this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024
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The US House of Representatives is due to vote on a bill giving Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to sell that part of its business

China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 US elections, the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, has told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing.

Asked by Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi if China’s ruling Communist party (CCP) would use TikTok to influence the elections, Haines said “we cannot rule out that the CCP would use it”.

Lawmakers have long voiced concerns that the Chinese government could access user data or influence what people see on the app, including pushing content to stoke US political divisions.

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[–] Coach@lemmy.world 65 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Why only TikTok? Every social media company does the exact same thing.

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is true. Cambridge Analytica wasn't that long ago, either.

[–] Coach@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Right? The algorithms are all designed to stoke outrage. Why don't we do something like the EU and pass legislation that applies to all social media companies, not just demonize certain ones. What am I missing here?

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

I can only think that TikTok's status as a state-affiliated company might have something to do with it being singled out.

In practice, however, other social media platforms are controlled by capital and state actors have a lot of capital to leverage, so there's effectively no difference other than China can do for free via TikTok what Russia and the US have to pay for on any other social media platform.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

What am I missing here?

Mountains of hypocrisy and xenophobia.

They want to be able to tell voters on the right that they "stood up to China and big tech" and voters on the left that they "stood up to social media companies perverting democracy" without going after the American companies that do the same things but pay them a lot more in legal bribes (and probably illegal ones too).

Because China and trade war.

[–] turkishdelight@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

America does not want non-Americans to be successful.

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[–] RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So instead we force them to sell so that some American billionaires can use it to influence elections?

That is the end goal, yes.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

China, Russia, North Korea, Israel, Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and on and on and on... are using ALL social media (especially American social media) to influence EVERY American election for the past several years.

If it took you until now to realize that, it's way too late.

[–] fustigation769curtain@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh no. Only wealthy americans are allowed to control their elections.

[–] fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Better wealthy citizens than a hostile foreign government.

[–] GlitzyArmrest@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you think that wealthy citizens can't be bought off by hostile foreign governments? Neither is better - we need actual regulation rather than worrying about a single company.

[–] fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Of course they can, like Musk. But they're still under national jurisdiction. Completely different from influence by a foreign government.

[–] notannpc@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

The same way that Russia used Twitter and meta properties to interfere in the last few elections? And the way they will inevitably do it again in this coming election?

US legislators are incompetent and blatantly dishonest about their intentions once again.

[–] turkishdelight@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is America not doing the same globally with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others?

[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Hell, we already know China used Facebook to do this during the last American midterms (and has purchased all sorts of data from FB), but since they have an older user base that lawmakers figure is more likely to vote than TikTok-ers it's not getting singled out for this special treatment

e; specified which midterms I was talking about

[–] turkishdelight@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

I'm more worried about American propaganda. America is known for supporting coups in my country.

[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So.... Just like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube? Ok

So when are those getting banned?

[–] fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When the CCP takes control of them.

[–] GlitzyArmrest@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've got bad news for you, the CCP is happy to use American social media to manipulate the populous, it doesn't matter if it's US owned or not.

[–] fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Yes they are, but it absolutely makes a difference if it's US-owned vs under the CCP.

[–] solrize@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

China could use TikTok to influence US elections, spy chief says

Also at 11: Rupert Murdoch could use Fox News the same way.

[–] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

They are crying because they can't control narratives on the app.

[–] dmtalon@infosec.pub 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Breaking news:

TV in America could be maliciously used to influence US elections.

BAN TV in America!!!

[–] blackluster117@possumpat.io 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But first, Sports with Riley McGuffin. Riley?

[–] dmtalon@infosec.pub 2 points 1 year ago
[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 year ago

They could, certainly. What is the evidence that they actually are engaged in psyops campaigns though? This is a common belief but I haven’t seen a shred of evidence for it. If it exists, someone please share.

[–] Pretzilla@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Rachel Maddow just covered this.

Drumft came out for TikTok after meeting at Mag-a-Lardo with a billionaire TikTok investor.

He's desperate for a sugar daddy to cover his half billion bar tab.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/14/trump-tiktok-billionaire-donors-00146892

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Seems to me that China could use pretty much ANY social media site to do this. Why the fixation on TikTok?

[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The US can't control it. Hell, they are planning a hostile takeover after banning it, and then they will lift the ban.

[–] KeenFlame@feddit.nu 1 points 1 year ago

A real spy master this one, with extremely keen sense of information technology, bravo man I'm really impressed

[–] ArdMacha@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

The way Russia used Facebook and Twitter?

[–] _number8_@lemmy.world -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

so rather than running someone that could organically capture more of the gen z vote, they're banning their most popular form of communication because the old man wanted another term. awesome

Yep. They don't want to solve these problems.

They just want to make themselves and their donors richer as quickly as possible.

Anyone who doesn't see this is a useful idiot in their scheme.