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☆ Some universities are now restricting TikTok access on campus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A small but growing number of universities are now blocking access to TikTok on school-owned devices or WiFi networks, in the latest sign of a widening crackdown on the popular short-form video app. The 26 universities and colleges in the University System of Georgia are also reportedly taking a similar step. Auburn University in Alabama started restricting access to TikTok on school-owned devices or Wi-Fi networks last week, in accordance with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s recent executive order for state-owned networks and devices to block access to and from the TikTok social media application. But an Auburn University spokesperson told CNN the decision is “not a ban on campus.” TikTok users will still be able to access the app on personal devices via their own mobile data.

☆ TikTok is removing some of the mystery behind how it recommends videos to users
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —If you’ve ever wondered why TikTok suggested a certain video in your feed, you may start to get a little more clarity. TikTok on Tuesday said it is beginning to roll out a new feature to add more context about how the platform’s algorithms recommend videos in your “For You” feed. But TikTok said that it has plans to build up this feature with more details in the future. “Looking ahead, we’ll continue to expand this feature to bring more granularity and transparency to content recommendations,” the company said in a blog post. TikTok has also taken steps to isolate US user data from other parts of its business.

☆ What could GOP control of the House mean for U.S.-China tensions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

McCarthy also says he plans to create a House select committee on China, the first since the late 1990s. House Republicans will also investigate the origins of the coronavirus and “the CCP’s role in the spread,” the blog post said, although it is unclear whether that investigation would be part of the select committee. Tensions were further inflamed in August by Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, the first by a sitting U.S. House speaker since 1997. The most volatile issue in U.S.-China relations is the status of Taiwan, which Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 3, 2022.

☆ U.S. slaps restrictions on Chinese chipmaker and other companies over national security worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration said Thursday it was "severely" restricting dozens of mostly Chinese organizations, including at least one chipmaker, over their efforts to use advanced technologies to help modernize China's military. The Bureau's latest action comes more than two months after the Biden administration imposed new curbs on China's access to advanced semiconductors. "I've long sounded the alarm on the grave national security and economic threats behind YMTC and other CCP-backed technology companies, like CXMT and SMIC," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Thursday morning. "YMTC poses an immediate threat to our national security, so the Biden Administration needed to act swiftly to prevent YMTC from gaining even an inch of a military or economic advantage," Schumer said. Four more were added due to "their significant risk of becoming involved in activities that could have a negative impact" on U.S. national security of foreign policy, according to the release.

☆ Premarket stocks: Investors are hoping for the economic tide to turn. The wait may soon be over
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

What’s happening: Price increases in the United States cooled more than economists expected last month, recording the lowest level of growth since last December. This is the second consecutive month of moderating price pressures and could mean the underlying trend of inflation is finally decelerating. That’s a welcome and hopeful sign for consumers, policymakers and investors, said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. The bill specifically names TikTok and its parent, ByteDance, as social media companies for the purposes of the legislation. In the past two weeks, at least seven states have introduced such measures, including Maryland, South Dakota and Utah.

☆ Lawmakers unveil bipartisan bill that aims to ban TikTok in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has raised fears in the U.S. that Chinese government officials could gain access to U.S. user data under Chinese law that could compel the company to hand over information. TikTok has insisted U.S. user data is safely stored outside of China, which it says should keep it out of reach of government officials. A new bill from a bipartisan group of lawmakers, if passed, would ban TikTok in the U.S. after years of broad concern across the Trump and Biden administrations about potential Chinese government influence on the company. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before Congress recently that he's "extremely concerned" about the Chinese government's potential influence through TikTok on U.S. users. "It is troubling that rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States," a TikTok spokesperson said.

☆ China's stunning reversal on lockdowns showed that mass protests can influence policy change in the country — but experts say it still doesn't threaten Xi's regime
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But experts on China say it's unlikely the protests will embolden future political movements. The changes come after protests against COVID measures erupted all across China — rare for a country where dissent is snuffed out quickly. Baogang He, the chair of international relations at Deakin University in Australia, agreed that the protests show how mass anger can influence government policy, but not regime change. "No one is strong enough to exploit or dare to use these protests to mount a challenge to Xi Jinping," Xi, the professor, told Insider. Chong said that although Xi holds extensive power in China, the protests and subsequent rollback both underscore how he can make major mistakes, too.

☆ Republican lawmakers criticize U.S. grant to battery company with China ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Two senior Republican lawmakers on Wednesday were highly critical of the decision by the U.S. Energy Department to award $200 million to Microvast Holdings (MVST.O) over the lithium battery company's ties to the Chinese government. In October, Texas-based Microvast won a $20 million U.S. grant from the department to help build a new EV battery components plant in Tennessee. Representative Frank Lucas, top Republican on the House Science Committee, said nearly 80% of Microvast’sassets are in China and 61% of its revenue in 2021 originated in China. In November, Microvast and General Motors (GM.N)said they would work together "to develop specialized EV battery separator technology and build a new separator plant in the U.S., which is expected to create hundreds of new jobs." Over 200 companies applied for $2.8 billion in Energy Department grants and 20 received awards.

