[berkes]

I've always found "Chinese state surveillance" a strange argument.

As long as I don't visit China, why would I bother more about chinese databases that I end up in, through my Huawei router or Ali-express electronics (non of which I have. It's purely fictional), than about national, Europol, or American databases that I end up through my American-synced google photos/docs/contacts/gmail, or European agencies filming me on the street?

Put differently: The CCP getting my data is creepy, but hardly a problem in practice, whereas the EU or America getting that data has direct and practical implications.

(TBF: I replaced my Huawei router with a Fritz! Box because I'm afraid of leaking to the CCP. I don't use TikTok but instead Youtube/Reddit/etc for the same reason but if I think about it: did I really improve my privacy and security of my online data?)

[ImJamal]

The CCP blackmails Chinese in other countries so it matters for them.

[rangestransform]

its not about your individual data, but the geopolitical implications of rival/adversarial nations having a significant volume of friendly-nation user data

[berkes]

Ok. That makes sense.

But that also is not my individual responsibility. Why should I bother about TikTok or My Huawei router? On a geopolical scale that makes no sense. Yet at the same time, I am directly impacted by privacy infringements or malevolent compliance (cookie banners) by privacy infringing companies from the US or the EU.