TikTok: problematic app, problematic ban

+ the many meanings of 'mindfulness' US Edition - Today's top story: Should the US ban TikTok? Can it? A cybersecurity expert explains the risks the app poses and the challenges to blocking it [View in browser]( US Edition | 25 March 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( TikTok, the video social media app that’s wildly popular with young people, is banned from work phones by the federal government, as well as numerous state governments and corporations. The worry is that the app collects data about users that the Chinese government can access. When TikTok’s CEO testified before Congress on Thursday, his attempts to reassure skeptical members of both parties didn’t appear to affect the growing chorus of calls for an outright ban on the app in the U.S. But what is the actual threat, and is it unique to TikTok? If the Chinese government can get hold of this information, what could it do with it? And is a ban even possible, given that 150 million Americans use the app? Iowa State University cybersecurity researcher Doug Jacobson [tackles these questions](, and points to another worrying aspect of the app: the algorithm it uses to serve content to users. This week we also liked articles about [toxic teen friendships](, [obscure 17th-century Italian masterpieces]( and [Trump’s call for protests](. Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor Is a wildly popular social media app a threat to the U.S.? AP Photo/Michael Dwyer [Should the US ban TikTok? Can it? A cybersecurity expert explains the risks the app poses and the challenges to blocking it]( Doug Jacobson, Iowa State University Banning TikTok: What data privacy risk does the app pose, and what could the Chinese government do with data it collects? And is it even possible to ban an app? Villa Aurora in Rome, which houses works by Caravaggio and Guercino, is up for sale. Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images [In a Roman villa at the center of a nasty inheritance dispute, a Caravaggio masterpiece is hidden from the public]( Monika Schmitter, UMass Amherst What will happen to this villa and its unique collection of 16th- and 17th-century ceiling paintings? A celebrity’s engagement ring can cost millions of dollars. Noam Galai/Getty Images Entertainment [Who keeps the engagement ring after a breakup? 2 law professors explain why you might want a prenup for your diamond]( Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Julia D. Mahoney, University of Virginia Just like the rest of us, celebrities take different approaches to deciding who gets the engagement ring when they get engaged but never tie the knot. - [This course asks, ‘What is mindfulness?’ – but don’t expect a clear-cut answer]( Kevin C. Taylor, University of Memphis Mindfulness is everywhere in pop culture today, but that doesn’t mean people agree on what it means. - [The view from Moscow and Beijing: What peace in Ukraine and a post-conflict world look like to Xi and Putin]( Ronald Suny, University of Michigan The setting was grand, so too was the plan. But behind the peace plan put forward by China and welcomed by Russia, is the question, what do both nations seek? - [Scientists are using machine learning to forecast bird migration and identify birds in flight by their calls]( Miguel Jimenez, Colorado State University Machine learning may not seem to have much connection with wildlife, but it’s starting to play a central role in bird conservation. - [A friend who’s more boss than BFF may be harmful for teens’ mental health]( - [Trump’s unprecedented call for protests is the latest sign of his aim to degrade America’s institutions]( - [Building better brain collaboration online – despite scientific squabbles, the decade-long Human Brain Project brought measurable success to neuroscience collaboration]( - [Federal Reserve’s ‘soft landing’ goal has become bumpier with rate hike plan hit by bank turbulence]( - [IPCC report: Climate solutions exist, but humanity has to break from the status quo and embrace innovation]( - [Ramadan finds greater recognition in America’s public schools]( The Conversation Quiz 🧠- Here’s the first question of [this week’s edition:]( Tennessee just passed a bill that prevents what from being performed in public spaces? - A. 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