of the software is unlikely to be anything special. If somebody willingly downloads and installs your trojan horse and gives it permission to record video and upload data to a server, that makes your job a lot easier.
Its the spying software they don't want U.S. agencies getting hold of.
You don't even need to go that far. Just like the Twitter Admin panel a month or two back, I'm willing to bet most/all of these companies just don't want to general public being able to find out how invasive they're being with their spying and how much their algorithms are actually manipulating people and what they consume.
I still think they will sell some version of it. Their spy portions are probably deep into the code, so it will take time to make another version without it. I don't think they would screw around with companies before the deadline if they were not going to sell it anyway.
It's valuable on its own like Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat combined, but the source code must look like a mess with all the spyware parts in it.
They're probably making a second version of TikTok as we speak.
Well that's somewhat unexpected. Wonder what so valuable in their source code that they would choose this route. The entire app from the ground up seems pretty unremarkable at the surface level. I guess their algorithm could have some proprietary value, but even then, Microsoft – at the very least – should have the ability to far surpass whatever they've created.
I don't really want to pointlessly speculate with a tinfoil hat, so I'll just leave it at that. This move is a bit unexpected, to say the least.
I'd be grateful if TikTok was outright banned in the US, though. Maybe kids would regain a bit of their attention span.
I'll wear that tinfoil hat, so you don't have to.
Its the spying software they don't want U.S. agencies getting hold of.
And yeah, its better for the nation as a whole if the app was just outright banned, better than some American corp getting it and immediately giving it to the CIA and NSA to further spy on Americans with.
EDIT: Also, its quite likely that the spying software is just a copy of something the U.S. already uses. China loves its "OC donut steal" design philosophy.
The spyware part of the software is unlikely to be anything special. If somebody willingly downloads and installs your trojan horse and gives it permission to record video and upload data to a server, that makes your job a lot easier.
You don't even need to go that far. Just like the Twitter Admin panel a month or two back, I'm willing to bet most/all of these companies just don't want to general public being able to find out how invasive they're being with their spying and how much their algorithms are actually manipulating people and what they consume.
I still think they will sell some version of it. Their spy portions are probably deep into the code, so it will take time to make another version without it. I don't think they would screw around with companies before the deadline if they were not going to sell it anyway.
It's valuable on its own like Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat combined, but the source code must look like a mess with all the spyware parts in it.
They're probably making a second version of TikTok as we speak.
Big user base and ad reach.
The fact that it was a surveillance suite for Chinese Communist Intelligence services?
Heh, like stanz, I suspect it's less "value" than "liability" that they're worried about.