Heck, fix more important problems like income disparity, hunger, homelessness, healthcare, our wasteful spending, so many things more important and yet we're wasting time on TikTok.

I don't think people think this is a good use of time.

Seriously, it's government overreach and ignoring freedom of speech, etc.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 0 points 8 months ago (3 children)

We can agree that there is at least a slight difference in having your own (or a friendly nation’s) Government tracking you, versus allowing a competing nation to have direct access to over half of the adult US population (as per their recent push-notification stunt), as well as a robust collection of their interests and preferences.

There is a reason China has banned most US-based software in the mainland (Meta, Google, etc.); in favour of self-developed alternatives. This is just treatment in kind; it’s not an outright ban, rather a forced sale to prevent more of that user data falling into dubious hands.

[–] csm10495@sh.itjust.works 13 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I'm not really ok with that type of anti other country behavior in (edit to add the word: almost) any case. Heck, I want cheap Chinese EV options in the US too.

Make government (and other) tracking opt-out-able by law. That is the law we need. Not this bs version.

This current bill literally sounds like it's written by American companies to squash a foreign competition. You know Facebook, YouTube, etc. are biting at the teeth for more users (and ad revenue) of short form content; especially if TikTok users scattered to other platforms.

Once again: give users the freedom to chose what they want. This is a government overreach.

[–] KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Yes, there is a difference. Having your own government spy on you is way worse because it has the monopoly on violence over you. No one protects you from that. But your government will (try to) protect you from foreign influences.

There is a reason for the outrage when PRISM came out of the closet.

[–] threshold_dweller 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

But your government will (try to) protect you from foreign influences.

Oh, like stopping a foreign government from influencing people through a popular app. huh. Good point.

[–] KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 months ago

Yes, my point is in this scenario there is a heavy hitter (government) on your site, which makes it a better sutuation than to let your government just prey on you.

Although I would put this under the "try to" category. In my opinion it's way better to regulate methods rather than names. Then again I would not know how to implement this thought in this scenario.

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

But your government will (try to) protect you from foreign influences That’s what this is, though.

Take a step back and consider for a moment the absolute mayhem TikTok was able to cause through one single push notification to their US user base (>170m, over half the adult population). That is not a power that should be wielded lightly, and definitely not one in the hands of a foreign adversary ready, willing and capable of weaponising it at their whim.

Think of the power that affords them to put their finger on the scale when it comes to the critical upcoming Presidential election, not just directly - but through slight manipulations of the algorithm to engage one political cohort and disenfranchise another.

[–] KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 months ago

My point was that there is some institution on your site of that standoff. This will not be the case if you have to fight against your own government. So it's better to have to fight a foreign government, rather than one's own.

TikTok is a dangerous influence, yes. I wasn't trying to argue against that. But then, so are Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter and similar social media. Maybe even all social media.

Other than fighting with shortsighted regulations I don't know how one would fight such an influence other than widespread education of the people. But that would make them more resilient against any propaganda.

[–] veniasilente@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

because it has the monopoly on violence over you

I've been hearing this one going for a while, where does it come from? Sounds like a corpofascist slogan.

[–] KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Probably a bad translation from German. Maybe a better translation would be "force" instead of "violence". It means only the police is allowed to use force.

[–] veniasilente@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Still can't understand the point of it. Like, is the state ordering that civilians must be defenseless in the face of crime, for example? But yeah in general it just sounds like the usual "I am the Senate" fascist kind of takeover and control of power.

[–] KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 months ago

It means pretty much that, I would say. The reasoning is that in the case of a conflict you have to solve it by involving police and advocacies ( I think this is the right word ). The senate is only involved in setting the ground rules for the conflict in front of a judge.

Of course, there is stuff like self defense (so one is not completely defenseless), but anything like revenge is heavily pursued.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 1 points 8 months ago

There is a reason China has banned most US-based software in the mainland

I'm not at all saying what the USA is doing is right, but I find it hilarious Beijing is upset about it.

"It's only OK when we do it!!!"