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>So Congress got to experience, first-hand, an example of TikTok's power to influence Americans' behavior, which is probably just the thing they were being warn
by krapp 3y ago
>So Congress got to experience, first-hand, an example of TikTok's power to influence Americans' behavior, which is probably just the thing they were being warned about by national security professionals.
Except this is exactly the same power every popular domestic company has, including every other social media platform. It wasn't even the only time a company got customers to protest legislation on their behalf (see FOSTA/SESTA).
TikTok's users weren't brainwashed by Chinese propaganda and following some Manchurian Candidate trigger to launch an attack on American infrastructure, they were voluntarily participating in the democratic process. That isn't a national security issue, it isn't even illegal.
- WCSTombs 3y ago> Except this is exactly the same power every popular domestic company has, including every other social media platform. Yeah, but that's sort of the point. With domestic companies, the US government has more levers they can pull and more influence they can wield back. That's why the "TikTok Ban" isn't an outright ban, it's forcing the sale to a non-Chinese entity, which would be acceptable to them. I'm not trying to paint the US government as some sort of saints here, and to be clear it is ultimately about power and influence. That said, even without really agreeing with it, I can sort of see the logic behind this move.