Discussion topic - will TikTok be banned?

[goldengirlz]

Mar 1, 2023 18:52:53 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Mar 1, 2023 17:41:04 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I’m not defending China’s record on human rights — at all. And yes, TikTok may well be a national security risk.

But why did China become the #1 international bogeyman for the GOP? Clearly they don’t care about human rights!

Because Russia is a good guy now 🙄 

Except Russia and China are allies. Trump’s love of Putin made sense only in the most Trumpian way, but by that explanation, he should idolize Xi, a man who puts his dissenters in concentration camps, something Trump surely salivated about.

I assume the actual answer has something to do with the rise of China’s economic influence and fears of global competition.

[rubytue]

Mar 1, 2023 19:51:56 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 1, 2023 18:52:53 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Because Russia is a good guy now 🙄 

Except Russia and China are allies. Trump’s love of Putin made sense only in the most Trumpian way, but by that explanation, he should idolize Xi, a man who puts his dissenters in concentration camps, something Trump surely salivated about.

I assume the actual answer has something to do with the rise of China’s economic influence and fears of global competition.

Right… TFG loves Putin and Kim, but hates China? It make zero sense, like most of that lack of logic. 

I cannot wrap my head around thinking that Putin is right with Ukraine. I had a FB memory come up yesterday or today about the annexation of crimea, and it was blowing my mind the conversation years ago, versus now.

[cattledogkisses]

Mar 1, 2023 19:51:56 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 1, 2023 18:52:53 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Because Russia is a good guy now 🙄 

Except Russia and China are allies. Trump’s love of Putin made sense only in the most Trumpian way, but by that explanation, he should idolize Xi, a man who puts his dissenters in concentration camps, something Trump surely salivated about.

I assume the actual answer has something to do with the rise of China’s economic influence and fears of global competition.

I could see racism being a factor too.

Trump was the one who insisted on calling COVID the "China virus" for a long time.

[msmerymac]

Canada has banned TikTok on government-owned devices.

abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/explainer-canada-latest-ban-tiktok-government-phones-97500535

[Velar Fricative]

More about the possible ban of TikTok from NYT's The Morning.

The more I hear and read about this, the more I want to have TikTok banned because fuck the CCP. OTOH, I concur with what someone said earlier about whether the government should save us from ourselves. Not to mention, while it may be an improvement, it's not like Mark Zuckerberg buying TikTok and owning more of our data is fantastic either. 

I think about living off the grid more and more these days lol. 

[karinothing]

TikTok is really upping the PR campaign. I have seen a lot of commercials about the wonderful thinks (starting small businesses, teaching kids to read, etc). The CEO has also been very vocal.


I am an admitted avid Tiktok user.

[livinitup]

I am not convinced that squashing TikTok isn’t about capitulating to wealthy donors who don’t want the competition. And the ‘security interests’ are a complete red herring and easy sound bite.

[Michelle]

I love TikTok. The stitch feature of the platform makes building communities so transparent, easy, and democratized.

It has better parental controls than Instagram and FB, so i like it from that perspective.

I think conservatives hate it because TT has helped to heavily normalize LGBTQ relationships among young people and has given connection and voice to other marginalized communities like Black and Indigenous Americans.

That said, even i have to admit that i can see Russian influence through pervasive catfishing attempts. So while China is being made out to be the new bogeyman, Russia is right there.

Unfortunately, the persuasion of external forces is a social media industry problem, not just unique to TT. But the "surveillance" and data gathering pieces that Pixy and others have brought up are undeniable. And the active suppression of certain information by the platform is undeniable - we experienced it with the protests-turned-riots in France. The CEO says they don't use geolocation but how is it explained that videos posted Tues-Thurs of last week did not come up even when actively searched for when we were in Paris, but they came up as soon as we landed in Chicago and didn't do a fresh search?

Based on the committee questioning today, and in spite of most of the committee questions being about industry-wide issues of social media and not the valid surveillance concerns with the app, I don't think TT has a chance to last much longer in the U.S.

[pixy0stix]

WaPo had a good article yesterday talking about who supports, or does not support the ban. Mainly, it falls along the lines of if you have downloaded it and use it, or haven't. Which tracks - if you're finding enjoyment from something, you're going to not want to stop using that platform. See also twitter, or just about anything in life.

