31 votes

US President Joe Biden won't enforce TikTok ban

48 comments

  1. [45]
    jaylittle
    Link
    From the article: After all of the drama, hand wringing and endless unverified claims that TikTok is a national security risk, I can't believe this is how they are going to end this. It's utterly...

    From the article:

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.

    Congress last year, in a law signed by Biden, required that TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. The official said the outgoing administration was leaving the implementation of the law — and the potential enforcement of the ban — to Trump.

    After all of the drama, hand wringing and endless unverified claims that TikTok is a national security risk, I can't believe this is how they are going to end this. It's utterly mind-blowing.

    30 votes
    1. [40]
      Greg
      Link Parent
      If Biden's last act was a controversial ban on a major software platform, I'd bet on Trump reversing the decision out of spite on Monday. Leaving the question open probably gives more chance of...

      If Biden's last act was a controversial ban on a major software platform, I'd bet on Trump reversing the decision out of spite on Monday. Leaving the question open probably gives more chance of the ban being enforced than Biden enforcing the ban would've done.

      38 votes
      1. [38]
        jaylittle
        Link Parent
        Perhaps he should have thought about that before he signed this law back in the first half of 2024. The drop dead date on this law was always questionable and never made any real sense. Initially...

        Perhaps he should have thought about that before he signed this law back in the first half of 2024. The drop dead date on this law was always questionable and never made any real sense. Initially it seemed like a cheap ploy to avoid feeling the voters wrath during the 2024 election but now I have no idea what any of them were really thinking.

        That's not to say I support TikTok being banned, because I don't. But I can't help but to be disappointed that the government's terrible messaging on this topic isn't just a communication problem but clearly also a case of their reasoning being spurious at best.

        As for what Trump will do - he clearly won't ban it. As long as he remains popular there and as long as the TikTok CEO doesn't do anything to rub him the wrong way, TikTok will be fine I think. Though it's more than a little a shameful that their future survival basically depends on their ability to coddle up to whoever the current president is.

        21 votes
        1. DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          I just realized the irony is that Trump would always think he's popular there because of the algorithm keeping him on that side of the app.

          I just realized the irony is that Trump would always think he's popular there because of the algorithm keeping him on that side of the app.

          15 votes
        2. [35]
          Greg
          Link Parent
          Yup, pretty much agreed. I actually do think TikTok presents some very specific risks and that a ban should be on the table, but any meaningful regulation would need to account for similar risks...

          Yup, pretty much agreed. I actually do think TikTok presents some very specific risks and that a ban should be on the table, but any meaningful regulation would need to account for similar risks posed by Meta or Twitter for it to be justifiable.

          Targeting TikTok without trying to rein in the others makes it a cheap shot, the timeline was short sighted, and I'm pretty much certain that Trump will just do whatever makes him feel powerful on any given day. But with the hand of cards Biden had at this point (and there are very good points to be made about him being responsible for getting to this point in the first place) I still think this was the only decision he could've made.

          8 votes
          1. [34]
            Pepetto
            Link Parent
            From what I read, tiktok isn't banned because it's a massive Brain rot poisonning the youths, it's being banned (unanimous vote from congress) because it's likely been proven to be a massive...

            From what I read, tiktok isn't banned because it's a massive Brain rot poisonning the youths, it's being banned (unanimous vote from congress) because it's likely been proven to be a massive propaganda machine for China.

            Meta and Twitter are just regular brain rot, which is fine for congress.

            Relevant side reading

            15 votes
            1. [5]
              Greg
              Link Parent
              TikTok’s dangerous because it’s directly controlled by an authoritarian state and used to advance their interests. Twitter and Meta are dangerous because they’re directly controlled by politically...
              • Exemplary

              TikTok’s dangerous because it’s directly controlled by an authoritarian state and used to advance their interests.

              Twitter and Meta are dangerous because they’re directly controlled by politically opinionated billionaires and used to advance their interests.

              I’m not saying that makes them the same - nation states exist as a different threat model and in a different legal and regulatory league to Musk or Zuckerberg, at least for now, and TikTok is a specific risk because of that. But I very much am saying that the threat of, say, Musk using his control of Twitter to influence the US to elect a fascist should have been considered alongside the threat of the CCP controlling one of the US’s more significant media sources.

