Alibaba develops ‘most popular app on Apple’s China app store’ on behalf of China’s Communist Party

[Enover5]

This is why I don’t shop at Alibaba nor use Chinese tech giants’ services (not even Tencent btw).

 

Two people working at Alibaba confirmed the development of « Xuexi Qiangguo », a propaganda app praising Chinese president Xi Jinping’s policy and reiterating the crucial role of the Communist Party in China, was undertaken by the « Y Projects Business Unit », a shaaaaady branch of the company meant to develop solutions other than for the parent company. The app « dethroned Tik Tok’s Chinese version Douyin and WeChat to become the country’s most popular app on Apple’s China app store » (the app is of course also available on Android).

 

As bad as a corporation cooperating with a government is, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise to a lot of people as Jack Ma, the company’s founder, is an eminent member of the Communist Party, and China being a dictatorship, it makes its giant tech corporates such as Tencent or *Huawei* cooperate by force anyway. The app has been downloaded more than 45 million people since its launch in January, and part of its popularity comes from the obligation for expansive Communist Party members to download it. The app launched ahead of the annual party reunion that takes place in March.

 

The real problem is this cooperation creates so many privacy concerns I cannot help but feel sorry for the Chinese people. I mean, no one can certify the app has no tracker or other spyware hidden in the app that the government would have wanted. And if you add the facial recognition system already present in most of China's megalopoles and big cities, well, I feel sad. You feel it, too, don't you?

 

Source: Reuters

(I first saw it on French online newspaper 20minutes)

[dizmo]

In before the lock

 

On the other hand, one should just assume it has spyware in it, it's China. Look. At everything else they do. They already track all spending. 45 million downloads is pretty tiny compared to their population. I'd have thought it'd be more. 

[LukeSavenije]

6 minutes ago, VegetableStu said:

no a few months back you were mentioning-- nevermind ._.

I am dutch, but i don't get why you're saying you are dutch when i don't even know what you meant

[suicidalfranco]

let's see if Apple will take it down like they did with those Google and facebook apps

 

 

guessing not gonna happen 

[Teddy07]

I hope Alibaba expands operations in western countries

[Enover5]

11 minutes ago, Teddy07 said:

I hope Alibaba expands operations in western countries

<--- I'll personally come in your sleep.

:cue For Mankind by Misha Mansoor:

[Bananasplit_00]

 

how can someone that looks this cute be evil? smh

[MyName13]

1 hour ago, dizmo said:

On the other hand, one should just assume it has spyware in it, it's China. Look. At everything else they do.

Unlike Google, Microsoft, NSA etc.?

[dizmo]

11 minutes ago, MyName13 said:

Unlike Google, Microsoft, NSA etc.?

I trust them more than I do China. 

[Bcat00]

So how is this any different from the US aside from it being a more blatant form of spying?

[MyName13]

5 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I trust them more than I do China. 

Why?

[Peskanova]

14 minutes ago, MyName13 said:

Why?

Because he's from there, If he was chinese he will said just the oposite.   If I where american I would be worried more about rusia than anything chinese related

[BananaInSandals]

3 hours ago, Enover5 said:

a propaganda app praising Chinese president Xi Jinping’s policy

Hail Emperor Xi Jinping. Long live the Empire!

[Enover5]

Also, the app is expected to reach 80m downloads by the time the party holds the ceremony.

[Drak3]

2 hours ago, MyName13 said:

Why?

Multiple parties.

 

Whereas China has a single party, a Communist party. Communism leads to blood baths, slaughter the citizens when Communism hits the point that it cannot survive.

[LukeSavenije]

2 minutes ago, VegetableStu said:

aaaaaaaaaahh nevermind

/obtuse attempt.exe -abort

fixing vegetablestu.dll

 

pending

[Enover5]

2 hours ago, BananaInSandals said:

Hail Emperor Xi Jinping. Long live the Empire!

[dizmo]

3 hours ago, MyName13 said:

Why?

See below.

3 hours ago, Peskanova said:

Because he's from there, If he was chinese he will said just the oposite.   If I where american I would be worried more about rusia than anything chinese related

I'm not, actually.

The Chinese government is incredibly suppressive, controlling, and kills large numbers of people every year in the name of profit and suppression of ideals. So no, I don't support them, and I don't want them to have my data. Google and Microsoft are both companies, they want it for marketing, feeding me ads, and how the product is used. It's completely different.

[Peskanova]

27 minutes ago, dizmo said:

See below.

I'm not, actually.

The Chinese government is incredibly suppressive, controlling, and kills large numbers of people every year in the name of profit and suppression of ideals. So no, I don't support them, and I don't want them to have my data. Google and Microsoft are both companies, they want it for marketing, feeding me ads, and how the product is used. It's completely different.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/02/google-working-on-censored-search-engine-for-china

[Techstorm970]

52 minutes ago, Peskanova said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/02/google-working-on-censored-search-engine-for-china

"Google Working on Censored Search Engine for China" because China made them do that.  Duh!

 

Google isn't just going to cannibalize a huge market just because they disagree with a country's government.

[williamcll]

7 hours ago, Peskanova said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/02/google-working-on-censored-search-engine-for-china

I thought they stopped doing that already. The recent google conference in Beijing had no mention of a search engine.

[dizmo]

10 hours ago, Peskanova said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/02/google-working-on-censored-search-engine-for-china

At the behest of China. So. China is still at fault.

[Salv8 (sam)]

Australia is next door neighbors with China, fucken wankers...

i mean every single fucken day their dog takes a shit on our lawn, takes the news paper then bites the cat and rips out it's insides (damn, the 34th one this month!).

the rest of the neighborhood doesn't like them, especially the U.S, i swear to god they are making tanks and guns in their garage to storm them and run them out of neighborhood and you know what...

i think the rest of the neighborhood is going to join in, not me though, i have to go to the pound and get a new cats since sparkles is dead.

oh hey! a black cat with green eyes, whats you name little guy?...

khajiit is not amused with this human, bring khajiit another one!

oh my god he speaks! can you kill a dog?

khajiit can kill anything, dog or bird, khajiit will kill his enemy...

can i get this one? he looks like he'll kill the neighbors dog without much problem, also it will stop me from coming back and getting cats killed.

up you come little buddy!

Khajiit Is disgraced...