It doesn’t. Tik Tok is a HUGE Reason Trump got elected. Look at the Older Millennial. He spread Lie after Lie and never gets banned. BOTS like Trumps post because they know the more likes a video gets, the more people believed he’s popular. For every truth teller, there is 100 liars on Tik Tok.
Fuck Meta. I deleted my Instagram after Zuck started sleeping with Trump. I deleted Twitter when Elon bought it. I’m telling you the Truth about Tik Tok. I’m not saying it should be banned. I’m telling you that the post that started this thread is Right.
They banned Tik Tok because the Republicans put it the bill Signed by Biden to get Gaza and Ukraine Aid. Or else they wouldn’t have sent aid to Ukraine or Gaza.
This case will be used as a metaphorical cudgel to beat businesses with, threatening their livelihoods unless they comply with arbitrary state restrictions on free expression.
Because it's allegedly some kind of spyware ... if it is, either the public deserves to know more, because those of us not in government jobs really aren't afraid of the Chinese, or if it is spyware, we need a safer, more secure alternative that does the same stuff - none of which currently exist.
Because the parent company would have to relay the data to the Chinese government if requested. I'm not in a gov job anymore, but while I'm not afraid of the Chinese, I don't like that kind of foreign influence and data collection. It is part of a long game to influence public opinion.
Easily. Banning TikTok has far reaching 1st Amendment implications, because it cannot sufficiently be distinguished from other alternatives except for by its origins.
In addition, while the SC has tried to say this (per curiam!) opinion isn't precedential, that's simply not how the law works.
If a social media company is breaking other laws it can’t just claim blanket protection under the first amendment. That would mean that media outlets are always above the law. An absurd notion.
The speech isn’t breaking the law, the company is. So a media company can never be shut down no matter what they do? Is that your argument? If they drop a nuclear bomb on Washington they’re protected because of free speech?
The discussion is about whether the ban, by necessity, violates the first amendment because the company happens to be a media company. I am pointing at that this cannot possibly be the case, taking the example of a law being broken.
... I'm sorry, I truly haven't the faintest idea what you're trying to say. People making asinine statements about issues they clearly don't understand isn't a good thing.
For your information, China is our adversary and they are engaged in cyber war against the US, as is Russia. If you Google China + cyber war you will see what I'm talking about. They are using TikTok to gather information on US users that they can use against us. That's why the block.
It actually is a big deal that tik tok is being censored. It's because too many narratives that challenge U.S. imperialism blow up, on there. And then the government can just say the words "national security," and have a platform where people challenge them, more than on other platforms, banned.
Grassroots movements and information sharing are possible on infinite different channels, including in-person. These just require effort and coordination, which the people Will Not Give.
TikTok is majority owned by foreign investors, not China, based in Singapore and Los Angeles, not China, and has US user data stored in Texas, not China. They’re throwing Cold War nonsense at you so you remain compliant instead of looking for yourself.
Not only that, but once TikTok is banned here they are no longer required to continue storing our data here and can sell it to whoever they wish, including China, if so inclined, so banning it is actually worse for our data privacy.
Check all you want. Doesn‘t change the fact that ByteDance is also running a TikTok-like Platform in China with all the beautiful achievements of Chinese freedom-movement.
TikTok is not just a privacy and freedom of speech issue; it's a brainwashing issue. Since the Chinese Communist Party has used high technology to achieve "1984" domestically, it will inevitably use it to export brainwashing control abroad.
The problem is this sets a precedent. TikTok was not guilty of what it was accused of (at least no more than any social media platform) and was banned for it. They will do it again to any platform they do not like, and will likely push to control the creation of future platforms.
Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy even… what happens after TikTok gets taken? I mean, TikTok is already huge, basically the biggest in the system, so they’re taking away a place where almost everyone can talk with everyone else… it’s almost as if once they take tiktok, they’ll go further. But nah, you don’t care
Hmm… but i don’t think tiktok does like tiktok, I mean, have you ever been? Most of the people there are shouting on the rooftops about how they hate Trump… it’s almost as if you don’t know what you’re talking about
Someone said we lost a modern day Library of Alexandria, and that is quite honestly what it was. If you weren't on it you have no idea what just happened.
