LRC note #2: We've merged two threads into 1. The other thread title was, "TikTok drama: what do you think?"
LRC note #1
We changed the thread title as the OP mistakenly used the same thread title they used a few months ago when Montana banned tiktok at the state level as shown here: https://www.letsrun.com/forum/...
"We can't let tiktik spread disinformation, steal people's data, and corrupt young minds with inappropriate content. That's a privilege reserved for platforms like Truth Social, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook!"
I read an article today about the explosion of kids in the 12 years old range who are already on weed. Combine that with this garbage social media like Tik Tok and we're basically raising an entire generation of drug-addled morons.
Every generation has said this about something ruining the youth. Prohibition. Rock and roll. Hippies. Weed. Death metal. Hip hop. Computers. Cell phones. Fidget spinners.
Old people having hissy fits about the latest craze "poisoning the youth" is a trope as old as time. Hilarious.
Yet our world (which you all are claiming is so messed up) is actually ran by old people.
Look inward morans. You're the problem.
This is good critical thinking. There is something always coming down the pike that is bad for the youth and they think its the end of the world.
Yes, its old people threating to blow up the world if they don't get what they want. sending young people to their deaths in war. We will be fine the sky is not falling yet.
For users and followers, Tik Tok is fun. It is no better or worse than other social media sights to use/follow.
I had fun using it for my creative business, as a marketing tool. However, I cancelled my account. All sort of corporate entities collect and use our info for a range of purposes, as do non-profits, bureaucracies, individuals and so on. It is unfortunate, but we generally put up with it.
I dumped tik tok because the Chinese government is an authoritarian regime with an interest in hegemony over pretty much everything and everybody. At least I never connected a credit card to my account at Tik Tok!
I don't give out my birthdate, Driver's License #, address, SS#, phone number to random websites, or pretty much any entity if I can avoid it. Could I buy my own data on the dark web? Probably!
I’m trying to keep up. So a top adversary of the U.S. controls a platform that's used by 170 million people in the U.S. and it's also the primary news source for a third of young American adults? And this adversary collects personal information about all of these users, stuff like where they live, what they like, who they are friends with, and what they are writing in private messages? And now, with powerful new AI tools, this same adversary can weaponize all that personal information in a myriad of ways, to steer the thoughts, opinions and beliefs of these Americans, in order to do things like determine the outcome of U.S. elections?
Crap, I was so distracted by my cat videos that I forgot to ask about China’s efforts to hurt the U.S. by fueling divisions and social unrest via targeted online content. How much does this social unrest harm the U.S. economy?
I’ve been seeing a lot of “free speech” defenses today, so I have to ask: What are China’s prisons like? How many free speech activists does China incarcerate? How many years would I serve if I asked these questions in China?
The govt isn't confiscating the business. They are saying we don't want the Chinese to be in charge of how are youth spend hours a day each day. So they can sell the business. I'm all for it.
There are all sorts of media rules in the US about how many tv stations you can own in a market, etc. This makes total sense.
I'd rather Congress go further and ban all social media apps - facebook, twitter, instagram - to anyone under the age of 18. They are probably worse for teens than smoking to be honest.
When you become an adult (and currently that's 18, although I'm open for the debate as to whether is should be 21 or 25), you are an adult and can vote, serve in the military, drink, smoke weed, use whatever apps you want, chop your privates off, etc. It's crazy to me that you can sign up to fight and die for the country at 18 but you can't have a beer.
I don’t know if you are aware, Rojo, but there are thousands of Americans under 18 who smoke and drink. If you put an age limit on social media apps, teens would just… use them anyway.
What should it not be legal to get kids to watch stupid video clips, just because you're Chinese?
Americans have been making each other watch stupid video clips since way before any social media. Video sharing sites as soon as broadband internet allowed. Downloads in the dial-up era. Stupid pet tricks on David Letterman before that.
Stupid video clips are an American tradition. Be proud that other countries are adopting this cultural value.
Every generation has said this about something ruining the youth. Prohibition. Rock and roll. Hippies. Weed. Death metal. Hip hop. Computers. Cell phones. Fidget spinners.
Old people having hissy fits about the latest craze "poisoning the youth" is a trope as old as time. Hilarious.
Yet our world (which you all are claiming is so messed up) is actually ran by old people.
Look inward morans. You're the problem.
This is good critical thinking. There is something always coming down the pike that is bad for the youth and they think its the end of the world.
Yes, its old people threating to blow up the world if they don't get what they want. sending young people to their deaths in war. We will be fine the sky is not falling yet.
I generally agree, as people have been afraid of new technology since the wheel was invented. But as so many learned during Roman times, it’s not the wheel you have to be afraid of, it’s who controls the chariot. The television era didn’t make the sky fall, but what would have happened if the U.S. had handed over its airwaves to the Soviet Union? I think the House Tiktok action makes sense, but social media isn’t going anywhere, the kids will be ok.
