this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2025
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[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Because oaths are for chumps, I guess. Looks like Biden finally chose to make use of the unitary executive power the supreme court gave the president. And he used it to do a favor for tiktok. Why am I not surprised.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I wouldn't enforce it on my last day for $100,000,000.00 dollars!

But just go here and sign up to loops anyway and help pass the word! https://loops.video/

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I've tried 3 separate times to sign up for loops. The latest was actually last night. Shit fails every time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

You gotta wait a day for the link to the apk file to install the app. I'm waiting for it patiently.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

Odd, because I installed from apk quick and easy. Making an account doesn't work though.

[–] drjkl 98 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Bad title. Biden won't enforce it because “Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday”. Trump takes office literally the next day, so he's going to have to enforce it (or not).

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 week ago (4 children)

But Trump will in 3 days, and then his buddy Musk can buy it up.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And better yet China will turn around and weaponize this against us. Forcing companies manufacturing over there to sell off their interest in the manufacturing plants Etc. This s*** can go both ways and everyone's about to learn the hard way.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Buying assumes a willing seller, and I don't think ByteDance are willing.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Here is a list of the other 34 countries that have banned it and their reasons why: https://time.com/6971009/tiktok-banned-restrictions-worldwide-countries-united-states-law/

Most countries concerned about disinformation campaigns influencing politics, or brainwashing children (probably some adults too)

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It’s literally all bans on government devices. Which is totally reasonable. Ban it from govt devices.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's not fair. It's totally banned in at least Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

India too iirc

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

This has been my take ever since this conversation started, I’m not on TikTok because I generally dislike social media and would become dangerously addicted to its format. But as far as propaganda, disinformation, and China snooping on users without access to state secrets it’s no worse than facebook or Twitter or any other social media app.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

China snooping shouldn't even be the first reason it's banned, only apps actually required for the job should be on government devices. That's basic OPSec.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Which is ironic given that Facebook and YouTube are probably not banned. I would think that those have played a far far bigger role in the rise of the right, vaccination scepticism and general conspiracy theories

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Their owned by Westerners so it's okay.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

At least you could say they were held by the balls by Congress. The Zuck did testify multiple times before them regarding media manipulation. But that's the very least. It didn't work, though, because Americans were still swayed and not just by social media. Now, they want free range and they want to achieve that by jumping on Trump's smol pp... again.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Facebook is tightly woven into daily life in a lot of places. And I don't just mean outside of the united States. Small businesses use it as a home page, or they post menus or events to Instagram. As pathetic as it is they can't figure out wordpress, it's still a semi-legitimate use.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 week ago

Won't enforce it when, today and tomorrow?

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 week ago (13 children)

I understand the "but I like TikTok" crowd, but China bans US companies from operating in China all the time. Why is it all of a sudden a problem when we do it to them?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Because the US is supposed to be better than China.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Everything. 'Murican exceptionalism, baby. Fuck yeah!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Facebook had less than a million users in China before it was banned in 2009. It was struggling against domestic platforms like Webo.

TikTok has 150 million active monthly users and is one of the largest social media apps in the US.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

Number of users is not a valid argument on this type of debate

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I think tiktok should probably be banned, but I think that "it's ok because the chinese government does it" is a pretty flimsy argument.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Russia and China are waging a war against the west, and we are standing with our pants down, pretending that everything is fine.

TikTok is a drop in the bucket, but we need to stand up and fight back against those who consider us their enemy.

No need to start shooting, but we should at least give Chinese corporations the same obstacles that they give US&EU ones if they want to do business in China:

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Trade war*

Tiktok got banned because useful idiots perpetuated FUD that only exists to make rich Americans richer. Let me say this again for those in the back: Tiktok was only banned because the American ruling class wanted the whole pie. If you ever said or believed "national security" or "privacy" concerns without evidence, I'm sorry. You fell for propaganda.

Anyone who doesn't understand this shouldn't be taken seriously.

"It's easier to fool a man than to convince him he'd been fooled." - Mark Twain

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Anyone who doesn’t understand this shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Idk about that, but the rest sounds highly probable.

I think it's both. China does benefit from Americans' attention and The Zuck & Co. are all jumping on the wagon to push out their competitor by raising their hypocritical fingers.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So is the argument now we should act like China? Thought this was America, land of freedom of speech or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

So is the argument now we should act like China?

Unironically, I think most people who are going to Red Note might think so.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago

He's got two days left in office, of course he won't. He's got more important shit to focus his attention on.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Whether or not this particular ban is enforced is irrelevant. The point was simply to establish the precedent that the government can restrict citizens' access to social media.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The thing people aren't getting about this law is it's extremely broad, with no due process. The definition they use for organizations that are subject to this law could literally include the New York Times. And designating an organization as controlled by a foreign adversary is a declaration by the Secretary of Commerce.

There's no court, no hearing, no public notice, no juries, and only one judge (the secretary).

The point of taking down TikTok is twofold. One, they have a Boogeyman they can use to push it through. Two, if they can shut down an app with 170 million users then they can shut down anyone. That's half the country that uses TikTok. If they can do that without protests then they can shut down anyone.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

The point of taking down TikTok is twofold. One, they have a Boogeyman they can use to push it through. Two, if they can shut down an app with 170 million users then they can shut down anyone.

Exactly.

They needed a pretense for taking down a social media site in spite of the fact that it's not violating any existing laws and in spite of widespread opposition to the takedown,and TikTok served both of those purposes.

And now, armed with Supreme Court approval, they can set about barring access to pretty much any site they want, for whatever reason they want, regardless of public opinion.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yes, yes it can. Ask pornhub

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pornhub is different though, because they could base it in existing laws barring minors from accessing pornography. It didn't really establish any new precedents, but instead simply expanded enforcement of existing statutes to the internet.

That's not to say it was a good thing - it just doesn't pose the same sort of existential threat that this poses.

The difference here is that there are no existing laws that pertain to TikTok, so it's not justvthe application of existing law to the internet. This is an entirely new power - the authority to simply pass a law decreeing that a particular site is to be banned in the US, entirely regardless of the legal standing of the site or its content, but solely because those with the authority to do so have decided that that's what they want to do

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