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

reuters.com

541–550 of 769 posts

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

#541
post #445

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chinese Tiktok is forcibly wholesome (by Chinese standards). They do not believe in absolute freedom of speech. Now Americans have just conceded that they don't believe in it either. It's good that we're all on the same page now.

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This is a very common McCarthyite propaganda point, and I think it's important that we deconstruct it.

We presumably live in a Democracy but this democracies voters cannot be trusted to read, view or engage with content that might undercut the preferred narratives of the mother country. Therefore, anyone arguing for this right must be under the communist spell or worse on the payroll.

Low IQ tbh

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

#542

I really hate how people are arguing that it should be banned because of the content being inappropriate in one way or another when the content you see is based on how you interact with the app. We don't all see the same stuff. So yeah China may have more educational content but that's probably just becuase the people there are interested in that stuff. When I travel to the mountains, I get more outdoorsy/hiking vide…

So how do we ensure that Tiktok doesn't covertly alter the algorithm to subtly include propaganda tailored to China's geopolitical interests that are detrimental to the US? Or even just propaganda tailored to enhance internal strife to weaken the country?

Then create a bill that targets this specifically. Does this same concern not exist for Yandex? Alibaba?

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

#543
post #496
post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is really naive. These algorithms can be and are tuned to manipulate the audience. That being said, it’s not fair to single out TikTok. They all do it. The only unique danger with TikTok is that it could be controlled by a foreign adversary, or at least could be more easily than the others.

The danger with TikTok is that some already used it to influence elections (recently in Romania) so it is proven to be working.

People not associated with the app developer publishing material on TikTok to influence elections works just as well on YouTube Shorts and Reels.

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

#544

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Holy shit can you people stop with "every point that disagrees with me is a russian propaganda point" are you serious? Can you not conceive of anyone disagreeing with you in good faith without being a state actor? You're literally just declaring a specific kind of speech "not free speech" as if it's a fact and not your arbitrary opinion

I'm not sure if you meant to reply to me, but I was very clear about the point, it wasn't "every point that disagrees with me". Unless you don't think it's relevant to point out that a specific recurring point promoted by and paid for by Russian State media, under the disguise of "conservative free speech"?[0] [0] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/05/tim-...

Right, i don't think that's relevant. You see how "bad person has that opinion therefore the opinion is invalid" doesn't lead to any kind of productive conversation right?

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

#545

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it is not snark, I am European living most of my adult life in the US and I have had more than one laugh over the years with “we are land of the free”

You’re thinking in binary terms about a gradient.

freedom being gradient sounds a lot like part of a speech of a dictator :)

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

#546
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.

Where does the law say anything about reciprocity? This is censorship under the guise of 'national security'. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have done more to undermine American institutions and openly divide the population than anything the CCP could dream up.

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

#547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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>Deliberately misinforming people, especially under a foreign state payroll, is illegal. First of all if you have any evidence of TikTok engaging in it, you should present it since even our government have said there is no such evidence and that possibility remains hypothetical. Secondly no, it's not illegal to spread misinformation, no matter the motive. The First Amendment absolutely guarantees that right.

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

#548
post #460
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.

The better analogy is to when China wanted to block opium.

The videos dividing America are being shot and filmed right here at home, and cross-posted to Twitter, Reddit, Facebook and Instagram.

The better analogy would be disrupting the Taliban's opium supply routes, but allowing allied warlords to continue selling it freely to finance their operations.

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

#549

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’ve been annoyed enough times by ‘tok’ers doing crap like I dunno, licking ice cream buckets in supermarkets, Did you ever see that in person? I feel like this is just typical outrage about something that maybe a total of 5 people did, so basically irrelevant.

How many people originally done it is irrelevant, the platform gave them opportunity to reach millions of people.

But the latest fad platform will get the blame.

Facebook and YouTube have each had their share of stupid shit reaching millions. Ongoing.

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

#550
post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your argument is predicated on the idea that banning TikTok is censorship. It's not. No speech or information is being suppressed; any speech being made on TikTok can instead be made on other platforms. This isn't like China where the government bans any services they can't control, and directs the services that they can control to suppress any information they don't want people talking about.

>No speech or information is being suppressed; Except the whole reason for the TikTok bill is that information/speech will be under Chinese government control on TikTok and that can be weaponized. So make up your mind, if you say TikTok is being banned for the possibility of "weaponized propaganda", then it is information being suppressed. If you say it's not about information suppression, then you can't use the "Chi…

> … if you say TikTok is being banned for the possibility of "weaponized propaganda", then it is information being suppressed

Eliminating weaponized propaganda is not even a little bit close to suppressing freedom of speech. Your argument falls apart there, like completely.

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