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TikTok offered an extraordinary deal. The U.S. government took a pass. (www.washingtonpost.com)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago (1 children)

https://archive.vn/FYL8V

[–] [email protected] 86 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The video app, owned by a Chinese company, said it would let federal officials pick its U.S. operation’s board of directors, would give the government veto power over each new hire and would pay an American company that contracts with the Defense Department to monitor its source code, according to a copy of the company’s proposal. It even offered to give federal officials a kill switch that would shut the app down in the United States if they felt it remained a threat.

for people that don't want to click futher

[–] UnfortunateShort 34 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

Holy shit, that is a sweet deal. What I think is more interesting however, is that it's also kinda revealing that they think law works like this in the West - and also what level of control they think is acceptable for a state to have.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

This is even more extreme than Douyin's arrangement with the Chinese government lmao

It's so funny

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (2 children)

What I like is that the west is the one failing to stick to its own stated principles of capitalism and private property.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The US has basically always had some level of federal control over some private property, beginning with construction of the National Road in 1806. "Principles of capitalism and private property" as you describe it here is a much newer ideology popularized by Reagan in the 80s that's still a libertarian fever dream much more representative of the US Republican party rather than "the West."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

No doubt, but it is the rhetoric of today. But this is still yet different than control of limited physical resources. It's a company who built a product. It's clear nationalism over principles.

[–] Weslee 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Tbh I'd say it's more about the fact china doesn't allow western companies in china to do what tiktok was doing in the us.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

I mean... These terms exceed what Douyin does in China. It's actually an insane level of concessions.

[–] Poayjay 1 points 6 months ago

That’s the huge take away here. The Chinese can’t comprehend that the DOD doesn’t have a social media control division. Yes we have the NSA and stuff spying, but they don’t control anything.