              24 votes
              1. [3]
                ShroudedScribe
                Link Parent
                Yep, people conveniently forgot that there was a closed door security briefing/meeting about TikTok and the action to ban was a unanimous decision. There are many things to criticize the other...

                Yep, people conveniently forgot that there was a closed door security briefing/meeting about TikTok and the action to ban was a unanimous decision.

                There are many things to criticize the other large social media platforms for. And they should face additional regulations. But political moves rarely work evenly or "fairly." Banning TikTok now doesn't mean that US-based social media will forever be able to do what they want.

                13 votes
                1. [2]
                  DefinitelyNotAFae
                  (edited )
                  Link Parent
                  The reason the national security concerns are not being considered seriously is a mix of young folks feeling invincible, a distrust for government understanding of technology, government officials...

                  The reason the national security concerns are not being considered seriously is a mix of young folks feeling invincible, a distrust for government understanding of technology, government officials continuing to use the app including campaigning on it, and the fact that there isn't any attempt to effectively address data protection or foreign election interference or the like on a broad scale.

                  Plus the long delay attempting to force a sale (when selling the algorithm is afaik literally against Chinese law) made it feel even more like it wasn't really about safety.

                  ETA: FWIW I'm not actually opposed to the idea there's a concern, but TikTok isn't a monopoly. As long as we have other sources of media I'm not 100% convinced that it's a problem on a national security level for TT to suppress information critical of China for example. Ethical issue sure, but much more akin to those of other apps. If they're tracking government officials, probably those people shouldn't put the app on their phones, banning use on official phones or by government officials (with security clearance?) would be a more reasonable outcome in that case.

                  When you watch the hearings and you prominently have very racist statements being made to the CEO, I just don't know how I'm supposed to take it seriously anymore.

                  9 votes
                  1. [2]
                    Comment deleted by author
                    Link Parent
                    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
                      Link Parent
                      Everything you say makes a lot of sense, and frankly, while I'm empathetic to the complications of keeping contractors and internal staff "in line" so to speak, I don't think it's banned for...

                      Everything you say makes a lot of sense, and frankly, while I'm empathetic to the complications of keeping contractors and internal staff "in line" so to speak, I don't think it's banned for people to play War Thunder either despite there being multiple leaks due to people not being able to keep their mouths shut when it comes to being right on the internet.

                      Even blocking it from the WiFi in certain locations would be potentially useful, apps that I couldn't access on my work WiFi (which also happened to be my home network) definitely got slowly de-prioritized and ultimately uninstalled because the hurdle of switching back and forth was just not worth it.

                      I don't think though that ban like that actually happened in the US - nationally at least- leading up to this ban. And both campaigns were all over the app and plenty of current congresspeople are too. Obviously some of them are not being held by the actual elected official, but if you won't even ban staffers from using it, how dangerous is it.

                      Appreciate your knowledge, I agree with your conclusions both about there being a risk (2% feels correct) and that this ban feels like a result of bias, especially given that Elon Musk is about to be a government actor (whatever DOGE is, he's clearly an advisor to the president) and is actively influencing elections in other countries. And not a word.

                      4 votes
              2. Plik
                Link Parent
                Not defending China, but at least they are a threat that thoroughly believes in science. Musk and Trump encouraging the "science" of people like Joe Rogan and his guests kinda terrfies me more in...

                Not defending China, but at least they are a threat that thoroughly believes in science.

                Musk and Trump encouraging the "science" of people like Joe Rogan and his guests kinda terrfies me more in a way.

                1 vote
            2. [10]
              FaceLoran
              Link Parent
              Anyone who doesn't understand this to be the US government working at the behest of American corporations to eliminate a competitor for them is missing the point.

              Anyone who doesn't understand this to be the US government working at the behest of American corporations to eliminate a competitor for them is missing the point.

              16 votes
              1. [9]
                Greg
                Link Parent
                Multiple things can be true simultaneously. TikTok is dangerous, and TikTok is an important part of the cultural landscape, and other large tech companies support its removal as a competitor, and...

