Discussion

• @reprickcrawford Rep Rick Crawford on x

  .@tiktok_us is an extension of the Communist Chinese government and needs to be banned in America. The President and @SecPompeo will thoroughly and swiftly determine what's best. We cannot allow them to operate and be a conduit back to #China. #BanTikTok https://www.reuters.com/.…

• @senrickscott Rick Scott on x

  Every American must understand the risk from apps including @tiktok_us that are used by the Chinese Gov't to spy on Americans. That's why I introduced a bill that would ban TikTok on US government phones. I'm glad @SecPompeo & the Administration are taking this threat seriously. …

• @marietjeschaake Marietje Schaake on x

  Hm, okay, the Chinese tech firm leaves Hong Kong over security concerns that requests for data under the Chinese national security law can lead to? 🧐 There is another place to exit my friends... ↘️ https://twitter.com/...

• @karsonwhy Karson Yiu on x

  TikTok to pull out of Hong Kong...does that mean HK goes into the Douyin bubble? https://www.axios.com/...

• @dude_br0 A Saleh on x

  TikTok making vanity plays out here https://twitter.com/...

• @sumilvs Sumil Sudhakaran on x

  TikTok to pullout of HK, reports @axios. But then again TikTok isn't available in China either. Bytedance has a separate version for mainland China, Douyin. I guess this move is a precursor to introducing Douyin to Hong Kong? https://www.axios.com/...

• @jamesallworth James Allworth on x

  Are they going to pull out of China while they're at it 🤨 https://twitter.com/...

• @tinssoldier Kristine Servando on x

  “In light of recent events, we've decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong,” spokesperson tells @axios, after China's national security law came into effect. TikTok's operator has said it hasn't shared data with the Chinese government nor would it, report says. h…

• @tmclaughlin3 Timothy McLaughlin on x

  “TikTok said last September it had 150,000 users in Hong Kong. While that number has probably gone up since, it is still a small market and not yet a profitable one either, according to the company.” https://twitter.com/...

• @wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x

  How can TikTok share our data if we don't really use it here to begin with? https://twitter.com/...

• @rhaccart Renaud Haccart on x

  Weird as it seems, this is an ironic admission that HK is now just like China in ByteDance's eye. TikTok has been trying to distance itself from China's long shadow by not operating in China (ByteDance has another app for that). So now, the message is HK = China. https://twitter.…

• Vox Rebecca Heilweil on x

  Google joins a group of major tech companies in pushing back against Hong Kong's new security law

• @hongkongfp Hong Kong Free Press on x

  Exclusive: Telegram to temporarily refuse data requests from Hong Kong courts amid security law ‘terrorism’ row https://hongkongfp.com/... @telegram #Hongkong #china https://twitter.com/...

• @maryhui Mary Hui on x

  .@LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, is also “pausing” its processing of data requests from Hong Kong law enforcement officials as it reviews the national security law. That's in addition to Facebook, Google, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Zoom. https://twitter.com/...

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  Just in, WhatsApp “pausing” reviews of law enforcement requests in Hong Kong until an assessment including human rights consultations of the new realities brought by the National Security Law. We're in unprecedented territory with the law, tech cos very much caught in the middle.

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  Oof: “the commissioner of police is to be given powers to control the dissemination of information online, when they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect such information may lead to national security crimes.” https://hongkongfp.com/...

• @qrs Trammell Hudson on x

  As recently as four hours ago @signalapp claimed they had no data to turn over to governments, but that is no longer true once a PIN is enabled, and as of the most recent update there is no longer a way to opt-out from uploading your data to their servers. https://twitter.com/...

• @rosalindzadams Rosalind Adams on x

  Have gotten so many notifications of my HK contacts signing up for signal in the last few days https://twitter.com/...

• @jasoncrawford Jason Crawford on x

  Signal, virtuing https://twitter.com/...

• @sariarhohavren Sari Arho Havrn on x

  Important thread. Is HK about to fall inside the Firewall? Tech giants not ready to comply. Whatsapp assessing human rights issues. https://twitter.com/...

• @ianbremmer Ian Bremmer on x

  Sounds...just like China. https://twitter.com/...

