4 ms·

What’s the reason the US insists to own this company? I can imagine they want to control the narrative with the mentioned algorithm. But are they afraid of it

What’s the reason the US insists to own this company? I can imagine they want to control the narrative with the mentioned algorithm. But are they afraid of it that much that they would ban it if they can’t get it? I mean 170 million Americans in the young demographic are quite important.

trevoragilbert 3y ago
It doesn’t have to be owned by a US company, it just needs to not be owned by a CCP backed entity.
jncfhnb 3y ago
They are concerned that China will weaponize the algorithm to promote anti-Taiwan, anti-Ukraine, anti-Israel, pro-China narratives, and other socially divisive content (and other future issues)
- bushbaba 3y ago
  *and anti American
  - krapp 3y ago
    And there's nothing wrong with any of that. Freedom of speech exists to protect offensive, controversial and heterodox speech, not just speech approved by the CIA, moderators and corporate sponsors. I don't know what the CCP could tell America's impressionable youths that's worse than the torrent of capitalist mind-control, propaganda, hate speech and psychosis they're already being flooded with.
    - literallycancer 3y ago
      Great, when are you moving to China?
      - krapp 3y ago
        That's an odd non-sequitur to make, why would I move to China?
    - jncfhnb 3y ago
      Freedom of speech does not protect the CCP’s right to curate American conversations. You as an individual are perfectly free to continue discussing anti American ideas if you wish.
- bugglebeetle 3y ago
  Ah, so just like when the U.S. didn’t like the Soviets pointing out they were an apartheid state during the Civil Rights era. Truly a winning strategy!
  - lenerdenator 3y ago
    One of the two states you mention still exists.
  - jncfhnb 3y ago
    No, more like the things I just mentioned.
- boredpeter 3y ago
  [dead]
MajimasEyepatch 3y ago
Why would we allow a hostile foreign power with whom we may be at war in a few years to have total control over a major part of the information diet of millions of Americans? The Soviets wouldn't have been allowed to own NBC in the Cold War, and China shouldn't be allowed to own the modern-day equivalent. The US won't own the company. Some non-Chinese private corporation will. The government won't be able to control the narrative on the app. If you disagree with that, just think about what would happen if Fox bought it: would a Democratic administration be able to have any influence whatsoever on the algorithm? No, of course not. It would be run by American citizens who are protected by the First Amendment. (Also, I don't think it even has to be owned by an American company, just not a Chinese one.)
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  >a hostile foreign power with whom we may be at war in a few years I'm flagging this because while I agree China is a hostile power, it's detrimental to stoke the flames of war like this.
  - MajimasEyepatch 3y ago
    Hey, they're the ones who keep talking about invading Taiwan. Authoritarian regimes tend to be surprisingly honest about their intentions. Believe them when they tell you what they're going to do.
  - no_wizard 3y ago
    They’re the ones who have been stoking it for decades. Stealing trade secrets, forcing Chinese ownership of operations on companies to continue operating in China or they’d be forced to sell/shutdown and a host of other documented economic policies that are far more damaging than this to foreign companies in China. Honestly it’s shocking the US looked the other way for so long
  - trashtester 3y ago
    The possibility of war between the US and China within our lifetime is a known and all-to-realistic possibility, which has been public knowledge for a number of years. I don't agree that acknowledging that in any way stokes the flames of war. Having to tip-toe around the fact would be severely detrimental to the quality of discussion on HN, though.
jccooper 3y ago
I think the idea is that a foreign-owned major media company might be directed by that foreign government to work against national interests. Which idea is not so far-fetched.

trevoragilbert 3y ago

It doesn’t have to be owned by a US company, it just needs to not be owned by a CCP backed entity.

jncfhnb 3y ago

They are concerned that China will weaponize the algorithm to promote anti-Taiwan, anti-Ukraine, anti-Israel, pro-China narratives, and other socially divisive content (and other future issues)

bushbaba 3y ago
*and anti American
- krapp 3y ago
  And there's nothing wrong with any of that. Freedom of speech exists to protect offensive, controversial and heterodox speech, not just speech approved by the CIA, moderators and corporate sponsors. I don't know what the CCP could tell America's impressionable youths that's worse than the torrent of capitalist mind-control, propaganda, hate speech and psychosis they're already being flooded with.
  - literallycancer 3y ago
    Great, when are you moving to China?
    - krapp 3y ago
      That's an odd non-sequitur to make, why would I move to China?
  - jncfhnb 3y ago
    Freedom of speech does not protect the CCP’s right to curate American conversations. You as an individual are perfectly free to continue discussing anti American ideas if you wish.
bugglebeetle 3y ago
Ah, so just like when the U.S. didn’t like the Soviets pointing out they were an apartheid state during the Civil Rights era. Truly a winning strategy!
- lenerdenator 3y ago
  One of the two states you mention still exists.
- jncfhnb 3y ago
  No, more like the things I just mentioned.
boredpeter 3y ago
[dead]

MajimasEyepatch 3y ago

Why would we allow a hostile foreign power with whom we may be at war in a few years to have total control over a major part of the information diet of millions of Americans? The Soviets wouldn't have been allowed to own NBC in the Cold War, and China shouldn't be allowed to own the modern-day equivalent. The US won't own the company. Some non-Chinese private corporation will. The government won't be able to control the narrative on the app. If you disagree with that, just think about what would happen if Fox bought it: would a Democratic administration be able to have any influence whatsoever on the algorithm? No, of course not. It would be run by American citizens who are protected by the First Amendment. (Also, I don't think it even has to be owned by an American company, just not a Chinese one.)

Dalewyn 3y ago
>a hostile foreign power with whom we may be at war in a few years I'm flagging this because while I agree China is a hostile power, it's detrimental to stoke the flames of war like this.
- MajimasEyepatch 3y ago
  Hey, they're the ones who keep talking about invading Taiwan. Authoritarian regimes tend to be surprisingly honest about their intentions. Believe them when they tell you what they're going to do.
- no_wizard 3y ago
  They’re the ones who have been stoking it for decades. Stealing trade secrets, forcing Chinese ownership of operations on companies to continue operating in China or they’d be forced to sell/shutdown and a host of other documented economic policies that are far more damaging than this to foreign companies in China. Honestly it’s shocking the US looked the other way for so long
- trashtester 3y ago
  The possibility of war between the US and China within our lifetime is a known and all-to-realistic possibility, which has been public knowledge for a number of years. I don't agree that acknowledging that in any way stokes the flames of war. Having to tip-toe around the fact would be severely detrimental to the quality of discussion on HN, though.

jccooper 3y ago

I think the idea is that a foreign-owned major media company might be directed by that foreign government to work against national interests. Which idea is not so far-fetched.