ETA: wapo.st/3Z4KJzy

[Michelle]

This didn't help the TT CEO's case: www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-rejects-sale-of-tiktok/ar-AA18Zo8g?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=00a8dd83836c404f820a4f6421c40b37&ei=8

I suspect, after reading between the lines regarding export control concerns, that there is technology used by the app that China doesn't want US social media platforms to have access to, probably regarding surveillance.

It was certainly presented along those lines in the hearing today.

[goldengirlz]

Mar 23, 2023 10:26:04 GMT -5 livinitup said:

I am not convinced that squashing TikTok isn’t about capitulating to wealthy donors who don’t want the competition. And the ‘security interests’ are a complete red herring and easy sound bite.

I think this is overly cynical. I have coworkers who’ve lived under the authoritarian rules of the Chinese government who convinced me to delete TikTok. It’s not just xenophobic Americans.

U.S. social media companies also comply with strict data privacy regulations (they follow the more restrictive EU GDPR regulations.) I don’t know how much of that is true at ByteDance.

[Velar Fricative]

Mar 23, 2023 11:59:59 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 23, 2023 10:26:04 GMT -5 livinitup said:

I am not convinced that squashing TikTok isn’t about capitulating to wealthy donors who don’t want the competition. And the ‘security interests’ are a complete red herring and easy sound bite.

I think this is overly cynical. I have coworkers who’ve lived under the authoritarian rules of the Chinese government who convinced me to delete TikTok. It’s not just xenophobic Americans.

U.S. social media companies also comply with strict data privacy regulations (they follow the more restrictive EU GDPR regulations.) I don’t know how much of that is true at ByteDance.

It might be overly cynical (and I hope it is lol), but I couldn't help but think of that too. If I were not American, my first thought was that America is just jealous that an app from another country, especially China, is this popular globally. And that efforts to ban it or force a sale to an American company is just a way to preserve America's standing in the world as the economic superpower. 

[Velar Fricative]

China has stated today that they will oppose a sale. Gift link

And that part above about cynicism is exacerbated by the solution of preserving American data in TikTok on Oracle servers. Oracle, that famous company that pays its leaders a bazillion dollars. 

There's also this part:

Any decision to remove the app, either banning it for 150 million users in the United States or blocking further downloads, would also be politically fraught for Mr. Biden. No one encapsulated the political dilemma more pithily than Gina Raimondo, the commerce secretary, who is at the center of new export controls imposed on high-technology goods to China.



“The politician in me thinks you’re going to literally lose every voter under 35, forever,” she said recently to Bloomberg News.

[Velar Fricative]

Mar 23, 2023 10:50:48 GMT -5 Michelle said:

I love TikTok. The stitch feature of the platform makes building communities so transparent, easy, and democratized.

It's interesting you say this because I was never able to get into TikTok because it *doesn't* seem community-focused to me. I can't interact with others the way I've been used to with other social media companies. And I'm not much of a video watcher either - hence why I have no clue who the major YouTubers are. 

But I realize it's just that I'm beyond the age of the normal TikTok user. Except for my mom - it's the only social media platform that she has ever signed up for and loves it. However, if there is someone who could fall prey to any kind of disinformation, it's her lol. 

[Jalapeñomel]

Mar 23, 2023 12:10:06 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Mar 23, 2023 10:50:48 GMT -5 Michelle said:

I love TikTok. The stitch feature of the platform makes building communities so transparent, easy, and democratized.

It's interesting you say this because I was never able to get into TikTok because it *doesn't* seem community-focused to me. I can't interact with others the way I've been used to with other social media companies. And I'm not much of a video watcher either - hence why I have no clue who the major YouTubers are. 

But I realize it's just that I'm beyond the age of the normal TikTok user. Except for my mom - it's the only social media platform that she has ever signed up for and loves it. However, if there is someone who could fall prey to any kind of disinformation, it's her lol. 

I also love TikTok...I find it so much better than IG and leaps and bounds above FB. Kids have been interacting via short videos for years, so this is a way for them to compile things together. I think you may be surprised to see how many middle age and older folks are on TikTok!


The idea that @livinitup brings up is what is all over my feed right now, especially from tech folks and younger progressives.  It's hard not to think that way, but it's also hard not to think about China's influence.  I also loved Twitter, but have managed to delete that forever, so I'm not opposed to leaving should I need to.