• @jotted Alexandra Stevenson on x

  Biz doesn't think this law will change anything... If an internet company fails to comply to turn over data in cases related to national security, it faces a fine of $13,000 and 6 months in prison for an employee. Police can order internet posts be deleted. https://twitter.com/..…

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  And because the nat sec law applies to anyone anywhere, it means police can demand posts be taken down that were put up by people outside HK. Similarly can demand data on people outside HK. We'll see how it's enforced, but if it is, not sure I see how tech cos can stay in HK.

• @kenroth Kenneth Roth on x

  Given Beijing's repressive “national security” law for Hong Kong, Facebook says it will temporarily stop processing Hong Kong government requests for user data. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...

• @kongtsunggan Kong Tsung-gan on x

  In last 24hrs ⁦@telegram⁩ ⁦@Twitter⁩ & ⁦@Facebook⁩ have said they're pausing acceding to requests for user data from #HK authorities in wake of #CCP security law while ⁦@signalapp⁩ has said it never has or will. Huge CCP PR disaster https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  And more now: Facebook just issued a statement saying it too is pausing review of government requests for user data from Hong Kong pending further assessment of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence. Eyes on Google and Twitter now... https://twitt…

• @brooklynmarie Brooke Binkowski on x

  Yeah? Wow, if only someone could have foreseen that @Facebook might land itself in the some major human rights violations (again.) Nice going, assholes https://twitter.com/...

• @hubei_peasant @hubei_peasant on x

  My first guess is that either tech firms comply or they face getting banned in HK - once again, there is little marginal cost for the Party to do stuff that upsets the West (and local liberals) in HK https://twitter.com/...

• @nixxin Nikhil Pahwa on x

  This is fascinating and important to watch, especially given the India-China situation wrt apps. This is about WhatsApp pausing reviews of law enforcement requests in Hong Kong post the National Security Law. (1/n) https://twitter.com/...

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  If I'm reading this right, at this point any internet operator trying to stay in Hong Kong will have to censor at the whims of police or face having it be censored for them by police. If companies don't hand over user data it's 100k fine/6 months in jail. https://www.info.gov.hk/…

• @factal @factal on x

  Hong Kong police given power conduct warrantless searches, restrict movement, freeze assets and control information online, according to new details of security law https://hongkongfp.com/...

• @charlesmok @charlesmok on x

  Facebook Temporarily Stops Hong Kong Data Requests The social network said it would review the city's punitive new national security law, a rare public questioning of Chinese policy by a large American tech company. https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @pinboard @pinboard on x

  Same question for Facebook. What was it handing over to Hong Kong authorities over before, during the year when at least some protesters were relying on Facebook products for secure messaging? https://twitter.com/...

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  Facebook temporarily halts giving user data to Hong Kong authorities as it reviews the national security law. A big move that will not go down well in Beijing. This sets the stage for a back and forth that will sculpt the future of HK internet freedoms. https://www.nytimes.com/..…

• @pinboard @pinboard on x

  The implication that Twitter was complying with information requests from Hong Kong authorities previously is alarming if true. Did anyone follow this up with the company? https://twitter.com/...

• @natashakhanhk Natasha Khan on x

  The company is “pausing” such reviews “pending further assessment of the impact of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts,” a WhatsApp spokeswoman said in response to a Wall Street Journal query on Monday…

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  Here's the Facebook statement: “We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and support the right of people to express themselves without fear for their safety or other repercussions. We have a global process for government requests and in reviewing each...”

• @sohamsankaran Soham Sankaran on x

  Good. Hope other US, Indian, and European companies follow suit, whatever the business consequences. https://twitter.com/...

• @wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x

  I am not able to comment on this. https://twitter.com/...

• @wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on x

  Lemme guess, WhatsApp and other apps to be banned in HK because they don't process user data requests, open backdoors, or disclose source code for further audits which will totally threaten “National Security” https://twitter.com/...

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  Telegram made a similar call today too. The back and forth over this will begin to chart a path for the future of Hong Kong's internet under the national security law. It may well be internet cos. decide to treat HK requests as they would China ones. Which would be a big change.

• @paulmozur @paulmozur on x

  Here's a part of the statement: “We will pause reviewing law enforcement requests for WhatsApp user data from the HK government pending further assessment of the impact of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence+consultations with HR experts.”