That said, I don't think TikTok's going anywhere for good or getting banned. Sure, it's down right now like I saw earlier, but it'll bounce back once they figure out the ownership stuff. No clue who's gonna take it over yet - guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Tiktok was where people learned new information and was allowed freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. We were able to find resources in order to keep our elected officials in check.
Elected officials (and musk and Zuckerberg) didn't like that so they took it away.
All TikTok rephrase going to red note if they banned red note why we go to Russia app looks like TikTok they get even mad why are we doing the because want our freedom of speech
TikTok was the best tool for our democracy. Y’all don’t want to talk about how Facebook and Instagram helped move so many young people to the far right with constant misinformation and no fact checking
According to Pew Research Center, “at least 1/3 of U.S. adults use TikTok, and 65% of U.S. teens use the platform. According to TikTok's CEO, more than 170 million Americans (half of the U.S. population) use TikTok.” More Americans use TikTok than voted in 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Because a venue of critical speech, building cross demographic community, education, wokeness, and jobs is laughable? Just tell us you don’t understand the point and we’ll talk to you about why—instead of you just looking foolish af.
People like this comic drawer seems to be the former.
The rest of us have been doing all we can. A couple of active soldiers self immolated even. There are *still* protests weekly all around the U.S., corporate media just chooses not to show them. There's always footage of them ON TIK TOK though..
Losing tiktok means the beginning of having only "state approved" social media. Facebook and Twitter propaganda machine is a greater risk to democracy than ever before.
Shutting down a foreign service under the guise of 'security' (but actually nationalist protectionism & propaganda reasons), a platform which also just happens to host material critical of government policy and US allies (eg the genocide in Gaza with American weapons and support) is a worrying sign.
The "news" is oligarchy telling it's fiction. TT is on-site and real time information. It's tiny fingers sticking up out of the rubble while networks are talking about the price of eggs. That's why ppl up in arms, figuratively, about it being shut down. It's free speech.
We lost democracy a long time ago. We just lost the easiest way to share and access information directly among the masses. What a terrible take, disconnected from reality.
The videos on that app have taught the level of corruption the American gov is at. It's shown the war crimes it's committed. It's shown how regular citizens are affected by it instead of reading it in an article or watching propogantic cable news.
It seems to be that it got the same message across, however it resonated more with TT ban with wider younger audience because its "in your face". Its tangiable now,because our govt always kept up so uneducated we didnt know what it looked like before. NOW, however its directly noticeable & personal
Fact check .. Trump administration spearheaded the initial push to ban TikTok via executive order in 2020, citing the national security threat posed by Beijing's potential influence over the app and its user data.
If your still not convinced the Chinese owns the US government look no further than Trump, Biden, and Congress working overtime to stop the Tiktok ban from taking effect.
It’s not about ‘banning TikTok’ it’s about the fact that several congress members invested in meta THEN instigated a TikTok ban under the guise people would run to meta and they would make money. WHAT OTHER DECISIONS FOR OUR LIVES HAVE THEY BEEN MAKING BASED ON HOW MUCH MONEY THEY CSN MAKE
I’ve been a political activist for almost 20 years now. TikTok was a great resource for organizing, spreading information, and community building. I’ve seen more people’s minds change on that app than all of my years of political action.
Ah, Democracy, where we can democratically vote to ban free speech. I get the centrist position now! We are all for democracy in theory - in practice, though, who are we kidding?
Theres a trope in fiction called "Bread and Circuses" where goverments will distract their populace from their wrongdoings by providing them a steady source of food and entertainment. The US is currently failing on its provision of both.
The latter cell explains the former. Our brains are empty of attention to that which makes us survivable. Now we will endure the rotten fruits of our self-induced ignorance.
the loss of tiktok and the loss of democracy are directly related. and it's disappointing seeing more of the older gen/media not understanding this is more than losing a silly little app
If you think the government forcing an unpopular ban on an app w over 170 million American users and 7 million American small businesses over the flimsy excuse of “data privacy” and then changing it to “national security” WITHOUT any evidence is NOT a loss of democracy then you’re missing the point😏
Eh. Most MAGAs I know are buying the whole Communist spyware smut. They’re not that angry about TikTok from what I’ve seen…unless I was on the right side of TikTok.
