this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 102 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 49 points 8 months ago

yeah this bill is not about tiktok at all. they're just using tiktok as an excuse to setup internet censorship for the future

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 8 months ago (14 children)

People acting more terrified at the loss of tik tok from their lives than they did during covid, while losing people from their lives.

Tik tok might as well just change their name to empathy box, because they have convinced their users that the act of watching content on empathy box makes them more moral and politically aware than the rest of us.

At the end of the day, we have to be nervous when a foreign nation has content reach to 80℅ of Americans. This foreign nation is banning Americans from accusing it of genocide while allowing an economic incentive for Americans to accuse themselves and everybody else of doing it.

Deep down, every one of us knows tik tok is a power nobody can or should be trusted with.

[–] Maggoty 47 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

So when are we shutting down Facebook for their 2016 targeted ad campaign specifically meant to fuck with an election?

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I'm 100℅ in favor of breaking Facebook into 912 separate companies.

But not having the current political power to get that done doesn't mean we shouldn't do it to tik tok while we still have the power to.

[–] Maggoty 19 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

That's not what they're talking about doing. They want to sell TikTok to a US interest. Not 900 of them. This is literally a chance for Musk, Zuckerberg, Apple, and Alphabet to grab up the best short form video app for cheap.

That's all it is. It is incredibly corrupt and the state department calls that out in other countries all the time.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

China doesn't allow US social media in their nation, specifically for this reason.

There is no reason two belligerent states shouldn't be protecting their citizens from each other.

But I agree the citizens need to protected from their own governments as well.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 8 months ago (8 children)

Don't use TikTok, don't really care too much either way, but watching this whole thing unfold is starting to open my eyes to the ways these companies can shape public opinion.

They're apparently sending notifications to people to contact their reps and it seems very likely that they're promoting content that advocates against the ban.

I'm not a fan of censorship or blocking internet services but TikTok really seems to trying to make a good case for it.

[–] Maggoty 22 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This isn't the first time a company has done that. Uber famously used pop up ads to get people to vote for a ballot proposition. Enron went so hard on PR that everyone blamed the government for people losing the pension that had already been embezzled by the executives.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but that's okay because they're American, right?

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[–] mynameisigglepiggle 19 points 8 months ago (4 children)

As an Australian who gets bombarded by the US point of view and agenda from their tech companies - I think America could do with an outside influence undermining the government's point of view.

As the post points out - the US government is doing an incredibly shitty job looking out for its citizens, and if they were afraid of a propaganda machine holding them accountable and creating civil unrest it might be for the best.

It's just a shame the power that owns the means to do that happens to be china. I wonder if things will return to normal once the citizens pack away the guillotine

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (3 children)

American social media companies are also controlled by foreign powers. I have no interests in common with the ultra wealthy and massive corporations that control this country. They are just as foreign to me as anyone in another country. I trust them less than I trust TikToc.

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[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 11 points 8 months ago

Deep down, every one of us knows tik tok is a power nobody can or should be trusted with.

I disagreed with you up until this point. You're exactly right about this.

The problem is that nobody should have this kind of power. But our government thinks this kind of power is just fine as long as it's a US company they can control.

If nobody should have this power than nobody should have this power. Not China. Not Musk. Not Zuckerberg. NOBODY.

But we have a feckless, ineffective government written by racists 250 years ago and this is literally all they can do.

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[–] RizzRustbolt 45 points 8 months ago (10 children)

They don't actually want to get rid of tiktok. They just want it to be owned by a consortium of American billionaires so they can influence public policy more easily.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Our two parties that refuse to address relevant problems:

Skill issue

[–] TootSweet 31 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Isn't Zoom supposed to be basically Chinese spyware too? Why are they trying to ban TikTok and not Zoom?

Rhetoical question. I know why. Zoom helps funnel more money to shareholders.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Because the bill lets them ban anything that they want, not just TikTok. All the have to do is assert “foreign influence” and they can block, censor, or force sale to “American interests”.

Basically these motherfuckers are doing their best to make it so you only see, hear, and read what they want. And if that’s not actually their intent, they’re leaving the door wide open for the next guy to do it.

[–] Viking_Hippie 10 points 8 months ago

And if the current guy doesn't get his shit together, that next guy is going to be the former guy and then the entire world's fucked.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They're not protecting you from Tiktok. They are protecting their interests from China.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 8 months ago (11 children)

Usa invented the Online psyops/spy game with facebook/google. Now they pissed china beat them at there own game.

Wanting to ban a app/service that basically gives your biggest economic and political enemy direct conact to the local networks/brain of your population is understandable.

I mean those are the reasons why china banned Facebook/Google years ago.

