There are many books published on the topic that layout the evidence. A discussion here cannot begin to explain the depth of the problem, the reasons why our foreign policy has failed, and the evidence that exists. A superficial discussion almost does the topic a disservice and comes off as xenophobic. If you are truly interested in the topic I recommend "The World According to China" by Economy published 2022. I have 8 other book recommendations to cover the breadth of the field and the opinions if you care.
Most of the authors of the books express their love for the Chinese people. Most of them lived there at one point, and separate that view from their issues with the CCP and government. If you do due diligence in the area you may change your viewpoint. Maybe not. No-one on this thread is going to convince you in a few paragraphs to change your mind on a subject this charged and complex.
A more fun book, less academic, was published last year by Desmond Shum detailing his rise to becoming a billionaire as a China native and Hong Kong resident. He wrote the book after his billionaire ex-wife was abducted. She was not heard of for four years. She called him the day before he was to publish the book asking him not to.
> You claim there is "sufficient evidence" yet provide none
Do I need to provide evidence that the Chinese government should not be trusted and that China has control over all businesses based within its borders? This is common knowledge.
> I'm less worried than if it were used by American companies to target me specifically for ads
You should try practicing what you preach regarding so called xenophobia. Also your defensiveness in this regard is misplaced because my post is not pro American ad companies and it is not pro data collection. I am anti data collection. So not only am I against tiktok because it's controlled by a genocidal dictatorship that has raised a legion of indoctrinated nationalists, I'm anti tiktok because it represents the absolute worst of social media.
> Yes, because it's likely your "common knowledge" is a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of reality
Fine, you disagree with me, I'm not putting in any more effort discussing this with you because I don't believe you are arguing in good faith. I'll let the reader of HN decide using their own judgement.
> Ironically this is most of the world's opinion of America.
You keep up bringing up America despite me not mentioning them or even defending the country. This is a classic tactic for derailing conversations.
