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They are owned by a Chinese company and thus have no rights

What about Meta's freedom of expression in China?

This is the foundation of reciprocal trade agreements: We don't put tariffs on your cars if you don't put tariffs on ours. We don't ban your social media companies if you don't ban ours.

ByteDance is a Chinese corporation. The US federal government does not govern it and has no responsibility to allow a Chinese corporation to express itself in the US by publishing propaganda.

US freedom of expression applies only to US residents not to foreign govt controlled companies lol. And that is good.

Does the Citizens United ruling have a say?

No. Citizens United covered PAC donations. Nowhere did it rule that the government cannot restrict foreign social media companies.

Nope, go read it. Once again, the first amendment applies only to US entities.

Unless China is part of the US, I don't see how CCP/Bytedance can get First Amendment protection.