                Multiple things can be true simultaneously. TikTok is dangerous, and TikTok is an important part of the cultural landscape, and other large tech companies support its removal as a competitor, and those other platforms are dangerous in and of themselves.

                It's a complex issue and I don't think the conversation benefits from trying to boil it down to a single reason like that.

                30 votes
                1. [8]
                  FaceLoran
                  Link Parent
                  Sure, all of those might be true, though I'd be curious who or what you think that Tiktok is currently a danger to. I would argue, though, that the primary and motivating factor that moved the...

                  Sure, all of those might be true, though I'd be curious who or what you think that Tiktok is currently a danger to. I would argue, though, that the primary and motivating factor that moved the government to ban Tiktok is that it is doing American companies a solid to the detriment of citizens and consumers in the US. That other stuff is important, but I wanted to address the fact that none of it would have moved lawmakers to ban it.

                  5 votes
                  1. [5]
                    iBleeedorange
                    Link Parent
                    Did you read the article you originally replied to? It gives some great examples.

                    Did you read the article you originally replied to? It gives some great examples.

                    5 votes
                    1. [4]
                      FaceLoran
                      Link Parent
                      I did. I am, once again, not arguing that there are not serious issues with TikTok. I'm arguing that none of those things would have motivated congress to action, and that they are instead...

                      I did. I am, once again, not arguing that there are not serious issues with TikTok. I'm arguing that none of those things would have motivated congress to action, and that they are instead motivated to help American monopolies.

                      2 votes
                      1. [3]
                        iBleeedorange
                        Link Parent
                        That premise falls apart when Congress said tik Tok is fine as long as the CCP doesn't own it. If Samsung, shell, or Volkswagen bought it Congress would be fine with it and none of those are...

                        That premise falls apart when Congress said tik Tok is fine as long as the CCP doesn't own it. If Samsung, shell, or Volkswagen bought it Congress would be fine with it and none of those are American companies.

                        4 votes
                        1. [2]
                          FaceLoran
                          Link Parent
                          Is there any world that you can truly imagine where the company actually purchasing it wouldn't have been a giant American tech company?

                          Is there any world that you can truly imagine where the company actually purchasing it wouldn't have been a giant American tech company?

                          1. iBleeedorange
                            Link Parent
                            Anything is possible, most companies are "tech" companies now. Hell, even if some EU country bought it I don't think there would be a concern.

                            Anything is possible, most companies are "tech" companies now. Hell, even if some EU country bought it I don't think there would be a concern.

                            1 vote
                  2. [2]
                    Eji1700
                    Link Parent
                    Well at the start of the russia/ukraine conflict they were dropping grenades on people who used their social media. Frankly, it's fucking insane that any country allows a foreign counties social...

                    Well at the start of the russia/ukraine conflict they were dropping grenades on people who used their social media.

                    Frankly, it's fucking insane that any country allows a foreign counties social media platform, let alone an adversarial one, with the current shit ability for a user to actually block what's being collected. Russia/US would've literally killed to have this kind of unfettered access to population information. The amount of knowledge you gain just knowing WHERE someone's phone stops communicating is obscene.

                    Let me put this another way.

                    If you 100% knew that tiktok was communicating its information directly to chinese military assets for the sole purpose of making sure they had every advantage possible should a war start (say over taiwan), would you want it banned then?

                    And if so, at what % does it become ok for tiktok to remain that kind of threat?

                    4 votes
                    1. FaceLoran
                      Link Parent
                      I am, once again, not arguing whether or not a bad would be a positive or negative thing. I'm just saying that American lawmaker's motivating force is and was that they were trying to do a favor...

                      I am, once again, not arguing whether or not a bad would be a positive or negative thing. I'm just saying that American lawmaker's motivating force is and was that they were trying to do a favor to American monopolies.

                      2 votes
            3. [17]
              papasquat
              Link Parent
              Yeah, and? The United States is ostensibly a free nation, and if that means that they want to consume another nations propaganda, they should be free to do so. The entire thing has already...