[goldengirlz]

Mar 23, 2023 12:04:12 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Mar 23, 2023 11:59:59 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I think this is overly cynical. I have coworkers who’ve lived under the authoritarian rules of the Chinese government who convinced me to delete TikTok. It’s not just xenophobic Americans.

U.S. social media companies also comply with strict data privacy regulations (they follow the more restrictive EU GDPR regulations.) I don’t know how much of that is true at ByteDance.

It might be overly cynical (and I hope it is lol), but I couldn't help but think of that too. If I were not American, my first thought was that America is just jealous that an app from another country, especially China, is this popular globally. And that efforts to ban it or force a sale to an American company is just a way to preserve America's standing in the world as the economic superpower. 

Both things can be true at the same time. U.S. social media companies might benefit. But I think you also have to consider that the concern is not only coming from Americans, which was my point. It’s also true that the EU and Canada have banned TikTok from government devices and they have no (or less) financial stake in the outcome (Europe does have its own social media companies.)

[pixy0stix]

Mar 23, 2023 12:19:31 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Mar 23, 2023 12:10:06 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

It's interesting you say this because I was never able to get into TikTok because it *doesn't* seem community-focused to me. I can't interact with others the way I've been used to with other social media companies. And I'm not much of a video watcher either - hence why I have no clue who the major YouTubers are. 

But I realize it's just that I'm beyond the age of the normal TikTok user. Except for my mom - it's the only social media platform that she has ever signed up for and loves it. However, if there is someone who could fall prey to any kind of disinformation, it's her lol. 

I also love TikTok...I find it so much better than IG and leaps and bounds above FB. Kids have been interacting via short videos for years, so this is a way for them to compile things together. I think you may be surprised to see how many middle age and older folks are on TikTok!


The idea that @livinitup brings up is what is all over my feed right now, especially from tech folks and younger progressives.  It's hard not to think that way, but it's also hard not to think about China's influence.  I also loved Twitter, but have managed to delete that forever, so I'm not opposed to leaving should I need to.

Is the reason it's all over your feed right now is that it's being promoted by TikTok and people are carrying that over to other platforms? I'm not even joking about that.

The entire discussion touches on a lot of things: Our expectation of privacy (or lack thereof when it comes to social media aps), our understanding of government and our mistrust of how it works and how/if money can buy laws, trying to take down an ap that has been downloaded and used by millions that can push it's own agenda easily, and just how savvy people aren't when it comes to media messages that are being pushed by content creators. Also tied into it is people doing their own risk assessments based on their use, which is inherently iffy when it comes to internet based social media.

I think what really convinced me that there was an issue was when it started being pushed as a bi-partisan issue that this is a real national security risk. One CO D senator has really been outspoken in his push to get this ap banned. We rarely see bipartisan support over anything anymore.

[basilosaurus]

Mar 1, 2023 18:08:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Mar 1, 2023 17:41:04 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I’m not defending China’s record on human rights — at all. And yes, TikTok may well be a national security risk.

But why did China become the #1 international bogeyman for the GOP? Clearly they don’t care about human rights!

Unknown, but my D reps from CO are pushing hard for TikTok to be banned as well. I think there's more to this that isn't public for this (almost) united front.

I tuned in late, but I was surprised that it was a D from TX asking questions. And that they struck me as pretty anti-Chinese just because Chinese, not anything specifically security. She said something about children, automatic translations. That does not sit well, although I'll reserve judgment because there might be something there. It's like the great leap forward, cuban missile crisis. Given the age of congress, that tracks. Yet I also think there's a good chance they know a whole lot more than they're letting on.

My partner is of Chinese descent, and his first comment was "omg, that guy dyed his hair to look more white." (?) So I clearly have erudite introspection here. I'm in a country where people identify ethnicity before nationality, and even the Chinese (in origin) are calling bullshit. I cannot stress how big that admission is. 

[ellipses84]

I echo a lot of what other people have said about the pros/cons and comparison to all social media (they can all be used for good/ evil). I 💯 agree it should be banned on Gov’t devices, but I think it’s very extreme to ban it for everyone at this point, without trying to find a compromise. It’s frustrating we don’t have good alternatives since Meta bought IG and Musk took over Twitter. Politically it’s a terrible move for Democrats to support the ban, so that makes me think the security concerns are very serious, but I also question the technology understanding and motives of our Gov’t representatives.