Elon Musk's Twitter profile is seen on a smartphone placed on printed Twitter logos in this picture illustration taken April 28, 2022. Taibbi has an exclusive podcast deal with Musk's friend and Twitter investor David Sacks via his podcasting platform, Callin. Taibbi and Weiss both write newsletters on Substack, which is partly funded by Andreessen Horowitz, a co-investor in Twitter with Musk. Musk has even gone so far as to say that Twitter, which he now owns and leads, interfered with U.S. elections. During a Twitter Spaces discussion, Musk suggested more files would be released regarding how Twitter handled the 2020 presidential election, the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and the Covid-19 pandemic.

☆ U.S. senators warn China against any violent crackdown on protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of more than 40 U.S. senators warned China on Thursday against any violent crackdown on protests there, saying it would do "extraordinary damage" to the U.S.-China relationship. The 42 senators, led by Democrats Dan Sullivan and Jeff Merkley and Republicans Mitch McConnell and Todd Young, said in a letter to China's Washington ambassador Qin Gang that they were following the protests in China very carefully. "We are also closely watching the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) reaction to them," the senators' letter said, noting Beijing's violent crackdown on student protesters in 1989 that they said killed hundreds, if not thousands of people. "We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. Three decades ago, in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the United States and many Western governments imposed sanctions against China over the killings.

☆ Xi Jinping's Biggest Crisis yet: China Lockdown Protests, Stumbling Economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Over what has been a stunning week, China has erupted in mass protests calling for an end to the country's restrictive COVID lockdowns. Easing the COVID lockdowns could spur a potentially devastating public health crisis. Accepting Western vaccines or rolling back zero COVID would be a tacit admission that he is fallible. There's lots of money to be made in China, and its economy would almost certainly improve if zero COVID restrictions were loosened. Under Xi, China was already shuttering its doors long before the pandemic struck.

On Monday, the White House said it backed the right of people to peacefully protest in China but stopped short of criticizing Beijing as protesters in multiple Chinese cities demonstrated against heavy COVID-19 measures. The Republican response was swift. Senator Ted Cruz called White House response "pitiful," adding in a tweet: "At a potentially historic inflection point, Dems shill for the CCP." Beyond this, say analysts, the U.S. wants to avoid language that allows China to pin the protests on U.S. interference. Daniel Russel, who served as the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia in the Obama administration, said the Biden White House would be focused on the next steps by Chinese authorities.

☆ Apple limited a crucial AirDrop function in China just weeks before protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Protests in China have attracted international attention as the greatest challenge of President Xi Jinping's premiership and a major knock to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) longstanding authority. But their spread within China was partially hobbled by a key change in Apple 's AirDrop feature, launched just weeks before the unrest. AirDrop, which allows users to share content between Apple devices, has become an important tool in protestors' efforts to circumvent authoritarian censorship regimes over recent years. That is because it relies on wireless connections between phones, rather than internet connectivity, placing it beyond the scope of internet content moderators. More recently, in mid-October, AirDrop was reportedly used to disseminate messages based on banners produced by a Beijing demonstrator known as "Bridge man."

☆ South Dakota's Kristi Noem bans the use of TikTok on government devices, says China uses the platform to 'manipulate' Americans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US officials have raised security concerns about TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company. Kristi Noem signed an executive order restricting the app for officials. The ban will prohibit state officials from using TikTok on government devices, Noem said. Kristi Noem banned the use of TikTok on government devices on Tuesday, saying China uses the social media platform to manipulate Americans. US officials have, for years, raised security concerns about TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

☆ An exiled billionaire has given Chinese protesters 7 tips for stonewalling police if they get arrested
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui shared tips for how protesters can deal with police questioning. Guo posted his tips on Gettr, the social media site relaunched by a former Donald Trump aide. Guo Wengui, who is also a political activist, shared the tips in a post on Tuesday. Gettr is a social media app that was previously in Chinese and used by dissidents to oppose the Chinese Communist Party, according to Politico. Guo was accused of corruption and fled to the US in 2014 as the Chinese government initiated a campaign to discredit him.

☆ DeSantis praises Chinese protesters for 'finally speaking out' against 'draconian' COVID-19 lockdowns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DeSantis praised the protestors and said COVID lockdowns belong in the "ash heap of history." Chinese protestors held up blank, white pieces of paper above their heads to protest against the zero COVID policies. "Zero COVID is just a pretext for them to do what they want to do anyways. He called China's COVID policies "draconian" and said lockdowns belong in the "ash heap of history." The White House has also weighed in on the protests in China, predicting that zero COVID policy would be ineffective.

☆ DeSantis says Congress should act if Apple follows through on Elon Musk claims and bans Twitter from App Store
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk has alleged that Apple has threatened to remove Twitter from its App store. Ron DeSantis of Florida said Tuesday that Congress should intervene if Apple boots Twitter from its App Store. On Monday, Musk accused Apple of considering retaliation against Twitter by threatening to remove the social media company from its App Store. When asked about Musk's political support, DeSantis has previously said he welcomes "support from African Americans." If Apple were to remove Twitter from its App Store, then current users couldn't download Twitter updates and new users wouldn't be able download the Twitter app onto their iPhones or iPads.

