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TikTok goes dark in the US

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501–510 of 1001 posts

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#501

It's a shame that it's come to this. I feel that all arguments that TikTok is unhealthy or spyware and bad for our general public are valid, but the same arguments also apply to Instagram/Twitter/Whatever. Rather than have some sort of further regulation for what data any application can collect and present to Americans, we've just brought the hammer down on the millions of people that use this application for their…

Please be serious. Any suggestion that TikTok poses no real threat to U.S. interests is staggeringly naive. Imagine if CBS, NBC, FOX, and ABC were all owned and operated by the government of America’s greatest adversary—that’s essentially what we’re dealing with. Meanwhile, Chinese citizens are explicitly barred from accessing TikTok in China, and American social media companies are shut out of China’s market altoget…

> Imagine if CBS, NBC, FOX, and ABC were all owned and operated by the government of America’s greatest adversary—that’s essentially what we’re dealing with.

That analogy falls apart by making use the hyperbole of comparing ownership of one social media application to the ownership of all major broadcast media television channels. Or is the U.S. so socially conflicted and institutionally fragile that it not handle one single social media application being owned and operated by 's/the government of/a private company from/' its greatest adversary?

The broadcast TV analogy may be more applicable if Instagram, X, YouTube and Twitch were all operated by the oligarchy of a single geopolitical adversary... which arguably could become the case for the E.U. from tomorrow 20th January 2025.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#502

The app was shutdown a couple of hours ago in the US and this was the message all TikTok users saw when they opened the app.[1] The same guy who pushed for a ban massively last year, is going to save the app despite the security concerns he and most of our government said they had. If only we knew what happened in that classified briefing that made them vote together across party lines. [1] https://a57.foxnews.com/st…

Gee I wonder if el presidente will have personal editorial access...

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#503

Bottom line is: it is reasonable for governments to exercise control over the information environment their citizens experience, especially when social media has such potential to sow chaos and instability. Look at how the US internet fuelled the fires of the Arab Spring / HK protests / Jan 6th / Any number of colour revolutions in Europe. Even today, we see X being used as a platform to encourage protests against go…

It seems you are being downvoted, but I see this similarly. Elon musk applying pressure in German elections or UK politics via X/Twitter is basically exactly the problem with foreign interests controlling your social media; so I kinda hope the ban does set an example for other countries. Maybe, once the inflammatory platforms like X & Facebook are banned in the EU, then we can also get a social network that is not fu…

>Elon musk applying pressure in German elections

That doing an interview with a controversial politician is "applying pressure" and is seen as "a danger to democracy" (quoting German media) is all you need to know about the German media landscape and German politics.

>but can be run by a nonprofit or something

There are high profile celebs on German "state" television unironically being in favor of a state-run social network.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#504

It's a shame that it's come to this. I feel that all arguments that TikTok is unhealthy or spyware and bad for our general public are valid, but the same arguments also apply to Instagram/Twitter/Whatever. Rather than have some sort of further regulation for what data any application can collect and present to Americans, we've just brought the hammer down on the millions of people that use this application for their…

TikTok lied under oath about what they do with user data. Also the requirements they have for their managers and executives amount to them operating as an unregistered foreign agent, since staff are literally required to uphold China’s national interests: https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/14/tiktok-forced-staff-oaths... You combine that with the lack of reciprocal access for American and European social media apps to t…

And yet last time I mentioned this on HN I was met with disbelief and straw man arguments. How times change online.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#505

The app was shutdown a couple of hours ago in the US and this was the message all TikTok users saw when they opened the app.[1] The same guy who pushed for a ban massively last year, is going to save the app despite the security concerns he and most of our government said they had. If only we knew what happened in that classified briefing that made them vote together across party lines. [1] https://a57.foxnews.com/st…

Yeah, he's gonna save it by forcing them to sell it to X, Meta or to Truth Social.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#506
Very interesting to see how effective US propaganda can be

Going by the comments, it seems a lot of people here actually believe this whole thing is about “China”

“China” is the new “communism”. It’s just the phantom enemy to scare everyone

Without a real disclosure about the real reasons for the TT ban, we will never really know what is going on behind the scenes

Maybe we’ll have to wait a few decades to get some unclassified docs

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#507
post #382

The app was shutdown a couple of hours ago in the US and this was the message all TikTok users saw when they opened the app.[1] The same guy who pushed for a ban massively last year, is going to save the app despite the security concerns he and most of our government said they had. If only we knew what happened in that classified briefing that made them vote together across party lines. [1] https://a57.foxnews.com/st…

Biden could have cut a deal with TikTok instead of this. That would have left the US with a least one major social media not in the pocket of Trump.

> Biden could have cut a deal with TikTok instead of this. That would have left the US with a least one major social media not in the pocket of Trump.

This take is extremely disingenuous.

TikTok is a espionage and propaganda vector currently controlled by China's ruling regime. The only decision at this point is whether China continues to operate their propaganda and intelligence operation with free reign within the US. The only question at this point is whether Trump is in the pocket of the CCP.

TikTok's propaganda is clearly targeting Trump. I mean, ByteDance rejected a sale and instructed TikTok to unitalerally turn the lights off and post messages on how Trump was their savior. This is extremely transparent. There is nothing Biden could do to counter this.

What makes your take extremely disingenuous is the fact that you are arguing that Biden should fold to the CCP's pressure to continue their propaganda and intelligence campaign within the US, and you're trying to frame this somehow as keeping a major social not in the pocket of Trump. As if Trump is the issue.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#509

The app was shutdown a couple of hours ago in the US and this was the message all TikTok users saw when they opened the app.[1] The same guy who pushed for a ban massively last year, is going to save the app despite the security concerns he and most of our government said they had. If only we knew what happened in that classified briefing that made them vote together across party lines. [1] https://a57.foxnews.com/st…

I wonder how much ByteDance got from the incoming administration to pull that stunt. Super shady. "We voluntarily shut down our service in your country (er, I mean, we HAD TO, for real!) but don't worry, a true hero is soon arriving to save the day!"

I’m sure they expect the issue to be resolved by paying the incoming president.

Re: TikTok goes dark in the US

#510

The app was shutdown a couple of hours ago in the US and this was the message all TikTok users saw when they opened the app.[1] The same guy who pushed for a ban massively last year, is going to save the app despite the security concerns he and most of our government said they had. If only we knew what happened in that classified briefing that made them vote together across party lines. [1] https://a57.foxnews.com/st…

This is bizarre.. Maybe I'm wrong but is a president even allowed just unilaterally decide to revoke a law ? Maybe the US should just create some privacy protections instead ?

> Maybe the US should just create some privacy protections instead ?

But... But that would apply to Meta and Twitter as well Ö

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