              Yeah, and? The United States is ostensibly a free nation, and if that means that they want to consume another nations propaganda, they should be free to do so.

              The entire thing has already backfired, with American tiktok users flocking to an actual Chinese hosted app with even more direct control by the CCP, so what do we do now? Just continually play whack a mole by passing new laws banning individual apps? Or do we create a great firewall of the USA and ban access to information systems of anyone outside of the western world?

              Is that the kind of society we actually want to live in?

              4 votes
              1. [16]
                iBleeedorange
                Link Parent
                That's a terrible argument. If that's the case then the entire premise of a free nation is gone, if the nation is going to be manipulated by other nations then they're the ones really in charge....

                That's a terrible argument. If that's the case then the entire premise of a free nation is gone, if the nation is going to be manipulated by other nations then they're the ones really in charge. Is that the world you want to live in? Where everyone is manipulated by a foreign nation?

                Those apps won't have staying power, too many hurdles when easier options already exist, reels and shorts

                5 votes
                1. [15]
                  papasquat
                  Link Parent
                  Whether someone is manipulated or not isn't the issue, the issue is that governments shouldn't be blocking access to legal parts of the Internet that it arbitrarily deems a threat. If a foreign...

                  Whether someone is manipulated or not isn't the issue, the issue is that governments shouldn't be blocking access to legal parts of the Internet that it arbitrarily deems a threat.

                  If a foreign country blocked access to American social media, or American news because it has a pro-american bent (because it does), we would, and do, rightly criticize them for it, because their citizens should be allowed to choose whether they'd like to engage with it. There's no reason we shouldn't hold ourselves to the same standard.

                  We spent years upon years pointing to the great firewall of China as one of the key pieces of evidence that the CCP was an authoritarian regime. What does it then make the United States if we're doing the same thing?

                  If you want to force companies to comply with data protection guidelines that are enforced across the board ala GDPR, that makes sense, and I think virtually everyone would agree that companies need to be forced to be more responsible with people's data, and people should be better informed on exactly how the algorithms that feed them content work.

                  But cutting off access to an app because it's Chinese is every bit as authoritarian as cutting off access to an app because it's American.

                  6 votes
                  1. [14]
                    iBleeedorange
                    Link Parent
                    American companies aren't pushing agendas based on what the government tells them to do. Tik Tok is. That's not an equal comparison because we're a free nation. China is not.

                    American companies aren't pushing agendas based on what the government tells them to do. Tik Tok is.

                    That's not an equal comparison because we're a free nation. China is not.

                    3 votes
                    1. [11]
                      Cycloneblaze
                      Link Parent
                      And you square that with Meta's total capitulation to Trump as he comes into power?

                      American companies aren't pushing agendas based on what the government tells them to do.

                      And you square that with Meta's total capitulation to Trump as he comes into power?

                      2 votes
                      1. [10]
                        Pepetto
                        Link Parent
                        Well, saying Meta's ass kissing is bad is compatible with saying tiktok's relationship with China is worse for us. The black and white world view is demonstrably false, but don't replace it with...

                        Well, saying Meta's ass kissing is bad is compatible with saying tiktok's relationship with China is worse for us.

                        The black and white world view is demonstrably false, but don't replace it with an "everything is grey" worldview. Some shade of grey are much darker than others, to the point that qualifying them as "black" or "white" is less wrong than saying it's all "grey".

                        During the cold war, America would never have accepted it if the soviets bought a major newspaper.

                        4 votes
                        1. [9]
                          DefinitelyNotAFae
                          Link Parent
                          Is the Soviet comparison accurate given our trade and travel with China? Also is a newspaper equivalent to a social media app? I can go read Peoples Daily Online. Is it the app that makes it...

                          Is the Soviet comparison accurate given our trade and travel with China? Also is a newspaper equivalent to a social media app?

                          I can go read Peoples Daily Online. Is it the app that makes it different? They have one of those in the app store too. Thats literally the Chinese Government's newspaper and it's accessible in the US.

