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> Could action against TikTok be better framed as a first step focused on low hanging fruit? Absolutely no, because if you are making first steps, you need gen

> Could action against TikTok be better framed as a first step focused on low hanging fruit? Absolutely no, because if you are making first steps, you need generalize approach and not selectively target companies > TikTok directly asking users to contact their lawmakers was an overt act that shows the platform is capable of spurring on political action by its users. What's wrong with this exactly? You have rights to call your congress representatives when you need them, it is normal and expected in functioning democracy, why this is an exception?

MajimasEyepatch 3y ago
> > TikTok directly asking users to contact their lawmakers was an overt act that shows the platform is capable of spurring on political action by its users. > What's wrong with this exactly? You have rights to call your congress representatives when you need them, it is normal and expected in functioning democracy, why this is an exception? There may not be anything inherently wrong with political action, but when one of the concerns is that the CCP can use TikTok to influence Americans' political behavior, that whole episode proved exactly why everyone believes it. What happens if they start pushing overtly anti-NATO and anti-Taiwan messages instead?
haswell 3y ago
> Absolutely no, because if you are making first steps, you need generalize approach and not selectively target companies This is an engineering mindset. I’m not aware of any other social media platform that is currently in TikTok’s position wrt affiliation with a geopolitical adversary. I’m not arguing that there shouldn’t also be a comprehensive solution, but right now, it seems clear that TikTok stands alone in terms of why it’s being targeted. > What's wrong with this exactly? You have rights to call your congress representatives when you need them, it is normal and expected in functioning democracy, why this is an exception? This isn’t about our rights to call our congresspeople. Of course everyone calling has that right. At issue is the source of that influence. Outside of the TikTok conversation, such influence is “foreign interference”, “election meddling”, etc. The concern boils down to: are we comfortable with a major foreign government holding the keys to one of the biggest megaphones in existence? It’s a brilliant play, really. “Direct” interference in the form of targeted advertising and misinformation is something most users find themselves hostile towards. But a social media app that everyone loves is the perfect Trojan horse and in a hypothetical situation where influence was applied in an effort to achieved darker goals, the CCP’s biggest defenders will be their targets. Hypothetically.

MajimasEyepatch 3y ago

> > TikTok directly asking users to contact their lawmakers was an overt act that shows the platform is capable of spurring on political action by its users. > What's wrong with this exactly? You have rights to call your congress representatives when you need them, it is normal and expected in functioning democracy, why this is an exception? There may not be anything inherently wrong with political action, but when one of the concerns is that the CCP can use TikTok to influence Americans' political behavior, that whole episode proved exactly why everyone believes it. What happens if they start pushing overtly anti-NATO and anti-Taiwan messages instead?

haswell 3y ago

> Absolutely no, because if you are making first steps, you need generalize approach and not selectively target companies This is an engineering mindset. I’m not aware of any other social media platform that is currently in TikTok’s position wrt affiliation with a geopolitical adversary. I’m not arguing that there shouldn’t also be a comprehensive solution, but right now, it seems clear that TikTok stands alone in terms of why it’s being targeted. > What's wrong with this exactly? You have rights to call your congress representatives when you need them, it is normal and expected in functioning democracy, why this is an exception? This isn’t about our rights to call our congresspeople. Of course everyone calling has that right. At issue is the source of that influence. Outside of the TikTok conversation, such influence is “foreign interference”, “election meddling”, etc. The concern boils down to: are we comfortable with a major foreign government holding the keys to one of the biggest megaphones in existence? It’s a brilliant play, really. “Direct” interference in the form of targeted advertising and misinformation is something most users find themselves hostile towards. But a social media app that everyone loves is the perfect Trojan horse and in a hypothetical situation where influence was applied in an effort to achieved darker goals, the CCP’s biggest defenders will be their targets. Hypothetically.