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The bill's text has been available since (at least) March 23: https://web.archive.org/web/20230323142040/https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bi
by brucethemoose2 4y ago
The bill's text has been available since (at least) March 23:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230323142040/https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686/text https://web.archive.org/web/20230323142040/https://www.congr...
Why does it seem like the snowball has only just started rolling?
- jjcon 4y ago[flagged]
- brucethemoose2 4y agoMmmm, I don't buy that. The EFF's old (March 16) take is also negative but more modest, but I am not sure if they had access to the full text: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/03/government-hasnt-justified-tiktok-ban https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/03/government-hasnt-justi...
- marginalia_nu 4y agoTo be fair, the presence of genuine criticism doesn't exclude the possibility of astroturfing. That's sort of the whole point of astroturfing, to attempt to blend in with the grassroots.
- polygamous_bat 4y agoThis exactly is something that I fear...if state level actors had free access to our data and potentially a machine to shape public opinion, we can't expect them to give up at the first sign of resistance. The balance between privacy and security is hard, but it's also necessary here.
- izacus 4y agoAre you now talking about the US politicians or the CCP ones?
- jpgvm 4y agoI would hope both. Why do you think there was and remains so much pushback around GDPR. The attitude of Americans towards that legislation is telling.
- WillPostForFood 4y agoYou are free not to use TikTok, and free to remove the app from your child's phone (if you have kids), but don't use the Government to tell me I can't use TikTok. This is such hyped up nonsense. We live in such a clown world we are going to end up in a world war over a lip sync app.
- bioemerl 4y agoI'm also free not to smoke, but they still banned smoking and most indoor regions because it can be harm to other people. So can the widespread use of a propaganda platform like tick tock
- angio 4y agoAre you saying Joseph Cox from Vice has been paid to be critical of the act? EFF and ACLU also came out against this, have they been paid too?
- jjcon 4y agoNo, that isn't what astroturfing typically implies. Astroturfing is spreading FUD and misinformation in more automatable or massive ways, which in turn will cause articles to be written that echo these misinterpretations or misinformation. EFF and ACLU don't exactly have much credibility left in my book, but that is a personal opinion. EFF is still defending Internet Archive in the pirated books scheme. ACLU has retreated from the USA first amendment, which was their main organizational principle. Not exactly a moral high ground anymore. https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/20180621ACLU.pdf https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/20180621ACLU.... https://www.eff.org/cases/hachette-v-internet-archive https://www.eff.org/cases/hachette-v-internet-archive
- WillPostForFood 4y agoThe FUD here is the overhyped risk of TikTok. Facebook didn't flip the election in 2016, and TikTok can't brainwash you in 2023. TikTok didn't read your mail, steal your bank account, listen to your calls. If it did, let's get Tim Cook to testify about exactly how it happened (it didn't happen).
- dd36 4y agoMedia can brain wash you…
- bioemerl 4y agoEveryone who thinks maybe it doesn't have real effects on society has missed to the last 10 or so years. Even if you aren't, you're some superhuman apparently, you live in a society with millions of people who will very much fall over and will very much end up opposing the future of your country. Look at healthy misinformation machines managed to turn the republicans from incredibly anti-Russia literally saying they are the biggest threat in the world a couple of election cycles ago, to the party with people calling for us to just hand Ukraine to them China was implicated not too long ago with meddling in Canada's elections. They are absolutely going to use this advantage on us.
- remarkEon 4y agoThere is Astroturfing going on, but I don't know what direction it's going in. There's two separate bills going on[1], and it seems like the worst creatures in Washington are using TikTok as an excuse to severely expand the surveillance state in the bill that's getting all the press, under the guise of "banning TikTok". [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35363410 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35363410
- camillomiller 4y agoYou know what the supreme irony is? The China scare (“oh no, totalitarians are coming for us”) is pure manufacturing of consent and its goal is to pass bills that will REDUCE democracy in America.
- computerfriend 4y agoBoth can be true: the China scare is real and lawmakers are trying to pass democracy-eroding bills.
- AmericanChopper 4y agoIt’s more of an excuse for the US lawmakers. There’s no need for new legislation to restrict trade with a foreign company.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- 49531 4y agoSure, but in my experience US lawmakers act much more hostile towards me as a US citizen than China ever has or will.
- computerfriend 4y agoI'm not sure how that's related. For what it's worth, my experience has been the opposite.
- oska 4y agoWithout wanting you to reveal personal details, care to tell us how ?
- NoGravitas 4y agoIt's always projection with these people.
- theGnuMe 4y agoYep!
- eru 4y agoWhere can I sign up to receive my pay? Alternatively, I'd be willing to shill for George Soros, too, if there's enough money in it.
- throwaway4good 4y agoYou had the TikTok hearings which wasn’t a good look for US congress. Plus a few popular US politicians finally deciding against the bill.
- chatmasta 4y agoThat hearing with the CEO wasn't a good look for TikTok, either. I especially liked the part where he said his kids don't use it. And "Project Texas" sounds like something Jìan-Yáng would come up with in Silicon Valley.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago> Why does it seem like the snowball has only just started rolling? Media circus. The obvious endgame isn’t banning, it’s divestment. This happens all the time with critical infrastructure. We’re getting full-press coverage because it’s a social media asset and China fears are a bipartisan winner. To the extent this isn’t purely messaging, it would involve a strengthened Cfius. Not the power to randomly ban, but to ban acquisition and investment. (Even this draft bill targets transactions.)
- dhc02 4y agoI'm sorry, but your question is why it took 6 whole days?
- brucethemoose2 4y agoYeah, pretty much. That came off as more accusatory than I intended. I am not implying a conspiracy/skepticism, but I really thought VICE (for instance) would pick this up before 6 days.
- anonGone73 4y agoIt was on TikTok 6 Days ago...
- brucethemoose2 4y agoBut not the HN front page, not like this. I guess HN is realtively "slow" news now?
- hammock 4y ago>Why does it seem like the snowball has only just started rolling? Maybe because you mostly read mainstream media. I saw this being talked about in corners of Twitter, Telegram, Truth Social etc the day it was dropped
- brucethemoose2 4y agoThats a fair point. Its more of a time issue for me. I have cut out Discord, forums, twitter, telegram and such because they suck so much time, and I think I can manage HN.
- hammock 4y agoTotally fair. Don’t think I was being critical. We’re probably better off without all the noise (from any source)