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> “In the context of social media platforms used by nearly half of Americans, it’s not hard to imagine how a platform that facilitates so much commerce, politic
by labrador 3y ago
> “In the context of social media platforms used by nearly half of Americans, it’s not hard to imagine how a platform that facilitates so much commerce, political discourse, and social debate could be covertly manipulated to serve the goals of an authoritarian regime, one with a long track record of censorship, transnational repression, and promotion of disinformation.”
Mark Warner (D-VA), Senate Intelligence Committee Chair
That's the crux of it for me. Not protecting the data of Americans.
- dqv 3y agoMark Warner has gotten $343,211 from AIPAC. He cares about placating Israel, not protecting our data. If you can find a politician who says this but doesn't take money from AIPAC, I might be a little more convinced.
- labrador 3y agoMaybe they have evidence that much of the pro-Palestian content on TikTok is stoked by Chinese bot accounts
- cad31 3y ago[dead]
- elfbargpt 3y agoI guess we'll find out. I'll be waiting with bated breath for the collapse in Palestinian support once ByteDance no longer runs TikTok.
- labrador 3y agoIt'd be nice if Gen Z became less anti-American. America deserved it in the Vietnam war. Now, not so much.
- nullindividual 3y agoIf wanting better conditions in the US is something Gen-Z wants, that does not make them anti-American. Criticism of our government and corporations is one of the most pro-American action one can be. They want an America that is humane and cares for its citizens. Good for them. Anything less makes for a subhuman individual.
- labrador 3y agoI get the impression it's less about constructive criticism and more about hating America by the scenes of young protestors in America burning the flag of the United States. Both the left and the right should be mindful of not becoming traitors giving comfort to enemies that would like to destroy our goverment and make America their colony.
- nullindividual 3y agoBurning the American flag does not make for a traitor. It makes for an individual expressing the greatest right we have — freedom of speech. Suppressing freedom of speech is the most anti-American stance one could take.
- labrador 3y agoI don't give a shit about flags but as a veteran it still pains me. I think flag burners like Koran burners just like causing pain.
- nebula8804 3y agoAs a veteran have you considered that you have a mental blindspot caused by your military training?
- labrador 3y agoAs a flag burner have you considered you've fallen for propaganda that seeks to divide the nation rather than fix it's problems? There's literally nothing wrong with being happy to be an American despite it's flaws
- ineedaj0b 3y agoI care about animals but eat meat. We are fun beings with many idiosyncrasies.
- paulcole 3y agoOne person's "idiosyncrasies" are another person's hypocrisies and biases. And that's what this TikTok bill feels like to me. The fact that it's called the TikTok bill should be embarrassing to every politician involved. Just be honest and call it The We-Don't-Like-China-Except-For-The-Times-We-Do Bill. I don't live in an important state and if Biden signs this thing I'll probably just abstain during the November elections.
- Izkata 3y ago> The fact that it's called the TikTok bill should be embarrassing to every politician involved. The official name is "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act".
- paulcole 3y agoIt's hard to tell whether you're being intentionally obtuse or are just naturally pedantic, but look at the headline in every news article (including this one on HN). No reasonable person in the US knows this as anything but The TikTok Bill.
- fincycaden 3y agoThat's the fault of the media, not the government.
- zeroonetwothree 3y agoIf merely accepting donations invalidates a politicians ability to have their own views then I suppose no politician legitimately cares about anything (perhaps that’s true, but I wouldn’t bet on it).
- nebula8804 3y agoIts accepting donations from PACs and corporations. This is outlawed elsewhere as "bribes". If the politician goes against what the donor says they get nothing the next time around at the best(so now they needs to raise money elsewhere) and at the worst the donor funds their opponent. There are a handful of politicians that refuse to take any corporate PAC money (The Squad, Sanders etc.) instead electing to only take small dollar donations from regular people. Its reasonable that you will take money from the people you are elected to serve, not corporations and superpacs. There have been attempts to just get money out of politics altogether and instead introduce a general fund from taxes to pay out the expenses of running for office while banning all other forms of donations. That would be the best because it gives even small time people a chance.
- vishalontheline 3y agoWhat are you talking about? The last Israeli social networking company that made it big was Mirabilis (ICQ).
- zavertnik 3y agoHow does this invalidate the argument Warner is making?
- hellojesus 3y agoAmericans are knowingly giving up that data.
- greenavocado 3y agoThe only thing they are afraid of is being exposed. Simply exposing the vast weaknesses of the ruling elite in the country is has a stronger effect than what most people consider to be overtly propaganda.
- greenavocado 3y agoSen. Mark Warner has uncovered that "all 20" major tech companies are colluding to silence content that challenges government-approved stories about election "misinformation" and "disinformation."
- greenavocado 3y agoSenator Pete Ricketts explains why the government wants to ban TikTok: "Pro-Palestinian and Hamas videos on TikTok have more reach than the top 10 US news websites combined."
- ARandomerDude 3y ago> an authoritarian regime, one with a long track record of censorship, transnational repression, and promotion of disinformation So…the US government then?
- labrador 3y agoCan you explain in what way the US is authoritarian? I don't feel it on a personal level at all. I mean, the dept of motor vehicles is pretty strict, but other than that...
- cad31 3y agoI guess you are not a tiktok user...
- Dudhbbh3343 3y agoTry starting a business that has anything to do with the financial system.
- labrador 3y agoBut you get to keep your money in America if you start a successful business. You don't see billionaires getting crushed like Jack Ma in China or the oligarchs in Russia, although I wouldn't mind a little of that in America to be honest
- verdverm 3y agoHow is strong financial regulation authoritarianism?
- squigz 3y agoI'm confused - are we talking about America here? I thought ByteDance was Chinese?
- labrador 3y agoI think the idea is “Better the devil you know than the devil you don't” as reason to want to be owned by an American company or banned outright
- freeone3000 3y agoIf America truly wanted to protect the data of Americans, shouldn’t they instead have passed a law granting that data some protection?
- verdverm 3y agoThe point GP was making is not about protecting the data going out, but rather protecting against the influence coming in It's reciprocal since the CCP has the similar policy towards Western social media
- freeone3000 3y agoProtecting against speech is fundamentally anti-American.
- verdverm 3y agoThere were media controls during WW2, free speech is not absolute, especially when at war
- tantalor 3y agoLawmakers unveil sprawling plan to expand online privacy protections After years of contentious debate, the bipartisan measure marks a significant step toward passing a landmark federal privacy law https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/07/congress-privacy-deal-cantwell-rodgers/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/07/congres... Bit of discussion (on CNN article) here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39980232 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39980232
- beej71 3y agoI hear that argument, but I also hear the "the government shouldn't tell you which apps you can or can't install" argument.