So TikTok has discovered itself within the information plenty of late, and none of that information has been for something good. We have seen international locations 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 an excellent 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 continues to be TikTok. Nothing’s modified.
Will it change? Possibly. No less than one politician would possibly now know just a little extra about how Wi-Fi works.
This retains taking place
Why do politicians maintain 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. However it’s when issues flip to tech that a few of these well-educated folks appear to lose all grasp of their schools.
One instance? How about Consultant Richard Hudson asking if TikTok used folks’s residence Wi-Fi community? The query was so sudden that TikTok’s CEO appeared confused by it. So Hudson clarified the query.
“If I’ve the TikTok app on my cellphone, and my cellphone is on my residence Wi-Fi community, does TikTok have entry to that community?” Chew stated that sure, if the person was on their residence Wi-Fi then positive, it might. Whether or not that satiated anybody, we’ll by no means know.
Possibly Hudson ought to take a look at iMore’s checklist of the greatest 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 situations, too. Georgia’s consultant, Earl “Buddy” Carter wished to know whether or not TikTok was watching his pupils just a little too carefully. May TikTok’s algorithm use his pupil dilation as an indication that it ought to put extra of the identical content material into his feed?
Once more, Chew appeared perplexed. And rightfully so.
Others accused TikTok of selling fentanyl whereas working for the Mexican drug cartels.
Congress and the Biden administration wish to ban TikTok… by saying they promote fentanyl and work with Mexican cartels. Extra right here: https://t.co/U3veEy9Tyj pic.twitter.com/W78tlZNrYsMarch 23, 2023
Have these folks seen the web earlier than?
There have been many extra examples of politicians losing their likelihood to quiz the CEO of an enormous social media platform in entrance of tv cameras. They wished to grandstand and showboat, hardly ever managing to ask pertinent questions that get to the center of what was presupposed to be the priority right here — can TikTok be compelled handy knowledge on international customers over to the Chinese language authorities?
Seems, even when it may, 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 stuffed with movies of congress embarrassing themselves asking questions on TikTok. Nice work, all people pic.twitter.com/tKrWX4ijZrMarch 24, 2023
Larger than TikTok
It is not simply TikTok, both. We have seen high-profile CEOs from different huge tech corporations put into this place earlier than. A place the place they may very well be actually grilled on what their enterprise fashions are. How they use the info their prospects present. Whether or not they promote hate speech, and extra.
However as an alternative, we now have a room of tech-illiterate politicians asking about Wi-Fi and making claims which can be merely outlandish. At one level Chew was requested if TikTok helps genocide!
For the file, he stated “no.” TikTok doesn’t help genocide.
That is good to know.
The reply
Finally, the one possible way we will ever count on to get any helpful solutions out of tech CEOs and folks like them is to have subject material consultants ask the questions within the first place. Individuals who know what they’re speaking about. Individuals who perceive not solely the questions they ask however what questions they need to ask within the first place. Solely 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.
