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> In a statement, a representative from TikTok said they are disappointed by the news. > "We're disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political b

> In a statement, a representative from TikTok said they are disappointed by the news. > "We're disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies that will do nothing to advance cybersecurity in their states and are based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok," spokesperson Jamal Brown wrote. Regardless of you stance on Texas and Texans and politics, the above is a pretty funny statement to make. We have to protect the integrity of short video apps that are built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers.

AdmiralAsshat 4y ago
Obviously someone should've just hosted right-wing talking heads on TikTok so that UT-Austin could be sued under Texas' own anti-censorship law: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/texas-bans-online-censorship-with-law-similar-to-one-already-blocked-in-florida/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/texas-bans-onlin...
- pavlov 4y ago
  I’m sure there are plenty of right-wing influencers on TikTok. It’s a service that locks you tightly into an algorithmic bubble once it has an idea of what kind of content turns you on. Alt-right TikTok in Texas must be “interesting.”
- idiotsecant 4y ago
  Somewhere a TikTok lawyer is writing a frantic email.
- klyrs 4y ago
  > ...should've just hosted right-wing talking heads on TikTok... That's already a thing... https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-recommendations-far-right-wing https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-recommendations-far-righ...
- dsfyu404ed 4y ago
  They're already there. You just don't know it because the algo creates a textbook filter bubble to keep you happy. This is one of TikTok's greatest strengths as an entertainment platform (compare to Youtube or whatever). People never see shit they'd be Outraged(TM) at keeping their user experience generally positive, or if not generally positive at least basically never negative.
pessimizer 4y ago
That's pretty easy to do; to characterize nationalist censorship in terms of trivialities. I could literally use being "built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers" to ban television, newspapers, and every social network.
- rapind 4y ago
  > ban ________ television, newspapers, and every social network… ^ “advertiser supported”. For the sake of argument, imagine if advertiser supported content was in fact banned in certain places. Don’t you think that non-advertiser supported models would quickly fill the gap?
  - amadeuspagel 4y ago
    People have been lamenting the decline of local news due to craigslist replacing classifieds for a long time.
  - renewiltord 4y ago
    Yes, in the ad tech industry we called those models "native advertising".
- onlyrealcuzzo 4y ago
  Why isn't UT Austin allowed to block something on the grounds of cyber security? Why does it have to be nationalist censorship?
  - UncleMeat 4y ago
    But like... what cybersecurity threat is there to using TikTok while on UT wifi? The concerns with TikTok are always around data collection and propaganda, not it pwning other stuff on the same network with malicious network traffic?
    - switchbak 4y ago
      I'm no security professional, but I am familiar with the ultra crap security standards of many institutions. It's really just removing a drop from the ocean of potential risks, but doesn't seem that outlandish given the nature of TikTok and where it comes from.
vkou 4y ago
> We have to protect the integrity of short video apps that are built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers. So, you're in favor of banning YouTube and most forms of television?
- rychco 4y ago
  Yes, actually. Ad-support has a demonstrably negative affect on the media it is supporting & distorts the incentives of the platform it is hosted on.
personjerry 4y ago
> We have to protect the integrity of short video apps that are built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers. That's a strawman argument, they didn't say any of that

AdmiralAsshat 4y ago

Obviously someone should've just hosted right-wing talking heads on TikTok so that UT-Austin could be sued under Texas' own anti-censorship law: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/texas-bans-online-censorship-with-law-similar-to-one-already-blocked-in-florida/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/texas-bans-onlin...

pavlov 4y ago
I’m sure there are plenty of right-wing influencers on TikTok. It’s a service that locks you tightly into an algorithmic bubble once it has an idea of what kind of content turns you on. Alt-right TikTok in Texas must be “interesting.”
idiotsecant 4y ago
Somewhere a TikTok lawyer is writing a frantic email.
klyrs 4y ago
> ...should've just hosted right-wing talking heads on TikTok... That's already a thing... https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-recommendations-far-right-wing https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-recommendations-far-righ...
dsfyu404ed 4y ago
They're already there. You just don't know it because the algo creates a textbook filter bubble to keep you happy. This is one of TikTok's greatest strengths as an entertainment platform (compare to Youtube or whatever). People never see shit they'd be Outraged(TM) at keeping their user experience generally positive, or if not generally positive at least basically never negative.

pessimizer 4y ago

That's pretty easy to do; to characterize nationalist censorship in terms of trivialities. I could literally use being "built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers" to ban television, newspapers, and every social network.

rapind 4y ago
> ban ________ television, newspapers, and every social network… ^ “advertiser supported”. For the sake of argument, imagine if advertiser supported content was in fact banned in certain places. Don’t you think that non-advertiser supported models would quickly fill the gap?
- amadeuspagel 4y ago
  People have been lamenting the decline of local news due to craigslist replacing classifieds for a long time.
- renewiltord 4y ago
  Yes, in the ad tech industry we called those models "native advertising".
onlyrealcuzzo 4y ago
Why isn't UT Austin allowed to block something on the grounds of cyber security? Why does it have to be nationalist censorship?
- UncleMeat 4y ago
  But like... what cybersecurity threat is there to using TikTok while on UT wifi? The concerns with TikTok are always around data collection and propaganda, not it pwning other stuff on the same network with malicious network traffic?
  - switchbak 4y ago
    I'm no security professional, but I am familiar with the ultra crap security standards of many institutions. It's really just removing a drop from the ocean of potential risks, but doesn't seem that outlandish given the nature of TikTok and where it comes from.

vkou 4y ago

> We have to protect the integrity of short video apps that are built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers. So, you're in favor of banning YouTube and most forms of television?

rychco 4y ago
Yes, actually. Ad-support has a demonstrably negative affect on the media it is supporting & distorts the incentives of the platform it is hosted on.

personjerry 4y ago

> We have to protect the integrity of short video apps that are built for advertisers to push products and services through ads and influencers. That's a strawman argument, they didn't say any of that