4 ms·

How is it a botnet? Apple isn't going to allow botnet like behavior in any app it approves in the app store.

• ceejayoz 3y ago
  The humans it feeds content into are the botnet. For example, it's alleged that Russia promoted competing rallies on both sides of the political divide in the US in hopes of sowing discord in 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency#Rallies_and_protests_organized_by_IRA_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency#Ralli...
  • hypeit 3y ago
    A human is not a bot. In addition to being dehumanizing, it removes agency to say that.
    • ceejayoz 3y ago
      Pretending large groups of humans can't possibly be influenced to do things is lunacy. We do weird things in crowds even without intentional propaganda at play. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add8091 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add8091
      • bluefishinit 3y ago
        That's not a "botnet" though, advertising does the same thing. We don't call the people buying things they've been marketed a "botnet".
        • ceejayoz 3y ago
          It needn't be a perfect comparison to be a useful one.
          • bluefishinit 3y ago
            It's not useful though. I actually think it's very cool that TikTok got a bunch of young people to contact their representatives. If this ban goes through, the political blowback is going to be extreme. It will be like the Streisand effect x100,000,000.
            • ceejayoz 3y ago
              > I actually think it's very cool that TikTok got a bunch of young people to contact their representatives. I don't think that's the concern.
            • stale2002 3y ago
              > If this ban goes through, the political blowback is going to be extreme. Its not a ban. Whats going to happen is that tiktok will divest. Kids will continue to have their social media.
              • bluefishinit 3y ago
                > What’s more, divestiture would require Beijing’s approval. Last year, the Chinese government said it opposed a forced sale. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/house-passes-tiktok-bill-are-tiktok-s-days-numbered-what-you-need-to-know/ar-BB1jPQmL https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/house-passes-tiktok-...
                • stale2002 3y ago
                  If tiktok wants to leave the US, that would be their decision. Blame them for not following the law. That's no different from anyone else deciding to just leave the app store, or the USA, because they don't want to pay taxes or something. Companies stop doing business in certain countries for all sorts of reasons.
                  • bluefishinit 3y ago
                    TikTok's users will know who to blame: the US government. There would have been no problem at all before this bill got pushed through (if passed).
        • ambicapter 3y ago
          There's definitely areas of advertising that are banned/controlled so that comparison seems more damning than beneficial (e.g. alcohol to minors, medication in any country other than the US
        • butlike 3y ago
          Just capitalism slaves :P
    • butlike 3y ago
      I'm a human, and I identify as a "bot," so there.
  • PM_me_your_math 3y ago
    [dead]
• rjmunro 3y ago
  Didn't they already, in effect, DDOS the congress telephone system?
  • hypeit 3y ago
    No, they did however increase engagement in democracy in a very dramatic fashion. More people making demands from their government is a good thing.
    • j_maffe 3y ago
      When they're deliberately coordinated by foreign states with malicious intent? When the demands become more and more extreme towards the opposing side?
      • bluefishinit 3y ago
        Opposing this ban isn't "malicious intent" lots of people think it's an infringement upon their rights for the US government to decide what they can and cannot see.
• deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]