So TikTok has discovered itself within the information a number of late, and none of that information has been for something good. We’ve seen nations ban the app from authorities telephones and we even noticed the BBC do the identical. Now, its CEO has been dragged earlier than a U.S. congressional listening to. And it was all fairly surreal.
Not surreal in a very good type of method, both. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew confronted hours upon hours of questions on every kind of issues, however little of it was of any actual use. TikTok remains to be TikTok. Nothing’s modified.
Will it change? Maybe. At least one politician may now know somewhat extra about how Wi-Fi works.
This retains occurring
Why do politicians preserve forcing tech CEOs to come back earlier than the US Congress after which insist on asking the sorts of questions that do little greater than present they’re clueless?
Not essentially clueless about what they do on the each day. I wish to suppose all politicians no matter political leaning are good at what they do. But it is when issues flip to tech that a few of these well-educated individuals appear to lose all grasp of their schools.
One instance? How about Representative Richard Hudson asking if TikTok used individuals’s house Wi-Fi community? The query was so sudden that TikTok’s CEO appeared confused by it. So Hudson clarified the query.
“If I have the TikTok app on my phone, and my phone is on my home Wi-Fi network, does TikTok have access to that network?” Chew mentioned that sure, if the consumer was on their house Wi-Fi then positive, it will. Whether that satiated anybody, we’ll by no means know.
Maybe Hudson ought to take a look at iMore’s record of the most effective Wi-Fi routers round if he is having issues sooner or later.
A U.S. politician attempting to know the idea of WiFi. pic.twitter.com/FUEM2jjJkVMarch 24, 2023
There have been different cases, too. Georgia’s consultant, Earl “Buddy” Carter needed to know whether or not TikTok was watching his pupils somewhat too carefully. Could TikTok’s algorithm use his pupil dilation as an indication that it ought to put extra of the identical content material into his feed?
Again, Chew appeared perplexed. And rightfully so.
Others accused TikTok of selling fentanyl whereas working for the Mexican drug cartels.
Congress and the Biden administration want to ban TikTok… by saying they promote fentanyl and work with Mexican cartels. More right here: https://t.co/U3veEy9Tyj pic.twitter.com/W78tlZNrYsMarch 23, 2023
Have these individuals seen the web earlier than?
There have been many extra examples of politicians losing their probability to quiz the CEO of an enormous social media platform in entrance of tv cameras. They needed to grandstand and showboat, hardly ever managing to ask pertinent questions that get to the center of what was purported to be the priority right here — can TikTok be pressured at hand knowledge on world customers over to the Chinese authorities?
Turns out, even when it might, all that knowledge will inform it’s whether or not my pupils dilate when watching cat movies and the place to get their subsequent fentanyl repair.
TikTok this morning is simply filled with movies of congress embarrassing themselves asking questions on TikTok. Great work, everyone pic.twitter.com/tKrWX4ijZrMarch 24, 2023
Bigger than TikTok
It is not simply TikTok, both. We’ve seen high-profile CEOs from different huge tech firms put into this place earlier than. A place the place they might be really grilled on what their enterprise fashions are. How they use the info their prospects present. Whether they promote hate speech, and extra.
But as an alternative, we’ve a room of tech-illiterate politicians asking about Wi-Fi and making claims which might be merely outlandish. At one level Chew was requested if TikTok helps genocide!
For the document, he mentioned “no.” TikTok doesn’t assist genocide.
That’s good to know.
The reply
Ultimately, the one possible way we are able to ever count on to get any helpful solutions out of tech CEOs and other people like them is to have material specialists ask the questions within the first place. People who know what they’re speaking about. People who perceive not solely the questions they ask however what questions they need to ask within the first place. Only then can we count on actual, usable solutions.
And who is aware of, it might be a bonus if they may not make themselves look foolish within the course of, too.
