• Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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    4 months ago

    I don’t think it’s about the data as much. If you can predict and influence the civilian population of your global competition, that’s immense power from abroad. I could see a national threat. It’s not an accident that hearts and minds are underlined when attempting to project power into a region.

    • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      And they already can, probably more effectively on other platforms as well. This bill will not address the issue. They’d need to target all social media companies instead of just one. If fascists unwilling to do basic moderation acquire TikTok, the problem will only become worse.

      When all social media companies oppose a bill, maybe we’ll actually have something effective.

      • Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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        4 months ago

        Except that America can tell American companies not to do certain things. You can’t stop china from essentially causing instability here through tiktok, they own it. You could stop them if they were using Reddit, Facebook, etc. it’s not going to happen. But to pretend that a foreign owned mass media app is anything but a way to control a population, or narrative, is sort of funny. America does it with their shit. Why would we not be more threatened by something abroad. Why would a nation allow foreign propaganda?

        • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          We won’t tell companies to do anything at the moment, and yet this is somehow a priority. It is a problem, but it isn’t as pressing and they aren’t addressing it well.

          • Hathaway@lemmy.zip
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            4 months ago

            Well the Chinese communist party isn’t a US owned company. So, it is most definitely a priority. This isn’t the first time it’s almost been banned. It is a pressing concern. Why don’t you feel that it is?

            We also fined the shit out of YouTube in 2019 for collecting and selling children’s data without consent. Can’t do that with the CCP. I’m actually shocked that I’m proud of the FTC for once.