Ive never understood why TikTok is allowed to run their app in the West whilst China blocks all foreign apps within its own borders.
How is this not a simple trade issue?
I don't even know what "manipulation of opinion by an authoritarian regime" you're referring to, as TikTok is nothing but memes and nonsense, but it's axiomatic around here that free speech means we must allow speech from all sources, and that manipulation of opinion is fair game. That people may be sensitive and easily led astray by falsehood is not an excuse for censorship. They must simply find a way to verify the claims made for themselves. We must simply adapt to this new world order.
And besides, the answer to "bad" speech is more speech, is it not?
I'm simply saying we should apply the same full throated defense of free speech to the psyops of authoritarian regimes as we do neo-nazis and quacks and "journalists" who want to harass trangendered people to suicide. It's only fair, given that social media is already suffused with American government and corporate propaganda anyway. How can we host proper debates without hearing all sides? Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - not actually Voltaire
Again, you are not a serious person.
Picture how upset kids get when you take away their favourite video game and apply that to a group of people dozens of times larger than the NRA.
That's a lot of votes to risk.
[1] https://reboot-foundation.org/research/the-tiktok-challenge-...
++ I'd be interested to see this study replicated across the entire adult voter base with breakdowns by region etc, but I'm not aware of one.
Yes, any neutral observer can see that it's incredibly foolish to let a company with strong connections to our largest geopolitical rival have control over 1-2 hours of attention (every day) of young people in the US.
We literally have no idea if TikTok is boosting certain political/social values amongst American youth. Even a slight nudge could have a huge effects (because of the scale at which TikTok operates) and it would be impossible to detect.
The idea that there's some "iron wall" between US and Chinese data has already been proven false. US user data has repeatedly been accessed from china - https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-....
"I feel like with these tools, there’s some backdoor to access user data in almost all of them,” said an external auditor hired to help TikTok close off Chinese access to sensitive information, like Americans’ birthdays and phone numbers."
My solution is: Until China opens up to foreign apps, the FTC should tell Google and Apple that they won't take any antitrust action if Google and Apple replace Tiktok with alternative apps (like Youtube Shorts) in their app stores. Then let Google and Apple do what they want to do already. No need for any heavy-handed government action which could violate the 1st Amendment.
I strongly favor a peaceful relationship with China, but peace is best achieved through reciprocity. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
With corporate headquarters in the West and a diverse group of international shareholders a lot of the national security concerns could be addressed.
In exchange, there could be sanctions / regulatory relief for Huawei, SMIC, ZTE & other Chinese tech.
Love the CCP sympathizers downvoting. Can’t argue with the truth but can downvote.