[basilosaurus]

This mother fuck from Oklahoma

[pixy0stix]

Mar 23, 2023 12:19:48 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 23, 2023 12:04:12 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

It might be overly cynical (and I hope it is lol), but I couldn't help but think of that too. If I were not American, my first thought was that America is just jealous that an app from another country, especially China, is this popular globally. And that efforts to ban it or force a sale to an American company is just a way to preserve America's standing in the world as the economic superpower. 

Both things can be true at the same time. U.S. social media companies might benefit. But I think you also have to consider that the concern is not only coming from Americans, which was my point. It’s also true that the EU and Canada have banned TikTok from government devices and they have no (or less) financial stake in the outcome (Europe does have its own social media companies.)

Right, the fact that OTHER governmental bodies are also sounding the alarm is something that can't just be brushed aside. It's not just the Americans participating in our usual dumbassery.

[basilosaurus]

Crenshaw. Really?

[bugandbibs]

I will admit, that the rhetoric feels very xenophobic and anti-Asian to me. The issue here is much larger than TT and unless they enact laws that cover all social media equally I can't get behind a TT ban from personal devices. We know that FB has done illegal things with its user data, but because it benefits a certain group of people they continue to get away with it.

[pixy0stix]

Americans deserve a better message than ‘Trust us, TikTok is bad.’

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/24/tiktok-ban-congress/

[Jalapeñomel]

Mar 24, 2023 16:47:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Americans deserve a better message than ‘Trust us, TikTok is bad.’

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/24/tiktok-ban-congress/

“But the mistrust between the United States and China can make it tough to distinguish the legitimate threats from imagined ones. That makes it more essential for the U.S. government to treat us like grown-ups.”
.

[karinothing]

Mar 24, 2023 16:47:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Americans deserve a better message than ‘Trust us, TikTok is bad.’

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/24/tiktok-ban-congress/

The writer makes a good point. What about SHEIN or other apps from China. Or video games or smart phones.

[Michelle]

Mar 23, 2023 13:27:46 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Mar 23, 2023 12:19:31 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I also love TikTok...I find it so much better than IG and leaps and bounds above FB. Kids have been interacting via short videos for years, so this is a way for them to compile things together. I think you may be surprised to see how many middle age and older folks are on TikTok!


The idea that @livinitup brings up is what is all over my feed right now, especially from tech folks and younger progressives.  It's hard not to think that way, but it's also hard not to think about China's influence.  I also loved Twitter, but have managed to delete that forever, so I'm not opposed to leaving should I need to.

Is the reason it's all over your feed right now is that it's being promoted by TikTok and people are carrying that over to other platforms? I'm not even joking about that.

The entire discussion touches on a lot of things: Our expectation of privacy (or lack thereof when it comes to social media aps), our understanding of government and our mistrust of how it works and how/if money can buy laws, trying to take down an ap that has been downloaded and used by millions that can push it's own agenda easily, and just how savvy people aren't when it comes to media messages that are being pushed by content creators. Also tied into it is people doing their own risk assessments based on their use, which is inherently iffy when it comes to internet based social media.

I think what really convinced me that there was an issue was when it started being pushed as a bi-partisan issue that this is a real national security risk. One CO D senator has really been outspoken in his push to get this ap banned. We rarely see bipartisan support over anything anymore.

AOC published her first TikTok video on this subject yesterday.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRvf3YQx/

If some here don’t want to watch the video, here are her key points, and she provides receipts:

This would be the first banned social media platform in our history

Other social media platforms collect troves of data on you that you aren’t even aware of (see Cambridge Analytica lawsuit for $725m) without any protection whatsoever. In Europe they at least have GDPR.

The bigger issue is protecting Americans from ALL companies who commit such invasive data harvesting

Biggest point to counter Pixy’s bipartisan piece - AOC said when there are issues related to national security risks, Congress gets a classified briefing. She said there have been ZERO classified briefings about TikTok to congress.

So why propose such a significant ban?

And that is where she stops and I start - I think the biggest reason is the progressive movement in our country and overwhelming winning of hearts and minds of teens through 20-something year olds as a result of participation in the app.

