Technology

I wish people knew that TikTok being banned was more about it not suppressing posts about Palestine than national security or whatever else they say. Antony Blinken and Mitt Romney outright said last year it was about stopping people from seeing the truth about Israel committing genocide. If the government actually cared about foreign influence operations they'd regulate data privacy and social media algorithms in some way (idk how, but I'm sure you could) but they obviously won't because US companies manipulating people and stealing their data is totally fine.

Spreading for awareness, I've been posting this in relevant threads for a week - This is all theater.

trump is going to "save" tik tok after starting the initial push to ban it (for the wrong reasons) to pretend he did something for you. Worst part is that all of the no/low info voters and non voters will eat it up.

It's the equivalent of a person pushing you into the middle of the street and at the very last second, that same person tells the drivers to all stop. "Wow, I owe you my life!"

And now, this adds two layers:

1. You think trump and the Supreme Court are colluding? now they get to say, nah uh!!!! Even though again, this is all convoluted.

2. trump gets to look "stronger" than the "highest court in the land" to help delude the next generation of low info tiktok folks.

P.s. The Chinese "protest" apps are going to mine the FUCK out of these millions of phones in the brief window they have them. Also, when the kids inevitably move back to tiktok, majority of them will leave these other apps installed on their phones, dormant and collecting in the background.

im baffled by the blase response by lemmy users to government overreach

TikTok was a Chinese intelligence operation in the end.

And nothing of value was lost.

And now Trump gets to be the one who saved TikTok, despite starting the process.

I did some research and now I know why Trump wants to "save" TikTok.

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/how-tiktok-courted-conservatives-before-trumps-win

https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/tiktok-and-white-supremacist-content/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/on-tiktok-misogyny-and-white-supremacy-slip-through-enforcement-gap

https://www.counterextremism.com/press/extremist-content-online-tiktok-accounts-spreading-extreme-right-propaganda-and-glorifying

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/01/16/congress/tiktok-sponsor-trump-inauguration-party-00198825

This one is especially damning:

TikTok is spending $50,000 on an inauguration party honoring influencers who helped Donald Trump spread his campaign message, according to the party organizer — and it’s scheduled for Sunday, the deadline for the company to spin off from its China-based owner or be banned in the U.S.

CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend.

no it isn't

That second paragraph is just vile. Donny brought this ban into motion and now they say he will save them?

Surreal watching the rest of the internet freaking out. Meanwhile we are just sitting here on our own platforms doing our own things.

I know bad for democracy and everything but

This app has done nothing positive for my life, arguably began my social media addiction, filled my brain with negative content at the height of COVID and severely impacted my mental health

I don't think governments should ban platforns. But do I think TikTok should have ever existed? No

It's likely just staged bullshit so he can be the savior.