Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/13/oracle-wins-bid-to-partner.html
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From the article:
…Larry Ellison, is one of Trump’s few supporters in the tech business—and his richest.
…It is unclear whether Trump, who wants a U.S. technology company to own most of TikTok in the United States, will approve the proposed deal.
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Pretty sure we can figure out the answer to that question.
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This whole thing is such a farce. I can’t believe it really got this far. It really shows how unabashed bullying really does in fact get things accomplished, even with billion dollar companies. So much for Being Best.
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Which is deeply ironic given that Microsoft has experience as a steward of consumer data across many properties. The remaining American company known to be interested in acquiring TikTok, Oracle, has less experience of doing so and almost no consumer business. Oracle does, however, offer marketing software that would become more potent if infused with the records of millions of TikTok users. Oracle also has little or no experience handling the kinds of controversies that erupt endlessly on social media platforms.
UPDATE 13:40 UTC September 14th The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle will become ByteDance’s “trusted technology partner” in the USA but won’t actually buy TikTok. It’s being speculated that “technology partner” means Oracle will host TikTok in its US cloud, but not operate the service. Such an arrangement would probably satisfy Oracle as it loves showing off its high-profile cloud clients, perhaps because its doesn’t have many customers beyond users of its applications and database.
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So this is just a capital buy-in where Oracle will act as a silent partner while also hosting the user data to assuage security concerns? That seems like a win-win for everyone that also allows everyone to save face, but I don’t see the Chinese government signing off on this without getting something else in return. I mean, Oracle is not exactly bringing much to the table here.
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I remember when Oracle was unknown outside the IT world. Back in the early dotcom days Oracle was pushing the idea of software as a service and network computer as appliance. As a well known fan and friend of Steve Jobs, there was a lot of pressure on Oracle to enter the consumer space with a network appliance. But Ellison kept focus on ERP and professed that he didn’t care about being known by ordinary consumers.
Things seem to be slowly changing; they bought naming rights for Oakland Arena, and often advertise on NPR and other general outlets. I suspect Larry is becoming more like Trump as he gets older, wanting to make sure that his escorts and girlfriends know his reputation for vain reasons. Hence Tik Tok.
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More graft from the Swamp.
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China State TV says no
edit: added second link
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TikTok users who don’t like Trump better migrate to other platforms, before they forget about this deal, and embark in another prank like the fake reservations for the Tulsa speech. Trump was hit bad, and he wanted to take control of TikTok, which just happened; that was the #1 reason. Better move elsewhere while you know that from now on all you do there is being analyzed and shared with the authorities.
Of course by “elsewhere” I don’t mean Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, since over there the privacy ratio is null by design as well. Take a look at Mastodon instead, but keep in mind that as soon as a new communication platform/device/protocol is created, the authorities immediately assign tasks for both infiltrating it posing as normal users and finding vulnerabilities to disrupt it if/when the need comes. Being Open Source and not owned by rich multinationals doesn’t protect from that eventuality: safe code and strong encryption can do nothing against social engineering.
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Get ready kids! from now on you’re only allowed to use dance moves you are explicitly licensed for. If you mess up, expect a call from Oracle’s lawyers.
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CIA/NSA getting their hands on my kids personal data. That was the real security risk. Somewhere there were kids using social networks that American spies didn’t have unlimited access to.
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Are Canadian, Mexican, etc. TikTok users caught up in this garbage, too? Or is this all affecting only US TikTok users?
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Larry Ellison is like…the worst Bond Villain…right?
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Jokes aside…
Like…this is nonsense. Isn’t tiktok’s US business already hosted in the US, likely on all cloud partners.
This so dumb.
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Gack - you beat me to the same comment. Must be that greasy goatee. He would not be out of place in A Night at the Roxbury.
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When was the last time a president nationalized a non-bankrupt company? Socialism, here we come!
He has the look for sure. But I don’t think Java Updaters, overpriced database infrastructure, and an obsession with high speed yachts is enough to get to bond villain status.
Muck started a rocket AND a tunnel company. That is the real shit.
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He does have a house built in Japanese feudal architecture style. That’s pretty bond villain-y to me.
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I’d suggest that it’s time for social media users to “unionize” (or at least “organize”). So that evil ownership results in nil usage – but upon which social media would such a “union” organize? (“But they’re all evil!” yes, yet there’s evil and there’s Larry Ellison Peter Thiel evil)