There's payoff proof, DUH. The TikTok ban is a tad IRONICAL. It's really silly to ban an app, as most phones are sourced or assembled in China. In fact, it's fucking dumb. Most Americans use Apple, Google and store their fucking passwords & information all over the place. China is already wired in!
The dialogue present on TikTok is able to inform so many Americans of the authoritarianism taking root. Losing TikTok is a symptom of a larger problem.
Yes, the limiting of free speech/press is a threat to democracy. China doesn’t need an app to steal our data. They were already doing that quite easily.
Only thing this cartoon tells me is you were never on TikTok. There has been a huge movement to do something about the demise of democracy. A good portion of the people upset about the ban is that TikTok is one of the few platforms where you can actually connect with others who want change.
But his point was people were trying on TT! Lots of great communication there. The money coming in for propaganda won out in every other app, unfortunately.
"A fight for tiktok" no its a literal fight for the right to unfiltered info and freedom of expression. The tiktok bam isn't just a ban on tik tok it's a ban on pretty much any application that is owned by other countries. The tiktok ban is just the beginning of the US's plan to control what info-
Is and isn't spread. No one is sleeping on the fact that our rights are on the line. For fucks sake people committed suicide over the fear of their rights being stripped away.
I mean, what democracy is left to lose whenever the corporations own all the politicians? Americans begged politicians to stop arming Israel... even the politicians we elected refused to send over the billions Biden requested. He had to go above Congress to do it.
Not to mention the amount of elder abuse that went on in his administration. So many abused the fact that he was senile to get what they wanted out of him.
The irony of your post is the fact that these things go hand in hand. It’s all connected. Only fascist countries ban apps. This is just one of the more minor of the issues we face.
bold of you to think we’re not all freaking tf out about an oligarch being elected into the White House… a second time. a lot of us do it silently because we know everyone else is too and it’ll be even harder once he’s in power. we’re all flailing. and don’t assume the whole country used TikTok.
If you’re so sure there’s an overlap, do some research. Prove your hypothesis. It seems you’re making assumptions about a platform you don’t use, full of people you don’t know, regarding the presidential election for a country you don’t live in.
first of alll: your criticism is stupid, it has no real basis but rather an assumption on your part, because if you had been really analyzing democracy for these 5 years, you would have already realized that it is working very well, the way it was planned.
Bro did you know over a million of people had used TikTok as a income and used it to educate people on democracy or you just wanna sound cool to your editors and staff
Most people don't really think democracy will fail; that it is just a static part of America. Other people don't realize that they're part of the same mesh and losing one means you've already lost the other. And still others think you can't lose what is already lost.
We lost our Democracy a long time ago. TikTok at least connected people who never could have met. A lot of these people used it for good including talking points about our government and what's happening not just here, but around the world. But you want to keep the old ways right? So does the GOP.
Super shallow take; the fight for ticktock is the fight for free speech and the right to gather. How can you be making political content and not understand that?
It is. But TikTok still wasn’t free speech. For clarification not a maga guy and not a bigot. I used words all the time that weren’t slurs or bigoted language and still got censored a lot. Bottom line is I think we need a better medium. So far this place is great for actual discussions.
It's in German, you might have to translate it, but it is interesting. Tiktok is not innocent. On the other hand: I don't know why Meta and x are still legal, though 🤔, compared with it
Maybe some professionals want to comment if this is correct information. I am not firm in coding. But I read some articles and even papers that there are some programmers who have tested tiktok and could proof strong violation of privacy.
Yes and no. My experience was that a lot of tiktok users used the platform to get the message actually out regarding the dangers of the last vote and informed others about the unspoken consequences. The ban will restrict their access to information.