                          5 votes
                          1. [6]
                            nukeman
                            Link Parent
                            I think it’s partly a scale thing. In 1992, the High Court ruled against states collecting sales taxes on mail orders if the company didn’t have a physical presence in state; in 2018 they reversed...

                            I think it’s partly a scale thing. In 1992, the High Court ruled against states collecting sales taxes on mail orders if the company didn’t have a physical presence in state; in 2018 they reversed that ruling. The big difference is that in 1992, mail orders were a tiny part of overall sales, whereas today, online sales are huge. Similarly, People’s Daily is small, you generally have to seek it out, and it’s obvious it is influenced by the Chinese government. However, if the Soviets controlled USA Today in the 1980s, that’s much bigger and influence is less obvious.

                            3 votes
                            1. [5]
                              DefinitelyNotAFae
                              Link Parent
                              Sure and every hotel in the country probably wouldn't have been buying it either. I'm pretty sure we did shut down much smaller communist papers than the USA Today. It would have been harder to be...

                              Sure and every hotel in the country probably wouldn't have been buying it either. I'm pretty sure we did shut down much smaller communist papers than the USA Today. It would have been harder to be sure about Soviet ownership, but that rarely stops us and didn't when we were hunting down communist people either. But end of day People's Daily is a website and app, it's there and propaganda, so if that isn't the problem... Then it's about the data, but the government officials who say it's not safe also keep using it, so that also doesn't make a lot of sense to me. And while there's some middle ground here between the idea that TikTok is a river of Chinese propaganda (really not my experience of watching queer thirst traps and D&D memes) and the idea that there's no thumb on the scales, I'm personally not convinced that this is severe enough to target one app vs giving us some actual data protection. And ultimately is banning apps different than banning websites? The Great Firewall isn't exactly a goal to aim for.

                              And it's frustrating to watch the EU put privacy protections in place, that sometimes do cut Europeans off from websites that don't want to be compliant with it, and the only time the US government bothers is with claims of national security despite the same officials continuing to use the app themselves? That sucks.

                              3 votes
                              1. [4]
                                iBleeedorange
                                Link Parent
                                The data aspect is important it can be used to find weak points after seeing location patterns, it can be used to blackmail, bribe, or even used to gain trust in what seems like a natural way....

                                The data aspect is important it can be used to find weak points after seeing location patterns, it can be used to blackmail, bribe, or even used to gain trust in what seems like a natural way.

                                Sure you see thirst traps and d&d memes, but what isn't being shown to you, what's being hidden on purpose and what's being pushed to you on purpose.

                                Sure it would be nice to pass laws like the EU, but this doesn't have to be mutually exclusive.

                                1. [3]
                                  DefinitelyNotAFae
                                  Link Parent
                                  I mean do you genuinely think that China is using my D&D skits and recipes to blackmail and bribe me? First off, for what, and secondly, why? And what is being hidden from me? Or shown to me? We...

                                  I mean do you genuinely think that China is using my D&D skits and recipes to blackmail and bribe me? First off, for what, and secondly, why?

                                  And what is being hidden from me? Or shown to me? We can't just make vague ominous statements and expect that to hold water, it didn't work for Congress.

                                  I'm far more likely to get scammed on Facebook marketplace and ripped off by a "I need you to send me tons of money but as gift cards" con, than I am to have absolutely anyone in the Chinese government or honestly any of the billions of people on the continent of Asia giving a fuck about me.

                                  If I only had Tiktok as a news source and couldn't look at anything else, I'd be way more concerned about a bias. And it's still an ethics issue. And tbh fuck the CEO for doing the same fawning over Trump that the other CEOs are doing.

                                  3 votes
                                  1. [2]
                                    iBleeedorange
                                    Link Parent
                                    C'mon man. I in no way insinuated that you would be blackmailed for any of that. If that's the kind of stuff you're going to push then it's clear you're not willing to engage in an actual discussion.

                                    C'mon man. I in no way insinuated that you would be blackmailed for any of that. If that's the kind of stuff you're going to push then it's clear you're not willing to engage in an actual discussion.

                                    2 votes
                                    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
                                      Link Parent
                                      No you did say this was a risk along with the things being hidden and shown in purpose. How was I supposed to interpret that? You told me these are the reasons to be concerned about data. Those...

