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TikTok set to be banned in the US after losing appeal (www.bbc.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

69 comments fedilink hide all child comments

TikTok's bid to overturn a law which would see it banned or sold in the US from early 2025 has been rejected.

The social media company had hoped a federal appeals court would agree with its argument that the law was unconstitutional because it represented a "staggering" impact on the free speech of its 170 million US users.

But the court upheld the law, which it said "was the culmination of extensive, bipartisan action by the Congress and by successive presidents".

[...]

The court agreed the law was "carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary, and it was part of a broader effort to counter a well-substantiated national security threat posed by the PRC (People's Republic of China)."

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

changing region lock app stores to china

This wouldn't work, given that TikTok isn't allowed in China. This cyberweapon is only meant to be used against foreigners. Either way, don't help them and instead actively dissuade them from trying to keep their addiction alive.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

While technically correct, they do have it in China itself, it's a modified version called Douyin. It is more restricted, censored and tightly controlled.

I agree that it is a cyberweapon, but don't think that it's only used against foreigners, they use it just as much to observe and influence their own population.

Finally, I would like to point out that to a lesser extent this is also the case for a lot of USA owned social media and tech companies. Edward Snowden's revelations for example indicate this. While the extent of government control and influence is much larger in China, I wouldn't underestimate the influences of Meta, Google and Microsoft for example.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

What exactly is a cyber weapon? How is tik tok different or more harmful than twitter for example

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Mainly because tiktok has nothing to do with China.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No. Tiktok in China is a completely different app. China doesn't allow tiktok in the form we have it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

There isn't a tiktok in China. Douyin isn't tiktok anymore than WeChat is Facebook.

And the reason for that is really simple, and it's not even nefarious; Tiktok isnt a Chinese company, and taxes in China are worse for foreign companies, and China doesn't respect foreign IP.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Douyin isn’t tiktok

Because China doesn't allow Tiktok as we have it. They understand it's a plague and enforce that it should not exist. So no shit you're not going to fine the Chinese Tiktok look like our tiktok. That's literally what I said. FFS.

Tiktok isnt a Chinese company

Bytedance owns it. There is a 20% direct stake by the OG Chinese owners, weird... Original owners are Chinese... and you think their government doesn't have some say? By Chinese law the owners must give China whatever the fuck China wants (yay communism!). Further, Chinese officials have a seat on the company board. Weird for a 1% stake owner to have a seat on the board.

ByteDance agreed in 2021 to allow the Chinese government to take a 1% ownership stake known as a "golden share" at one of its China-based subsidiaries

Weird that a public international company would just allow a government to take ownership stake from them. Huh... totally not chinese though! Chinese owners, direct ownership stake by China (against the remaining owners will, as nobody would willingly give a government ownership of their company that they have majority share in).

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/mar/15/brian-kilmeade/who-owns-tiktok-despite-what-brian-kilmeade-says-i/

I'm so tired of people not calling a spade a spade. You believe what you want. You'll never be convinced otherwise regardless.