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TikTok is now banned in Montana

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Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#391

Post by TeMPOraL »

MadSudaca wrote: post #380
egorfine wrote: post #379

I live in a country where such a ban on certain "enemy" social networks was implemented a few years ago. What will happen is this. Teens will download a shit ton of VPN applications, the vast majority of which are specifically produced and marketed by the enemy to circumvent said ban. Then all users' phone traffic gets routed via the enemy VPN instead of just the social app's requests. Win-win for both sides: - the g…

Let's say establishing policies to reduce the use of TikTok in the population is the right move. What policies would you suggest?

What would be the specific harm of TikTok? Is it because of China, or because of this style of social media apps?

If it's because of China, then ban TikTok and subsidize a competitor app - but be serious about it. Be ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on keeping the app free and servers up for years, sponsoring hundreds of content creators, dragging celebrities in to produce exclusive content, burning tons of money on all kinds of loss-generating marketing bullshit, like "publish a video from $concert, best 100 videos win a Nintendo Switch", for each concert in the state/country for the next few years.

Point being, if you can provide a TikTok alternative and make it extremely attractive, even if by literally giving away hundreds of dollars to each new user, then kids won't care about using TikTok anymore.

Now, if it's not about China but teenage use of social media?

Put an absurdly high tax on smartphones. Like 200%-1000%. That will make sure they become unavailable to a typical teenager.

Beyond that? I don't think you can do much about it directly, or in the immediate term.

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#393

Post by amelius »

egorfine wrote: post #379

I live in a country where such a ban on certain "enemy" social networks was implemented a few years ago. What will happen is this. Teens will download a shit ton of VPN applications, the vast majority of which are specifically produced and marketed by the enemy to circumvent said ban. Then all users' phone traffic gets routed via the enemy VPN instead of just the social app's requests. Win-win for both sides: - the g…

Meanwhile nobody is speaking about the real enemy here, which is data-brokers who will gladly sell any data of US citizens to evil countries.

We would be better served by a total ban on user tracking technologies.

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#394

Post by vasco »

MadSudaca wrote: post #380
egorfine wrote: post #379

I live in a country where such a ban on certain "enemy" social networks was implemented a few years ago. What will happen is this. Teens will download a shit ton of VPN applications, the vast majority of which are specifically produced and marketed by the enemy to circumvent said ban. Then all users' phone traffic gets routed via the enemy VPN instead of just the social app's requests. Win-win for both sides: - the g…

Let's say establishing policies to reduce the use of TikTok in the population is the right move. What policies would you suggest?

What does the government have to do with what apps I use in my free time? Are they also going to force me to read nonfiction instead of fiction because it's "the right move"? This sounds like some dystopian crap. What committee decides which apps are good for you or not and how long is long enough?

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#395

Post by setgree »

MadSudaca wrote: post #380
egorfine wrote: post #379

I live in a country where such a ban on certain "enemy" social networks was implemented a few years ago. What will happen is this. Teens will download a shit ton of VPN applications, the vast majority of which are specifically produced and marketed by the enemy to circumvent said ban. Then all users' phone traffic gets routed via the enemy VPN instead of just the social app's requests. Win-win for both sides: - the g…

Let's say establishing policies to reduce the use of TikTok in the population is the right move. What policies would you suggest?

Politics is downstream of culture. if we wanted to reduce social media use, we could try to change internet habits and attitudes writ large. Something like a “put down the phone and talk to people” campaign, a la anti-smoking/drinking/drunk driving efforts of yore. That way it doesn’t feel like teens in particular are being targeted by out of touch adults. At least, not as much.

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#396

Post by newsclues »

egorfine wrote: post #379

I live in a country where such a ban on certain "enemy" social networks was implemented a few years ago. What will happen is this. Teens will download a shit ton of VPN applications, the vast majority of which are specifically produced and marketed by the enemy to circumvent said ban. Then all users' phone traffic gets routed via the enemy VPN instead of just the social app's requests. Win-win for both sides: - the g…

Good excuse to crack down on VPNs that don't provide backdoors next.

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#397

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #391
MadSudaca wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's say establishing policies to reduce the use of TikTok in the population is the right move. What policies would you suggest?

What would be the specific harm of TikTok? Is it because of China, or because of this style of social media apps? If it's because of China, then ban TikTok and subsidize a competitor app - but be serious about it. Be ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on keeping the app free and servers up for years, sponsoring hundreds of content creators, dragging celebrities in to produce exclusive content, burning ton…

It's a hypothetical. Hypothetically suppose we all agree that TikTok usage should be reduced. You are a state legislator. What do you do?

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#398

Post by thr-nrg »

friend_and_foe wrote: post #356
nickthegreek wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are states… should there be city level bans too? Where does it end. Now they need 50 different app stores just for the US customers? Does DC get its own? How should we handle US territories… I think Apple and a Google have plenty reason to fight this.

States are sovereign except for specific roles and powers explicitly reserved for the federal government or otherwise restricted from the states. These aren't provinces, theyre more like European countries in the EU.

Interstate commerce is specifically the power they don't have.

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#399

Post by llanowarelves »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #158
onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does a state even have a right to do something like this? Somehow, I feel like if California tried to ban Fox News - it would not fly. This doesn't seem that different, though I personally find it amusing that it's coming from a conservative state. I do agree TikTok is toxic trash - but I'd say the same about Fox News - and it just doesn't seem like something a state has the ability to ban.

It's predictable that it's coming from a conservative state. That they are broadly against using state power to ban things is part of their identity and marketing but not reality. Especially when it can be construed as a social-moral problem.

They probably also see States Rights (the philosophy, not necessarily a legal interpretation) as opposite Federal power.

States rights isn't just for social-moral topics such as marijuana and immigration. We should have expected it to be used for other things as has historically been the case.

California et al just had a slight lead.

Re: TikTok is now banned in Montana

#400

Post by TeMPOraL »

asne11 wrote: post #392

Who's interested in building a replacement? A dozen HN readers can surely crank out something at least as good in a matter of weeks. Could be in the right position if US government bans TikTok.

Let's aim higher! Who want to help build the SAP of social media?

Imagine selling a bespoke, turnkey solution to countries and companies around the world. Thinking about banning China from your Internet but your kids miss TikTok? We have something for you! On-prem, modular social media platform. Choose from ready made-modules:

- Interaction Styles - TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and many others.

- Regulatory environment - there's one for every major bloc on the globe! You can have your TikTok, and China can have its TikTok too! Comes with automatic GDPR support, updated daily to give access to latest discovered loopholes.

- Ideological Environment - a package of moderation, generation and monitoring tools, tailored to specific needs of your prospective users; choose from a wide set of ready-made configs - one for each major religious or political ideological group in every country on the planet!

- Monetization strategies - advertising? More advertising? Subscription and advertising? Pick and choose!

Let's do this! This is the endgame for social media and the Internet, so why wait for the world to go to shit, when we could drag it down to the gutter and make some money in the process?

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