                                      No you did say this was a risk along with the things being hidden and shown in purpose. How was I supposed to interpret that? You told me these are the reasons to be concerned about data. Those may be reasons for people in military industries or with security clearance to be concerned. Social media is full of random scammers trying to "gain trust in natural ways". Is something that's a threat to government officials and people in some highly specific fields a threat to everyone?

                                      Because that's all social media + the forums of War Thunder at all times.

                                      I'm aware of all of that potential risk, on all media, what I'm not seeing is the actual specifics of all of these vague implications that you were describing. What is being hidden from me and shown to me that I'm not able to address by accessing other forms of media. If I'm being lied to, why is that okay? Only if the person lying to me has been naturalized as a citizen, even if they support literal insurrection against the government?

                                      I do not see a unique threat that is posed by tiktok. If I've misunderstood what you were suggesting was possible please clarify. /Gen

                          2. [2]
                            Pepetto
                            Link Parent
                            The popularity is the difference. Being able to access foreign propaganda is fine. But a whole generation being spoonfed propaganda is not. Not propaganda like "such and such atrocities didn't...

                            The popularity is the difference. Being able to access foreign propaganda is fine. But a whole generation being spoonfed propaganda is not.

                            Not propaganda like "such and such atrocities didn't happen" which are already bad enough, more concerned about stuff like "distrust your government, they aren't any better than Hitler".

                            I don't like to reason with unknown, but can't ignore that after a closed hearing, 100% of congress (this never happens) agreed to ban tiktok.

                            2 votes
                            1. DefinitelyNotAFae
                              Link Parent
                              After the closed hearing the bill was bundled into a foreign aid package and passed under time pressure. Several links to articles about the hearing have been posted across this comment section....

                              After the closed hearing the bill was bundled into a foreign aid package and passed under time pressure.

                              Several links to articles about the hearing have been posted across this comment section. Senators and Reps both came out in various levels of skepticism, support, and opposition for the ban.

                              2 votes
                    2. papasquat
                      Link Parent
                      Honestly, even if American companies weren't pushing agendas based on what the government tells them to do (very highly debatable), American social media companies are entirely propped up by ads...

                      Honestly, even if American companies weren't pushing agendas based on what the government tells them to do (very highly debatable), American social media companies are entirely propped up by ads by American based corporations, which do control the agendas that social media companies push.

                      It just so happens, not very coincidentally I may add, that the agendas of American corporations almost perfectly align with the US government.

                      There's a reason why during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, every single large news agency hailed it as a good thing, why Israel's point of view in the ongoing conflict in gaza has either the tepid or full throated support of most major corporations, and why most Americans have the opinion of China we're currently seeing unfolding in real time as at least somewhat innacurate (the idea that they're not simply a major US competitor with a somewhat authoritarian government, but instead, a third world, market socialist failed state with absolute control over their citizen's lives on par with North Korea. There are people currently on tiktok that are somehow surprised that they have fully stocked grocery stores.). The US government doesn't have to specifically dictate these narratives for them to be promoted on social media. The corporations that pay for social media sites in the first place already do that, because it just so happens that those corporate interests also fund American politics.

                      If you're a foreign country, it makes no difference to you exactly how that mechanism works behind the scenes, your citizens are still ingesting a pro-american drip line of content from abroad, so from a pure, state self interest point of view, it makes logical sense to block them.

                      My argument is that if you're truly going to call yourselves a free nation, you should let them if they choose to.

                      1 vote
                    3. public
                      Link Parent
                      Are the Twitter Files fake news now? Is that the righthink?

                      Are the Twitter Files fake news now? Is that the righthink?

            4. Plik
              Link Parent
              skibidi toilet my friend, skibidi toilet /noise

              skibidi toilet my friend, skibidi toilet

              /noise

        3. Habituallytired
          Link Parent
          I feel like Dems would have done so much better if Biden loudly and publicly said he wouldn't alow a TT ban, regardless of the right's hand wringing over "security". and if he whipped up the other...