Those groups don’t like FB and like IG less than TT it is also harder to connect with new folks on IG than TT. A huge benefit to banning TT would be to cut the head off the dragon of progressive grassroots communications that expose the threats of CPAC and other groups and inspire progressive activism. I mentioned certain communities upthread but nursing and other healthcare unions are also thriving in their organizing thanks to connections on TT.

[goldengirlz]

Mar 25, 2023 10:33:43 GMT -5 Michelle said:

Mar 23, 2023 13:27:46 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Is the reason it's all over your feed right now is that it's being promoted by TikTok and people are carrying that over to other platforms? I'm not even joking about that.

The entire discussion touches on a lot of things: Our expectation of privacy (or lack thereof when it comes to social media aps), our understanding of government and our mistrust of how it works and how/if money can buy laws, trying to take down an ap that has been downloaded and used by millions that can push it's own agenda easily, and just how savvy people aren't when it comes to media messages that are being pushed by content creators. Also tied into it is people doing their own risk assessments based on their use, which is inherently iffy when it comes to internet based social media.

I think what really convinced me that there was an issue was when it started being pushed as a bi-partisan issue that this is a real national security risk. One CO D senator has really been outspoken in his push to get this ap banned. We rarely see bipartisan support over anything anymore.

AOC published her first TikTok video on this subject yesterday.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRvf3YQx/

If some here don’t want to watch the video, here are her key points, and she provides receipts:

This would be the first banned social media platform in our history

Other social media platforms collect troves of data on you that you aren’t even aware of (see Cambridge Analytica lawsuit for $725m) without any protection whatsoever. In Europe they at least have GDPR.

The bigger issue is protecting Americans from ALL companies who commit such invasive data harvesting

Biggest point to counter Pixy’s bipartisan piece - AOC said when there are issues related to national security risks, Congress gets a classified briefing. She said there have been ZERO classified briefings about TikTok to congress.

So why propose such a significant ban?

And that is where she stops and I start - I think the biggest reason is the progressive movement in our country and overwhelming winning of hearts and minds of teens through 20-something year olds as a result of participation in the app.

Those groups don’t like FB and like IG less than TT it is also harder to connect with new folks on IG than TT. A huge benefit to banning TT would be to cut the head off the dragon of progressive grassroots communications that expose the threats of CPAC and other groups and inspire progressive activism. I mentioned certain communities upthread but nursing and other healthcare unions are also thriving in their organizing thanks to connections on TT.

I’m 100% in favor of the U.S. passing its own data protection laws. But any social media company — no matter where it’s headquartered — that does business in Europe will be GDPR-compliant across its entire user base. It’s too risky not to be.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Cambridge Analytica scandal predated GDPR, which didn’t go into effect until 2018.

This may be a tangential point to the entire discussion, but as someone who’s been in the industry for a while now, the way data is handled today — even in the U.S. — is very different from a decade ago. If you look at the some of the lawsuits being referenced in this thread, the allegations took place in a pre-GDPR timeframe.

ETA: I agree with the point that GDPR underscored the importance of having strong data privacy regulations, which we absolutely need here — if for no other reason than it would increase the consequences for violations. But the U.S. is so late on this that social media companies are already complying with a standard that’s likely stricter than anything we’d be able to pass.

[Michelle]

Mar 25, 2023 12:41:04 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 25, 2023 10:33:43 GMT -5 Michelle said:

AOC published her first TikTok video on this subject yesterday.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRvf3YQx/

If some here don’t want to watch the video, here are her key points, and she provides receipts:

This would be the first banned social media platform in our history

Other social media platforms collect troves of data on you that you aren’t even aware of (see Cambridge Analytica lawsuit for $725m) without any protection whatsoever. In Europe they at least have GDPR.

The bigger issue is protecting Americans from ALL companies who commit such invasive data harvesting

Biggest point to counter Pixy’s bipartisan piece - AOC said when there are issues related to national security risks, Congress gets a classified briefing. She said there have been ZERO classified briefings about TikTok to congress.

So why propose such a significant ban?

And that is where she stops and I start - I think the biggest reason is the progressive movement in our country and overwhelming winning of hearts and minds of teens through 20-something year olds as a result of participation in the app.

