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US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

reuters.com

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Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#281

Post by supriyo-biswas »

est wrote: post #119
supriyo-biswas wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Doesn't censor content" is probably not describing the situation correctly; while some companies like Google have typically resisted such in the aughts, they regularly take requests from other countries of this sort, and it'd be very simple for them to reenter the China market by having a stance similar to what they have for other countries. The issue here is probably caused by the requirement for an ICP recordal wh…

> ICP recordal which requires removal of violating user-generated content And the reason behind that? Copy from other comments, "So China can't spy on Americans and astroturf propaganda", swap China/America

> Copy from other comments, "So China can't spy on Americans and astroturf propaganda"

The Chinese versions of these services are walled off from the rest of the world (otherwise the ICP license probably ends up applying to the worldwide service), so this is not even a plausible explanation.

Further, asserting that the requirements imposed by the ICP recordal as being equivalent to following laws in other democracies is laughable; since most democracies make considerations towards good faith motives towards following a law even though there might be misses otherwise, not to mention the kind of content being censored.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#283

Post by mattigames »

dqv wrote: post #205
iends wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the free exchange of ideas if the CCP can put its thumb on the scale.

Right on, it's only a free exchange of ideas if US alphabet agencies can exclusively put their thumb on the scale. The CCP's "influence" here is just letting content exist that would normally be suppressed on other platforms. Which, obviously, the US government doesn't like - do not intersperse the pro-US military content with anticapitalist rhetoric!!!

It's there any sources to support your claim that TikTok is allowing content that is being suppressed in other platforms? I find that hard to believe.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#284

Post by cakealert »

Maybe they will make the Tiktok website better now? Also Apple may be in an unpleasant position if Tiktok starts to aggressively push Android for sideloading. Children asking for Androids might be really bad for them, Apple needs them young.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#285

Post by OhioMan2943 »

endgame wrote: post #273
OhioMan2943 wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty aware of how inept our government is at these policies, and their surveillance state tendencies (eg undisclosed facial recognition testing at flinder street station). But at this point i think a malicious australian government is less of a threat to the public and our way of life and emotional prosperity than social media.

> undisclosed facial recognition testing at flinder street station I hadn't heard about that particular intrusion. Got a link?

Can't find it right now but auspol has been using clearview and saying they weren't

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-04-14/clearview-ai-...

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#286

Post by oefrha »

omnimus wrote: post #187
OhioMan2943 wrote: post #167

This is one of the things in my lifetime that gives me the most optimism, alongisde the IRA Bill. as someone in Australia who strongly supports our recent U16 ban, I hope META gets removed/broken up for you guys soon after, at least for underage users. I'm 22 and often wish I had never been born into a world with social media, with the belief that it is one of the worst things we have ever made as a species. I know t…

This move unfortunately has nothing to do with harm of social media. Its purely about economical war with china. US is simply protecting its interests. So not only the ruling class in US doesnt care about the harms of social media. They are actively protecting the results - the profits and data/spying/control facebook brings. They will surely not limit or break up facebook unless it would result in getting more resul…

It’s definitely not “purely about economical war”. A large part of it was public support for Palestine and the perceived role of TikTok in it, which explains the timing of the ban and why it succeeded this time around. Evidence? Well, many congresscritters were very open about this motive, e.g. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/lawmaker... But yes, of course “social media is bad for children” had nothing to do with it at all.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#287

Post by kelnos »

paganel wrote: post #183
soramimo wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counter point, how is letting the primary adversarial power (which happens to be an authoritarian regime) massively influence the political views of the future generation a good idea? It sounds to me like the federal government is doing its job here.

The West was throwing all shorts of shades at political powers here in Eastern Europe back in the day for not letting the free flow of information do its thing. So, saying that the US is doing the right thing now to ban TikTok based on ideological grounds is saying that it was right sending people to prison back then for listening to Radio Free Europe and similar.

I keep seeing this style of argument, but it's completely irrelevant and ignores nuance and the specific circumstances.

Banning TikTok is not going to impact the free flow of information. That traffic will just move (back?) to other social media platforms.

"Back in the day", the Soviets didn't want their people to know what life was like outside the USSR. Banning TikTok will not reduce anyone's knowledge about what's going on outside the US.

As a US citizen, I am absolutely fine with my government taking steps to prevent a totalitarian foreign adversary from influencing political thought in my country. The US is far (far!) from perfect, but moves like this don't affect freedom of speech or access to different viewpoints.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#288

Post by amelius »

OhioMan2943 wrote: post #167

This is one of the things in my lifetime that gives me the most optimism, alongisde the IRA Bill. as someone in Australia who strongly supports our recent U16 ban, I hope META gets removed/broken up for you guys soon after, at least for underage users. I'm 22 and often wish I had never been born into a world with social media, with the belief that it is one of the worst things we have ever made as a species. I know t…

Yes, and let them also remove Twitter/X asap.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#289

Post by kelnos »

latentcall wrote: post #153
disqard wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't understand why you are being downvoted. I'm baffled at folks wanting to overlook that a Chinese-controlled brainworm is even more dangerous than a US-operated brainworm. Yes, we should steer clear of all brainworms, but we should be exterminating the brainworms run by adversaries ASAP.

Who’s the adversary? China? China is not my adversary even if the United States government thinks so. I believe many Americans would agree with that. To me it seems China made a superior app that the American youth wanted to use and the American social media apparatus was jealous so lobbied to have it banned.

> China is not my adversary even if the United States government thinks so. I believe many Americans would agree with that.

I (a US citizen) do think of the Chinese government as an adversary. I believe many Americans would agree with me. (See, I can make the same assertion without evidence.)

> To me it seems China made a superior app that the American youth wanted to use and the American social media apparatus was jealous so lobbied to have it banned.

Sure, that's certainly part of it. It's economic protectionism. Which, honestly, when it's protectionism against a nation with a fairly closed market, where US companies and capital have much less access (and access comes with strict restrictions and censorship requirements) than Chinese companies (and their government), I'm having a hard time getting all up in arms about it.

Re: US lawmakers tell Apple, Google to be ready to remove TikTok from stores Jan. 19

#290

Post by baud147258 »

brookst wrote: post #146
gkanai wrote: post #100

Reciprocity is key. Google and Facebook and most Western web services are blocked in China. If that is the case, then there should be no complaint with blocking Bytedance/other Chinese apps in the West.

So… if China mistreats their citizens, reciprocity says we must mistreat ours? You don’t fight censorship with censorship. That doesn’t stand up to even the most cursory thought. You fight censorship with openness. As soon as you find yourself arguing that you have no choice but to engage in the same behaviors you claim to dislike, you have literally become the enemy.

> You fight censorship with openness.

because TikTok is the epitome of openness? Has never censored any opinion?

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