☆ China sees protests against COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

CHINA PROTESTS Fire deaths fuel COVID lockdown fury How the protests gained momentumProtests have flared in several cities in mainland China in recent days, in a wave of civil disobedience unprecedented since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago. Protests reported across China Protest mapAlthough the demonstrations in recent days are thousands of miles apart, they share elements in common. Video shows crowds topple police barricades in the street to protest against COVID curbs in China’s Guangzhou Crowds topple police barricades in the street to protest against COVID curbs in Guangzhou, China. Nov. 25 – Urumqi protests Crowds took to the streets at night in Urumqi, chanting "End the lockdown!" Video shows people in China’s Xinjiang protesting against COVID lockdown measures in China Protests against COVID lockdown measures in China's XinjiangIn the capital, Beijing, some 2,700 km (1,678 miles) to the east, some residents under lockdown staged small-scale protests or confronted local officials over movement restrictions.

☆ China protests could usher in 'more authoritarian' Xi era, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Police form a cordon during a protest against Chinas strict zero COVID measures on November 27, 2022 in Beijing, China. "It raises the pressure on Xi Jinping, and I think likely puts him towards a more authoritarian approach to governance in China," Green added. As such, Xi's CCP could clamp down further on public protests, Green noted. That was the case during 2019's pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and 1989's Tiananmen Square protests on the Chinese mainland. "In the short term, the Covid policy will only be fine-tuned without moving the needle," Bruce Pang, chief economist and head of research for Greater China at JLL, said Monday.

☆ A GOP congressman says TikTok should be banned in the US and is introducing legislation to do so, calling the app 'digital fentanyl'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In a Fox News appearance, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher renewed calls for a national ban on TikTok. Gallagher called the social media app "digital fentanyl" that is "addicting our kids." Gallagher and Sen. Marco Rubio introduced legislation to ban the app nationwide earlier this month. Last month, additional reports surfaced of an internal team planning to use location information gathered from US users of the TikTok app for surveillance of American citizens. TikTok has been the most downloaded app in the US since 2021, according to data by TechCrunch.

☆ ‘Stability Maintenance’ Means Repressing the Chinese Spirit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Chen Guangcheng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“What does the Chinese Communist Party fear most?” Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked me this question during a private meeting in Washington in January. Having been persecuted by Beijing for more than seven years for my human-rights work, I know that it is crucial to ask these fundamental questions. It’s the only way to begin to break down the bulwarks that prop up tyrants everywhere. That’s why many dictators—from Vladimir Putin to Saddam Hussein—make a ritual show of holding elections even when few are convinced the results will be legitimate. Real elections would mean an end to the dictators’ power.

☆ Beijing pushes back on FBI claims of Chinese ‘police stations’ in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

China on Friday pushed back on claims it was operating ‘police stations’ on U.S. soil, calling the sites volunteer-run, after the FBI director said he was “very concerned” about unauthorized stations that have been linked to Beijing’s influence operations. Safeguard Defenders, a Europe-based human rights organization, published a report in September revealing the presence of dozens of Chinese police “service stations” in major cities around the world, including New York. The Embassy did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for a list of the sites. Members of the British parliament have also called for investigations into similar sites. Republicans in the U.S. Congress, including Representative Jim Banks, have requested answers from the Biden administration about the operations of the sites.

☆ China pushes back on FBI claims of Chinese 'police stations' in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - China on Friday pushed back on claims it was operating 'police stations' on U.S. soil, calling the sites volunteer-run, after the FBI director said he was "very concerned" about unauthorized stations that have been linked to Beijing's influence operations. Safeguard Defenders, a Europe-based human rights organization, published a report in September revealing the presence of dozens of Chinese police "service stations" in major cities around the world, including New York. China's Embassy in Washington acknowledged the existence of volunteer-run sites in the United States, but said they were not "police stations" or "police service centers." Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said such stations needed to be "stopped in their tracks." "By allowing the CCP to operate these types of institutions in their countries, international governments are complicit in Beijing's actions," Clifford said.

☆ FBI chief says shadowy Chinese police stations in the US are 'outrageous' and he's 'very concerned'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he's "very concerned" about secret Chinese police stations in the US. "We are aware of the existence of these stations," Wray said during a Senate hearing. The FBI chief on Thursday said it would be "outrageous" for Chinese police to "set up shop" in New York "without proper coordination." The FBI chief said it's important for Chinese-Americans and Chinese dissidents to call the FBI and report if they believe they've been targeted by the Chinese government. "President Xi's precedent-breaking third term bodes ill for human rights in China and around the world," Yaqiu Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said last month.

☆ Fact Check-World leaders wear traditional Cambodian clothing for 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media users are sharing images of world leaders wearing traditional Cambodian clothing for a Nov. 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner. What other gathering of world leaders has had weird uniforms for them all to wear? False claims that Biden was wearing "Mao clothing" have been addressed by the Associated Press (here). World leaders were not wearing similar shirts to the 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner as part of a new uniform, nor to imitate former Chinese leader Mao. They were dressed in traditional clothing of the host nation, Cambodia, as often happens at international gatherings.

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