Those groups don’t like FB and like IG less than TT it is also harder to connect with new folks on IG than TT. A huge benefit to banning TT would be to cut the head off the dragon of progressive grassroots communications that expose the threats of CPAC and other groups and inspire progressive activism. I mentioned certain communities upthread but nursing and other healthcare unions are also thriving in their organizing thanks to connections on TT.

I’m 100% in favor of the U.S. passing its own data protection laws. But any social media company — no matter where it’s headquartered — that does business in Europe will be GDPR-compliant across its entire user base. It’s too risky not to be.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Cambridge Analytica scandal predated GDPR, which didn’t go into effect until 2018.

This may be a tangential point to the entire discussion, but as someone who’s been in the industry for a while now, the way data is handled today — even in the U.S. — is very different from a decade ago. If you look at the some of the lawsuits being referenced in this thread, the allegations took place in a pre-GDPR timeframe.

ETA: I agree with the point that GDPR underscored the importance of having strong data privacy regulations, which we absolutely need here — if for no other reason than it would increase the consequences for violations. But the U.S. is so late on this that social media companies are already complying with a standard that’s likely stricter than anything we’d be able to pass.

ETA - you probably know and can explain this better than I can , but here was my reply to your comment based on what I know on how my legal team moved forward with implementation of compliance - if I’m in error please correct me: /ETA

You’re probably right in terms of how the back end data collection is structured. However, you can also set up your site to limit functionality when people are in the European Economic Area covered by GDPR. You can flag the data and users at the point of protection in accessing the app to identify if the user (as a whole) and/or certain data collection activity was protected by GDPR.

Any data collected when on US soil is not GDPR protected. It only protects data gathered while in the covered European economic Area. So even if we American Citizens or Residents ask for our data to be destroyed or returned to us as GDPR protects, the companies are not required to do so - even if they can do so- if the data was submitted from here in America because the data wasn’t protected by GDPR.

Certain TT functionality isn’t available in the EEA because of GDPR protections; that is where most companies ensure compliance - at the point of collection.

My company tracks it on an individual flag (e.g. did the patient or applicant set up their data account with us while in the EEA or was it when on US soil?) as well as functionality basis (if you are in the EEA you can’t enter certain info without reading and signing off a million disclaimers that we may not be able to return or destroy the records if US law supersedes the requirement to retain it).

If we get a bunch of requests invoking the GDPR privileges we may find ourselves in a manual record management quagmire but so far very few individuals have asked.

[sakoro]

Mar 26, 2023 15:00:21 GMT -5 Michelle said:

You’re probably right in terms of how the back end data collection is structured. However, you can also set up your site to limit functionality when people are in the European Economic Area covered by GDPR. You can flag the data and users at the point of protection in accessing the app to identify if the user (as a whole) and/or certain data collection activity was protected by GDPR.

Any data collected when on US soil is not GDPR protected. It only protects data gathered while in the covered European economic Area. So even if we American Citizens or Residents ask for our data to be destroyed or returned to us as GDPR protects, the companies are not required to do so - even if they can do so- if the data was submitted from here in America because the data wasn’t protected by GDPR.

Certain TT functionality isn’t available in the EEA because of GDPR protections; that is where most companies ensure compliance - at the point of collection.

My company tracks it on an individual flag (e.g. did the patient or applicant set up their data account with us while in the EEA or was it when on US soil?) as well as functionality basis (if you are in the EEA you can’t enter certain info without reading and signing off a million disclaimers that we may not be able to return or destroy the records if US law supersedes the requirement to retain it).

If we get a bunch of requests invoking the GDPR privileges we may find ourselves in a manual record management quagmire but so far very few individuals have asked.

This is how my global company handles EU data in big applications. The EU customers are “fenced off”, meaning North America or Asia Pacific employees can’t look them up. They also minimized the number of data fields that appear in the EU application to fit the GDPR philosophy of only collecting essential data for conducting necessary business processes. But in other regions, you can use all the fields.

China passed its own law in 2021 and we will likely have to fence off their customer data in a separate cloud as well. They seem to be wary of information about Chinese citizens being stored in non-Chinese located databases or for people outside China being able to access it.

I have to say that people in other countries like Europe/ China are much more privacy conscious. Particularly anywhere that has experience within ~100 years of fascist or totalitarian governments. Americans are mostly concerned about health information and identity theft but are quite happy to hand over all kinds of other information to marketers. I think we need to be much more skeptical of the entire social media landscape, not just Tictok.