Summary
TikTok plans to shut down its U.S. operations by January 19 unless the Supreme Court blocks a new law requiring its sale by Chinese parent company ByteDance.
The law, defended by the Biden administration as a national security measure, has been challenged by TikTok, ByteDance, and users as a violation of free speech.
The court, facing pressure from Trump to delay a decision, will hear arguments just days before the law’s implementation.
A shutdown could cost TikTok millions of users and ad revenue, with a ruling expected soon.
Facebook first.
Why is everything so glacially slow anymore. Fucking do something! I’ve been hearing about the demise of TiKTok for like three YEARS. Die already. Or don’t, I’m just sick of hearing about how it “might close” any fucking day now.
The 19th is the legal deadline.
Stricter laws restricting data collection would actually solve the problem but that will hurt the American propaganda machine just as much. China will diffuse it’s propaganda through our own social media like they clearly already do. They can literally buy the data from our own data brokers, it won’t even stop them from being effective.
Yeah, Chinese leadership was complaining about the mass migration from Twitter to Bluesky because it rendered their bit accounts useless, so it’s not like it’s a secret or anything.
This has always been about how TikTok can’t be bought out as a propaganda machine by American billionaires.
It’s not simply about collecting data. That’s only part of the problem.
Why do people keep repeating this like it’s the only thing.
Tiktok controls the algorithm controlling which clips get shown. Combined with the data, this means they can propaganda individuals so hard it will make your head spin.
Yeah! Only Facebook can propagandize my sweet ass!
This is not an argument against banning TikTok. This is an argument for banning Facebook (and all other centralized social media) right along with it.
“It’s to protect our citizens from China!”
“Are we going to have stronger data protection laws across all 50 states and the federal government to help protect our citizens?”
“That sounds like a terrorist wanting privacy to hide form Facebook and Google’s data to the NSA!”
People really cheering this? I don’t like TikTok because I don’t much care for that style of short form video - but let’s not act like it would be better under US tech giant control. Worse, I’d say.
Officials say Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons
Oooooh scaaaaary. I’d feel much safer having it under the control of a government who actually affects my life. 🙄
Red scare 2.0 bullshit
Dunno why the last bit was removed. Ruins the wordplay that would apply perfectly here.
This article from 2024 gives a pretty good rundown as to why using this reasoning to ban Tiktok will set a very bad precedent:
If the govt cared about your data privacy, they would create data collection regulations that they could then use to ban tiktok if/when they violate them.
Best possible outcome.
Nothing of value will be lost.
Idk, I think all these governments having trade and tech wars is bad for our freedom. But on the other hand, TikTok is pure misinformation slop.
TikTok makes Facebook look like haute culture and maybe people don’t need as much freedom as they think they do.
That’s not how freedom is defined in the constitution though. We are not in China or North Korea but are heading in that direction.
Really?
You think you have a constitutional right to use brainrot apps?
I don’t think the government has the right to control what you do in your private time on your private device.
1st amendment is right to free press and right to free speech. Several amendments imply a right to privacy from the government, such as the 3rd 4th and 9th.
The government should not regulate how I make my speech. That’s ridiculous to give them the right to remove how people are allowed to speak.
Good to know people are willing to give themselves more chains to a fascist Trump government if they don’t like the UI of an app.
I don’t think the government has the right to control what you do in your private time on your private device.
[Laughs in War in Drugs.]
There are already government regulations on what you can do on your ‘private’ device and what you can do on your private time.
Cool, so why stop there! Just make it so they always have access to my phone! Why would I need the right to use anything I want?
The government now needs needs me to get court approval to speak my mind to Trump. Require paperwork just to develop an app.
Surely nothing bad will happen if we just let this pot of water rise with frogs advocating it to get hotter.
Actually yes, I dont know why you would think otherwise
What is it, the sixty-ninth amendment?
‘An unregulated internet, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear apps, shall not be infringed’?
Don’t threaten us with a good time, TikTok!
Oh man, threaten me with a good time.
DO IT!
Is there anything stopping them from just renaming the company and rebranding it to avoid this? I could care less if it goes away or not, but I am curious how easily it could be to just rename yourself or if that’s actually covered somehow in this. Even still, I feel like there will definitely be loopholes that they can do to skate around it?
All they need to do is literally sell the American branch to a US company - even one they set up themselves.
The reason that they won’t do this is because a US founded company has to play by different rules than a Chinese company can.
Just remember this is was because of so much pro palestine posts on TikTok.
Excellent! Please do. You would be doing the world a favor.
