UB’s Society and

Computing Club

Format Overview

And now, for our first topic….

• A topics will be introduced
• Information will be provided about that topic either through slides, or through someone sharing what they know + sources of information about it to look at
• Discussion will follow
• After a topic is adequately understood, we’ll share our thoughts about it, prompted by questions or whatever happens naturally

TikTok - History leading up to ban

• ByteDance released, users from Musical.ly (2017)
• Reports of censoring topics like Tiananmen Square (2019)
• Politicians worried about its influence, begin investigations, app banned on military phones (2019)
• Trump introduces idea of banning in the US because ByteDance (2020)
• Becomes most downloaded app (2022)
• TikTok congressional hearing (2023)
• House passes, Senate passes, and Biden signs sell-or-ban bill (2024)
• Trump floats the idea of not banning the app, Biden silent (2024)
• Bill is upheld by Supreme Court (Jan 17th)
• Trump delays ban, gives 75 days to give US 50% ownership (Jan 20th)

Discussion

• Was/Is TikTok a privacy concern?
• Does this concern extend to other Social Media platforms?
• Is the idea of an app ban a Free Speech violation?

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• Why was the government able to come together for this cause?

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• What should/will happen when when the 75 day delay is over?

The app was banned for less than 12 hours

Starlink

• Began operation in 2019. Has the goal of providing internet and cellular service through satellites, rather cell towers.
• Marketed to dead-zone areas, as towers are still “better”
• The political landscape has brought it issues
• Not supported in Taiwan because of tensions with China
• Limited access to Ukraine because of pressure form Russia
• Starlink’s military capabilities are also sought after - it has an entire branch dedicated to it, supported by the DoD
• T-Mobile is starting to work with Starlink to make this technology more widely available
• Satellite connection does still come with its limitations

Discussion

• What do you think the impact of reliable, global satellite internet could be?

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• Does the owner of this technology impact your willingness to support it?

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• What role should this technology play, if any, in military / national security operations?

DeepSeek

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• Developed by a Chinese AI research team, DeepSeek was positioned as a direct competitor to Western LLMs (Large Language Models).
• Allowed developers more control and adaptability.
• Marketed as a multilingual, highly intelligent model with strong math, coding, and reasoning abilities.
• Rapid adoption in China due to government-backed initiatives and integration into local tech ecosystems.
• open-source nature
• Regulatory concerns arose regarding potential censorship, data privacy, and ethical implications.
• Caused huge stock market crash

Can an AI model ever be truly neutral, or will it always reflect its creators' biases?

Should countries restrict foreign AI models due to concerns over data privacy and security?

Is reliance on Chinese AI models by international companies a risk or a technological advantage?

Tesla & Elon

Tesla’s Government Ties:

Received billions in subsidies (EV tax credits, battery research funding).

White House relies on Tesla for EV infrastructure expansion.

SpaceX contracts with NASA & Pentagon make Musk’s companies integral to U.S. security.

Musk’s Political Ties:

Musk as the head of DOGE, conflict of interest

Trump: Reported to be advising Trump, who opposes EV mandates yet may favor Tesla deregulation.

Regulatory Conflicts: Tesla avoided strict antitrust scrutiny, unlike other tech giants—possible favoritism

Discussion

1. Does Musk’s close relationship with Trump impact Tesla’s government contracts?

2. Should Musk’s role in the administration affect how Tesla is regulated?

3. How does Tesla benefiting from federal contracts align with Musk’s cost-cutting role in government?

4. Could Musk’s influence over government policy create unfair advantages for Tesla & SpaceX?

5. What safeguards should exist to prevent corporate influence over government decisions?

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