When I still had the YouTube channel, I got influencer marketing requests every once in a while.
The "best" was from a Chinese medical/consumer device company, that offered me $50k upfront (after approval of my "review" video), free tech for life, and $200k if I brought in X customers. A quick look into the TOS showed, that by installing the app for their tech, I'd agree to everything on my phone being shared with them and their unnamed partners. Including media, location, movement speed and distance, etc.
I bring this up now because a few days ago, I saw someone working for the German government, pretty close to the halls of power, wearing that tech. I also get almost daily "unbiased review" reels and videos into my feeds. Sometimes from people whom I know work in medical research that is, for one reason or another, best not shared with Chinese state actors.
We're debating TikTok and Co, while people close to the Chancellor and close to research into outbreak response willingly already share those things.
The difference? TikTok "kids" are considered stupid and having to be protected from their own mistakes. While Prof. Dr. Dr. people are smart and thus do not need to be.