Reality is more complicated tho, cause unless the usa is willing to build a chinese firewall for themself, it will be impossible to keep people from using TikTok via VPN.

If the usa would actually care for its citizen privacy they could just outlaw closed source software.

[–] cm0002 16 points 8 months ago

willing to build a chinese firewall for themself, it will be impossible to keep people from using TikTok via VPN.

A majority of people probably won't bother and just move on. A decent chunk, 30/40% maybe but that still leaves a 70/60% reduction and it's influence permanently neutered so the gov will still see it as a win

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 8 months ago (13 children)

Helping the working class doesn’t net them a fat profit.

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[–] adam_y 26 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sounds to me like they don't want to ban it, they want it sold to American business at a massively discounted rate. Standard mafia shit.

[–] cybersandwich 16 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I did hear a solid counter point recently.

All American social media is banned in China. Effectively, if we don't do something like this, the Chinese social media becomes the biggest (because they restrict ours but we wouldn't restrict theirs).

Mafia shit or international power politics shit.

The danger here is they could do this to Facebook or Instagram in other countries (eg India)and use this as a precedent. I'm not sure India wants to pick that fight with the US, but this is all a weird game that's being played.

But yes, on the surface, and the immediate impact, this seems like such a fucking dumb tone deaf thing that our legislature pushed through without most Americans wanting this.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I think it's rather hilarious, how fast something can get passed if it's against a foreign adversary

[–] kerrigan778 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Tell that to Ukraine funding

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[–] iamtrashman1312 21 points 8 months ago

As someone who's never used tiktok, has no interest in doing so, and finds the whole platform + 99.99% of the content dumb as all fucking fuck:

The US government can eat my shit and hair

[–] [email protected] 21 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's not about protecting the people. It's about who gets and controls the data. Data is the new oil.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago

They aren't protecting us from TikTok, they are protecting themselves from us. They put a lot of resources into controlling mass media then got blindsided by social media. Now they have social media mostly under control, but only in this country. They can't risk the next Bernie Sanders giving people hope for a better world.

[–] TotallynotJessica 18 points 8 months ago (6 children)

🤓 "Uhrm axetually, inflation is dropping and wages are slightly rising, so people shouldn't complain because the economy is actually great. They're really just imagining things and suffering because they weren't responsible with their covid checks."

Seriously, liberals think that's all people are upset about. They don't recognize that already existing trends and enshitification of capitalist products are making things suck for people. They don't appreciate that housing inflation has been way too high for decades, and that cheaper nonessential junk doesn't make up for it. Inelastic demand that the government will not address because politicians don't understand the struggles of new homeowners and renters.

When most people can't win at the game, they don't care to uphold it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Don't leave out healthcare inflation. It's as bad or worse than housing inflation, but it's easy to forget until you need it.

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[–] CitizenKong 17 points 8 months ago (7 children)

Two genocides actually. The Russian and the Israeli one.

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[–] Abucketofpuppies 16 points 8 months ago

Hey, at least they got one thing right.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (2 children)

ok, to be fair. There have been recent investments into people generally in poverty, in regards to improving their financial situation, as a means to improve their overall health, it's still in trial stages, and very new, but it IS happening, and it IS positively affecting people.

Also, "we" aren't really witnessing a genocide, i'm assuming to this is referring to war, if not, I'll take my leave.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (2 children)

There's like 8 recent 'genocide emergencies' declared by Genocide Watch not including Palestine and Ukraine

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[–] VinnyDaCat 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Should have said while approving/enabling of a genocide.

The current administration has vetoed multiple UN drafts for a conflict resolution over Gaza as well as other UN resolutions proposed. We're still sending the Israelis weapons. Neither congress nor the current administration care.

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[–] Linkerbaan 13 points 8 months ago

Free speech!

No wait not like that you can't criticize israel

[–] m13 13 points 8 months ago

“These are OUR slaves!”

[–] pachrist 12 points 8 months ago

This post is inaccurate. It fails to state that you actually work 2 jobs each at 25 hours a week so neither megacorp has to provide any benefits, and you'll be fired from one next week because despite requesting otherwise they keep scheduling overlapping shifts and you can only go to one job at a time.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Waiting for ban on Australian infiltration and manipulation of the American populace.

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[–] Pirasp 9 points 8 months ago

Honestly the genocide part of this meme bothers me. It's not just one after all.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

witnessing a genocide

*funding the genocide

In fact they are not only purposely funding the genocide, they are actively ignoring majority of people against it, even surpassing the senate just to be sure they can send the money to Israel quickly

Actually since TikTok is where most of the popular support for Palestine is from and probably why after decades of this genocide it finally became well-known, they are trying to shut it down, since China won't censor it for them. Classic fascist moves from the government.

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