I don't care about tik tok. Just wondering, based on the same logic, shouldn't Google and Meta be banned in every country outside of U.S due to national security concerns?
I don't care about tik tok. Just wondering, based on the same logic, shouldn't Google and Meta be banned in every country outside of U.S due to national security concerns?
Exactly how is forcing data collecting companies to divest going to work? The software can't be divested. Only the data could be sold.
Note that Munchkin, while Sec of the Treasury, is the one who decided that TikTok should sell their U.S. version of their app/site and not destroy the data. Now, Munchkin is leading self-dealing and trying to buy it after he started the ball rolling to force a sale to the U.S. (him in this case).
To retaliate could another country force any U.S. company to sell their data to them so that they could "manage it" rather than a shifty U.S. company? Not only Google, Meta and X, but also Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, etc. Every company that collects information. Might as well throw LRC into the heap because they collect data on IPs located outside the U.S.
oh my god! i don't have a doctor. i use tiktok for all my medical advice!
an antivaxxer like you runs the risk of being told by an online doctor to JAB your finger into your bunghole to check your own prostrate ..... best to stay unvaxxed and unJABbed, unless you look forward to JABbing yourself, just find yourself a new "doctor" that represents the world view of the rightwingers slobbering to take over tiktok
Everything you own was made in China. If they wanted your data they don't need an app to get it. TikTok has been recreated in Instagram with Reels and YouTube with shorts. Your kids are going to be exposed to the same content no matter what happens to TikTok.
I'm not a TT user so, in that sense, I don't care but can something be banned by the govt just because its owned by a Chinese entity? Could TT go to court and litigate this? Isn't it possible that they are doing nothing different than other social media companies?
And won't China take some putative action against American interests doing biz in China in retaliation?
I sure hope it’s legal. It’s a national security issue. Foreign entities should not be anllowed to own media companies in the US.
As for china retaliating, it’s not like TikTok‘s not going to be compensated. They can sell the asset for whatever it’s worth to Microsoft or Google or Facebook, etc.. it if I was doing business in china, I would operate under the assumption that all of the business could immediately be confiscated by the state, if they so .wanted
When people say the company is owned by China it is extremely misleading. 20% is owned by the companies Chinese founders, 20% by employees, and 60% by international investors. It is hard to find more information on the breakdown of the international ownership now because I assume things are being hidden by search engines but from what I can find it includes Carlyle Group, Blackrock, and a couple others who are American companies. The CCP does own a 1% stake. I'm not clear what portion of the company this bill forces divestment, I'm guessing its a lot more than the 1%. It seems to me Neo-Con and Swamp Monster groups are forcing the liquidation of foreigners stake in the company so they can swoop in and get it at wholesale price.
This will not be sold at market price. The company is worth hundreds of billions. They have 6 months to divest. To complete a transaction of that size in that timeframe is not possible. Look at how long it took Musk to by Twitter which was worth around a tenth of Bytedance when he was overpaying. This is designed so a group of Washington insiders who are extremely friendly to the intelligence communities to pick up the asset of pennies on the dollar.
As far as the damage TikTok is doing give me a break. We are doing the damage to ourselves, Tiktok is just an outgrowth of that. That we have spent the last few decades indoctrinating children in nonsense in the public schools is way more of a problem then Tiktok. Simple solution here, parents don't let your kids use Tiktok. This is not a national security threat.
I think this is massive government overreach and clearly violates the constitution. What's also telling is members of government who have repeatedly been right on government overreach like Massie and Paul have been very vocal on this. Meanwhile the members who have pushed this are the absolute worst with the deepest ties to the military industrial complex like Mike Gallagher and Pelosi.
I sure hope it’s legal. It’s a national security issue. Foreign entities should not be anllowed to own media companies in the US....
... This is designed so a group of Washington insiders who are extremely friendly to the intelligence communities to pick up the asset of pennies on the dollar.
... I think this is massive government overreach ...
Republicans will never allow an investigation into Mnuchin who lead the charge to require divesting the U.S. user base while employed by the U.S. government under Trump rather than permanently erasing it. Mnuchin is now the one trying to buy those assets for pennies on the dollar.
Exactly what are Mnuchin and his conservative megadonors planning to do with the dataset? Let's see, a political party is failing to get "the message" across to young voters. They buy "rights" to the personal data of millions of young American voters who don't vote for Rs. … Mnuchin planned this while he was secretary of the treasury. That needs to be investigated, but it won't. Dick pics of Hunter Biden are far more important to be investigated.
I read an article today about the explosion of kids in the 12 years old range who are already on weed. Combine that with this garbage social media like Tik Tok and we're basically raising an entire generation of drug-addled morons.
Every generation has said this about something ruining the youth. Prohibition. Rock and roll. Hippies. Weed. Death metal. Hip hop. Computers. Cell phones. Fidget spinners.
Old people having hissy fits about the latest craze "poisoning the youth" is a trope as old as time. Hilarious.
Yet our world (which you all are claiming is so messed up) is actually ran by old people.