this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2025
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Summary

TikTok faces a U.S. shutdown by Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court delays or blocks a law requiring its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest.

The Biden administration defends the law as a national security measure, citing potential risks of Chinese government influence. Content creators argue it violates free speech.

Donald Trump, once a supporter of the ban, seeks a delay to reach a "political resolution."

A shutdown could cost TikTok millions of users and revenue. The court’s decision, due soon, could reshape U.S. digital speech policy.

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[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 4 hours ago

Do Meta and Xitter next

[–] AngryRobot@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

Good. They're an espionage company masquerading as social media. They're a cancer.

[–] emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 hours ago

What is facebook? Instagram? Google? Twitter? I dont use any of those if i can help it, nor TikTok. But supporting the ban of one of them while allowing the others free reign just because they're owned in the US is insane. Their CEOs don't have anyone's best interests in mind except their own, as has been proven time and time again.

[–] holo@lemmy.wtf 2 points 4 hours ago

A cancer that has allowed tens to hundreds of thousands of people to make money without being employed by anyone else, while providing entertainment for people that can't or don't need to pay.

Everyone spies on everything all the time. Either write a privacy law or stop complaining some rich white people arent making enough money -- because that is all this ban is.

[–] DarkNightoftheSoul@mander.xyz 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

so basically, if tiktok prevails, they were able to bribe uncle tom & co enough to outbid their competition. if not, the competition outbid tiktok.

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

replace "data" with "ads/propaganda/right-wing content".

Sorry about the bad quality, i've resent this picture so many times now that there's barely any pixels left.

[–] FuzzyWeevil@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Meanwhile, FB and Google which are courting Trump, and Elon courting both Trump and Nazis, are perfectly fine.

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[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 9 points 19 hours ago

It's gonna happen on the 19th because otherwise TikTok could just pay Donald Trump to make it go away.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 86 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Stricter laws restricting data collection would actually solve the problem but that will hurt the American propaganda machine just as much. China will diffuse it's propaganda through our own social media like they clearly already do. They can literally buy the data from our own data brokers, it won't even stop them from being effective.

[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 30 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's not simply about collecting data. That's only part of the problem.

Why do people keep repeating this like it's the only thing.

Tiktok controls the algorithm controlling which clips get shown. Combined with the data, this means they can propaganda individuals so hard it will make your head spin.

[–] kava@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago (5 children)

this means they can propaganda individuals so hard it will make your head spin.

Until you have an open source algorithm then any organization controlling a social media site can push propaganda. Just like they do here in the US.

The reason that Tiktok is being banned has nothing to do with data. We know this because you can just buy data about Americans legally from data brokers. This isn't about Chinese propaganda either. The real reason is that Tiktok is not easily put on a leash by the federal government. The real reason is that Tiktok has a large amount of popular leftist and anti-establishment voices. The real reason is that the US wants to funnel people into the social media sites that jump when the government tells them to.

[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Not leftist; pro-China. There's some pretty clear indications that TikTok suppresses posts critical of China and China's interests--despite those topics generating high engagement--while not suppressing information, say, critical of the US. They're clearly acting as an agent of the Chinese gov't.

[–] kava@lemmy.world 6 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

That's the thing about state media from China & Russia & Iran. Yes, they are censored in the sense they aren't going to be critical of their host country.

However they are also a means by which certain anti-establishment voices from the West are able to get a platform. For example RT will historically interview people like Chomsky. It's not because Chomsky ideologically aligns with Russia. It's because "enemy of my enemy is my friend". So just because something is censored in one direction, it does not mean everything else on the platform is false.

So if we go to TikTok, China is perfectly fine with certain leftist anti-establishment media whereas it would be algorithm'd away on the other major social media sites.

Again, it has nothing to do with TikTok being pro China. It has everything to do with the US government not being able to control what is on the platform for their own interests. TikTok does not have to answer to the US, and instead of us being OK with that because we're a free country- we're cracking down on dissent because we are becoming increasingly authoritarian.

[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee -1 points 5 hours ago

People on the left in the west have plenty of platforms; they just don't see the kinds of engagement that other ideologies do. To paraphrase, the right looks for coverts, the left looks for traitors. People on the left in the west are honestly their own worst enemy; they do a bang-up job at gate-keeping and pushing people away over minor ideological differences, and that drives engagement down.

TikTok does not have to answer to the US

Correct. But it does answer to China. And that's a problem. Independent social media isn't a problem; social media under the direct authority of a hostile authoritarian gov't is.

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[–] Ok_imagination@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Yeah! Only Facebook can propagandize my sweet ass!

[–] grue@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This is not an argument against banning TikTok. This is an argument for banning Facebook (and all other centralized social media) right along with it.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 3 points 19 hours ago

No shit. Who cares about TikTok?

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 19 hours ago

Being consistent is considered a good thing. Ban one, ban none.

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[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 day ago

"It's to protect our citizens from China!"

"Are we going to have stronger data protection laws across all 50 states and the federal government to help protect our citizens?"

"That sounds like a terrorist wanting privacy to hide form Facebook and Google's data to the NSA!"

Yeah, Chinese leadership was complaining about the mass migration from Twitter to Bluesky because it rendered their bit accounts useless, so it's not like it's a secret or anything.

This has always been about how TikTok can't be bought out as a propaganda machine by American billionaires.

[–] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 77 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] ech@lemm.ee 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Dunno why the last bit was removed. Ruins the wordplay that would apply perfectly here.

[–] Hackworth@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
[–] ech@lemm.ee 3 points 11 hours ago

There we go.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago
[–] recreationalcatheter@lemm.ee -4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Good.

Fit society or be ousted.

[–] holo@lemmy.wtf 1 points 4 hours ago

Oh hey Adolf, glad to see you come out of retirement.

[–] jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

Facebook first.

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why is everything so glacially slow anymore. Fucking do something! I've been hearing about the demise of TiKTok for like three YEARS. Die already. Or don't, I'm just sick of hearing about how it "might close" any fucking day now.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 11 points 1 day ago

The 19th is the legal deadline.

[–] SoupBrick@yiffit.net 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

This article from 2024 gives a pretty good rundown as to why using this reasoning to ban Tiktok will set a very bad precedent:

https://www.npr.org/2024/05/14/1251086753/tiktok-ban-first-amendment-lawsuit-free-speech-project-texas

If the govt cared about your data privacy, they would create data collection regulations that they could then use to ban tiktok if/when they violate them.

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 19 hours ago

Tell that to the Leopards Eating My Face voters here advocating for censorship and government overreach.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

People really cheering this? I don't like TikTok because I don't much care for that style of short form video - but let's not act like it would be better under US tech giant control. Worse, I'd say.

Officials say Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok's U.S. patrons

Oooooh scaaaaary. I'd feel much safer having it under the control of a government who actually affects my life. 🙄

Red scare 2.0 bullshit

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 3 points 19 hours ago

I am conditioned to be revolted by autoplay videos. Even here, when I opened this post on the mobile web version, a video autoplayed at the top and I immediately stopped it.

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Nothing of value will be lost.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago (19 children)

Idk, I think all these governments having trade and tech wars is bad for our freedom. But on the other hand, TikTok is pure misinformation slop.

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[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 8 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

The best possible outcome would have been a digital bill of rights that applies to all social media. Please step outside the Amazon box youre thinking out of.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

No no I said possible outcome.

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