TikTok's Troubles Continue: Show Notes, 12/22/22
Also, the FTX scandal continues and Zelensky speaks to Congress.
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TikTok Under Government Threat
The parent company of the popular social media video app, TikTok, has announced that an internal audit revealed employees collected the private data of two American journalists. This comes amid fears that the sheer amount of data the app collects rises to the level of national security risk.
ByteDance’s general counsel, Erich Andersen, revealed the findings of the investigation, which was conducted by an outside law firm, in an email to employees on Thursday.
All four employees involved in the scheme were fired. Two of those employees were based in China and two were in the United States. ByteDance said it has restructured its internal audit and risk team and has removed any access to U.S. data from that department. The targeted reporters wrote for BuzzFeed and The Financial Times, ByteDance said, though it declined to identify them and other affected TikTok users.
Mr. Andersen and ByteDance’s chief executive, Rubo Liang, revealed the findings of the investigation in separate emails to employees.
At the same time, Louisiana becomes the latest state in the country to begin the process of banning the app on government-issued devices. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has banned the app from all devices his department issues, and he has requested in a letter that Governor John Bel Edwards do the same.
FTX: The Scandal That Keeps on Giving
Sam Bankman-Fried went from billionaire and prominent Democratic donor to America’s Most Wanted in quite a hurry. And while he’s busy complaining about the lack of accommodations in prison, his two closest allies have pled guilty in an effort to get a good plea deal. The walls may be closing in.
At the same time, there is increased scrutiny on Democrats who took major donations from SBF. One of those is Rep. Chuy Garcia, who sits on the House Financial Services Committee. During one of his congressional runs, where he ran unopposed, he received about $200,000 in donations from SBF/FTX. Garcia is currently the frontrunner in the race for mayor of Chicago.
Zelensky’s Plea
You should read this take on President Zelensky’s speech to Congress. It is probably the closest to my reaction on the speech, and closest to where I sit on the issue of the war in Ukraine.
One the one hand, we should continue to question all government spending, no matter which party is behind it. That includes this horrific omnibus spending bill being forced through as well as any future money sent to Ukraine. But, on the other hand, stopping Russia from asserting its dominance and influence is undoubtedly the right call from a foreign policy perspective. That leaves a lot of Russia-skeptical fiscal conservatives in a bit of a moral quandary, though.
Headlines of the Day
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to be released on $250 million bail, will live with his parents (CNBC)
Senate kicks government funding drama closer to shutdown deadline (Politico)
Louisiana Plumber Offers Critical Advice in Protecting Pipes During Hard Freeze (KPEL)
Why detransitioners are crucial to the science of gender care (Reuters)
I.R.S. Routinely Audited Obama and Biden, Raising Questions Over Delays for Trump (New York Times)