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Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

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Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#741

Post by djur »

kromem wrote: post #648
danieltanfh95 wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because it doesn’t say “ban” doesn’t mean its not one. It is well known that China lists algorithms and AI models trained on citizen data as a non-export so tiktok will never be able to sell to anyone other than a Chinese company unless they retrain the model etc. The CEO has mentioned that they will simply pull out of the US market.

Theoretically they could sell "TikTok" to a US company who then licenses algorithm processing to the Chinese entity, no? The US entity isn't beholden to the CCP and can decide to switch algorithm providers if they suddenly notice it's getting very propaganda-y, which provides a degree of independent oversight appeasing US concerns while not necessitating actually switching from the current systems.

The law requires the President (i.e. executive agencies) to verify any such transaction, and it specifically calls out "cooperation with respect to the operation of a content recommendation algorithm or an agreement with respect to data sharing" as subject to review. So they thought about that.

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#742

Post by partiallypro »

zappb wrote: post #662
partiallypro wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I forced you to sell your home and said you couldn't live there anymore, and if you refused to move, we would tear your house down. Would you then say that I am banning you from living in your home? Kinda feels like a ban, even though it's just a forced sell.

That’s similar to eminent domain, a right granted to the government in the constitution.

Eminent domain requires a fair price and it's for public infrastructure. This isn't, this is just an app.

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#743

Post by dareal »

troll_v_bridge wrote: post #599

I’m surprised I don’t hear many speak on the trade embargo aspects of something like TikTok. US social media is blocked from China, so from an economic policy perspective why wouldn’t the trade embargo me mutual, Tit4Tat.

this is not an economic nor trade issue though

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#744

Post by basch »

deviantbit wrote: post #735
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #617

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China doesn't actually ban American social networks, not officially at least. They just don't work for some reason due to technical issues. China has never said "we ban Facebook and Google", you just wake up one day and they aren't working anymore.

You haven't been there then. Google, YouTube, Twitter are all banned there. They are blocked completely. You cannot download the apps. In fact, the Google Play Store doesn't work there. They have cracked down on all VPN's now as well. We could only access western social media through a corporate network. One side note, the United States Embassy has free Wi-Fi if you're close enough to it. You can get access to everyt…

I don’t have a no YouTube and Roblox policy at my house. However, mysteriously they usually arent working. It’s a lot less contentious that way

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#745

Post by [deleted] »

benced wrote: post #615

The WTO allows China to ban American social networks - which would otherwise be required to be allowed under its general principle of parity - because of its "public morals" exception ( https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/repertory_e/g4_... ). I personally don't think that exception should exist and I'm OK banning it solely on trade parity grounds.

[deleted]

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#747

Post by djur »

temporarely wrote: post #322
Aloisius wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The law doesn't ban them from having Chinese owners. It bans American companies from providing services that distribute, maintain or update any sufficiently popular apps substantially owned or controlled by foreign adversaries. TikTok could host APKs from CCP headquarters if they want to.

Is this just a distribution ban or will US actually block the app at net/protocol? I have never used the thingie but this ban business motivated me to download it the other day.

The law doesn't authorize blocking access to servers outside the US.

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#748

Post by diath »

flappyeagle wrote: post #24
segasaturn wrote: post #5

99% Invisible recently introduced me to the political concept of Noticeably Improving People's Lives (abbreviated as NIPL), which refers to how politicians get votes by making visible, positive improvements to people's lives. Not only is this bill bad policy (does nothing to protect people from foreign surveillance and violates free speech), its shit politics. All it's going to do is make the 150m Americans who use T…

My girlfriend not zombifying herself for 3 hours a day noticeably improves her life and my life

Sounds like she's the problem, not TikTok.

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#749

Post by mike50 »

spxneo wrote: post #525
Dalewyn wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It's surprising to me that this this pretty significant distinction has been glossed over both in media reporting and in general comments here on HN. That's because: * Saying it'll get banned makes for a more sensational headline. * Saying it'll get banned is accurate enough for most practical purposes. * Saying it'll get banned is simpler than explaining the details of divestiture. Most Americans probably don't eve…

Another reason could be: many are not sympathetic to the America's claims that these foreign platforms are at the whims of a country it is at odds with and which have repeatedly demonstrated covert abilities to change American's perception. Speaking with some younger American co-workers in the past, their suspicion/hatred of their own country is astounding to see and it seems to have coincidentally begun after TikTok…

And old people losing their connection with objective reality is connected to fox news. Next argument. It's being banned because old technically illiterate people (most of congress) latched onto a simplistic solution to the wrong problem,

Re: Biden signs TikTok bill into law, starting clock for ByteDance to divest

#750

Post by djur »

dareal wrote: post #746

It's so ironic that in the future, some Americans may use a VPN to log onto TikTok to practice their right to freedom of expression, while all the local social medias will ban them, lol.

The law doesn't require or permit blocking access to Chinese servers, and virtually no current TikTok users are going to use VPNs to access it.
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