From what I could tell the Americans who voted for Kamala were overwhelmingly the ones using TikTok. The Venn diagram of Kamala voters and people angry about the TikTok ban would be close to a circle
losing tiktok is a sign of losing democracy. taking away a central part of communication in america is how you lose free speech, which is how you lose democracy
I was on Tik Tok frequently leading up to the election. There were tons of activists delivering truth to thousands of Americans, daily. Live debates that included undecided voters and MAGA seeking understanding. Tik Tok was the media for many.
there's multiple times where people banded together to raise money for families in need, people on there are vocal about sending aid to gaza, multiple times it's where i heard major world news that didn't appear other places for days sometimes weeks bc of censorship on other apps
Judging by the gray streaked hair, he does not know this. Granted, I'm in my 50s and well aware. But there are many among us—and by us, I mean Gen-X—who are smarmy about as hell about it.
Anderson you do realize that the banning of TikTok is a far greater symptom of the loss of democracy in the United States right? We've been an increasingly worse oligarchy since Reagan. We don't want to get trapped using toxic Meta apps and X because of our government being bought.
I wish I could be as hopeful as you about that situation friend. Genuinely all I'm feeling is bitterness, rage, and a desire for violence. It's hard to stay sane in a world so unjust. We need change.
Just don't devolve into an extremist or a vigilante. You'll save yourself less hairs knowing that you still have a roof over your head and parents, neighbors, and friends to support you.
I just wish I could do more than just community activism. The world needs change, there's no time for marching with picket signs. Oligarchs, fascists and other idiot regressives are trying to make this entire country a miserable hell. There's never enough action!
They are the worst generation. They have no spine, brain or heart.
They let the government roll over them while acting self righteous every time, they are to dumb to see this effects them, and no compassion for anyone in their immediate or the wider community. Lead paint hits hard!
Well. I am a very old woman who is mourning the loss. I'm also furious at all the other old people who had no clue what TikTok was and were all in for banning it. Same people who get all up in arms when anyone mentions banning books.
Comments
Any more questions?
In addition, while the SC has tried to say this (per curiam!) opinion isn't precedential, that's simply not how the law works.
*gasp* who could have thought!?
That said, I don't think TikTok's going anywhere for good or getting banned. Sure, it's down right now like I saw earlier, but it'll bounce back once they figure out the ownership stuff. No clue who's gonna take it over yet - guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Elected officials (and musk and Zuckerberg) didn't like that so they took it away.
The rest of us have been doing all we can. A couple of active soldiers self immolated even. There are *still* protests weekly all around the U.S., corporate media just chooses not to show them. There's always footage of them ON TIK TOK though..
X manipulation and surveillance by the Space Nazi
Not much of a choice, even though people seem to think differences exist between them.
Uncle Sam's Tourist Plantation just got a taste of geo-fencing.
More to come under the new regime.
Obey Xi when the whistle blows
Tired eyes burns, thumbs tipping strong
Sing out loud, the chain gang song
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, slave to the Tik Tok
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, slave to the Tik Tok"
(with sincere apologies to Miss Grace Jones)
Funny how a large campaign check changes things.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8F4w1c6/
they're the same
Please, our democracy has been gone for decades.
"Representative democracy" is just a more paletable form of Oligarchy.
The bottom is how we lose “democracy.”
which is hilarious, really, when you think about it
lotta overlap on that one, I'd bet
lying in the bed they made
keep pretending.....
-dismissive wanking gesture-
Most people don't really think democracy will fail; that it is just a static part of America. Other people don't realize that they're part of the same mesh and losing one means you've already lost the other. And still others think you can't lose what is already lost.
The rest voted Harris.
It's in German, you might have to translate it, but it is interesting. Tiktok is not innocent. On the other hand: I don't know why Meta and x are still legal, though 🤔, compared with it
And Gen-X by the way.
"America, the thing connecting you to other people and the way a lot of you are making money is getting taken away."
There, fixed it for you.
No wonder SCOTUS was unanimous in being an "embarrassment" for future generations (look at the second paragraph of their opinion)!
They let the government roll over them while acting self righteous every time, they are to dumb to see this effects them, and no compassion for anyone in their immediate or the wider community. Lead paint hits hard!