          I feel like Dems would have done so much better if Biden loudly and publicly said he wouldn't alow a TT ban, regardless of the right's hand wringing over "security". and if he whipped up the other dems, they would have done much better down the enture ballot.

          Doing this is so stupid.

          4 votes
      2. entitled-entilde
        Link Parent
        Maybe this is naive but I wonder if Biden and Trump are actually in alignment on this, and this delay gives cover for more time for negotiation with TikTok.

        Maybe this is naive but I wonder if Biden and Trump are actually in alignment on this, and this delay gives cover for more time for negotiation with TikTok.

        5 votes
    2. [4]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      Between a million and some people joining Rednote (an actual Chinese app that didn't (may still not) have ToS in English and not much English language content, all of the campaigns and plenty of...

      Between a million and some people joining Rednote (an actual Chinese app that didn't (may still not) have ToS in English and not much English language content, all of the campaigns and plenty of current politicians using TikTok, reflecting back on the original "I think they'll sell not shut down" justification for voting for the ban... Well to quote many people on TikTok "the writing for the season finale is ridiculous."

      Even for those not joining an app that literally translates as Little Red Book the response has been overwhelmingly a refusal to pivot to Meta, a disdain for YouTube and in my circles, being too old to touch Snapchat. And there's been a lot of mockery of Zuckerberg for doing all that lobbying for nothing.

      I hate the "credit" Trump will get for this. But it's been a clusterfuck since the beginning by leaning on, per the Scotus hearing, a lot of suppositions about how it could be bad for national security. Meanwhile my Facebook made it about a day under Zuck's new announced policies before I got false medical information about COVID as a screenshot from a non-existent news article shared onto my feed which was previously free of that nonsense. Probably a coincidence...

      14 votes
      1. phoenixrises
        Link Parent
        lol I reset my Instagram algorithm a week or so before he made that announcement because I was tired of seeing only the depressing fear mongering news and it was nice for about a week with just...

        lol I reset my Instagram algorithm a week or so before he made that announcement because I was tired of seeing only the depressing fear mongering news and it was nice for about a week with just food content and all of a sudden ive had to make liberal use of the block and "I'm not interested" function (which literally does nothing btw). It's horrifying seeing what the algorithm pushes from a "fresh start"

        6 votes
      2. [2]
        CptBluebear
        Link Parent
        The Little Red Book saga has been incredibly funny to watch. The app doesn't look to be at all political despite its name. Turns out that having these worlds connected is teaching people we're not...

        The Little Red Book saga has been incredibly funny to watch. The app doesn't look to be at all political despite its name. Turns out that having these worlds connected is teaching people we're not that different.

        5 votes
        1. DefinitelyNotAFae
          Link Parent
          I do like the connection between people but I also am aware it won't last if the Chinese government thinks it is a threat. There's a lack of nuance in the "doing this as a fuck you, actually China...

          I do like the connection between people but I also am aware it won't last if the Chinese government thinks it is a threat.

          There's a lack of nuance in the "doing this as a fuck you, actually China is great now" in contrast with a "the Chinese people are pretty great because they're just people like us but we're also not seeing the abuses of the government."

          4 votes
  2. JCPhoenix
    Link
    It's official now: Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, clears way for app to shut down in U.S. as soon as Sunday

    It's official now: Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, clears way for app to shut down in U.S. as soon as Sunday

    "We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate the petitioners' First Amendment rights," the court said in a unanimous unsigned opinion, which upholds the lower court decision against TikTok. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote separately, with Gorsuch agreeing with the outcome of the case but splitting with the court's reasoning.

    6 votes
  3. bl4kers
    Link
    As I understand it there's a 5-year statute of limitations on this. So it might not matter if both Biden and Trump's administration don't enforce it. Google and Apple might yank the app regardless...

    As I understand it there's a 5-year statute of limitations on this. So it might not matter if both Biden and Trump's administration don't enforce it. Google and Apple might yank the app regardless to avoid the risk of prosecution.

    3 votes
  4. donn
    Link
    Tom Cotton is a really, really unlikeable tryhard isn't he

    Tom Cotton is a really, really unlikeable tryhard isn't he

    5 votes