The House on Wednesday passed a bill with broad bipartisan support that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner to either sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in the United States.

Republican leaders fast-tracked the bill through the House with limited debate, and it passed on a lopsided vote of 352-65, reflecting widespread backing for legislation that would take direct aim at China in an election year.

  • radix@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Sketchy Chinese data brokers: 👎
    Sketchy US data brokers:👍

    Signed, Congress.

    • KoalaUnknown@lemmy.worldOP
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      8 months ago

      The Chinese data brokers don’t “gift” congresspersons “campaign funds”.

      • Jaysyn@kbin.social
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        8 months ago

        They quite literally are. Just not enough to pay for the influence liability that Tik Tok is.

          • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            What Russian apps?

            There’s only one app impacted by this. It’s unconstitutional on it’s face by being a bill of attainder in every way except actually including the name.

            • KoalaUnknown@lemmy.worldOP
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              8 months ago

              The bill restricts apps from China, Russian, Iran, & North Korea. It is not just about TikTok.

              • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                Oh yes the famous Russian and North Korean Social Media apps in the US.

                This is a Bill of Attainder in everything but naming TikTok in the bill. Even if it passes judicial review it will not achieve what you guys think it will. The CCP will just buy the data and run targeted ads through X, FB, and Google. But foreign propaganda is okay as long as a wealthy American profits right?

    • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      lol yep. we constantly talk about how horrible tik tok is but the US government who is, of course, a much bigger threat to US citizens is doing the exact same thing.

        • radix@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          It would arguably take less effort to write a more general ban on apps and companies sharing, selling, and aggregating data on users than one specifically carving out foreign-owned companies.

          Not doing that makes it clear this isn’t a “first step.” This is a blanket approval of the practice, but with “election year, China bad” thrown in.

          Yes, any government access to user data can, and will, be mis-used, including Tik Tok. Opposing this bill isn’t an approval of Bytedance, it’s an opposition to the process.

        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I simply don’t agree that kind of power is more acceptable in the hands of a country like China

          Nobody said that Tiktok is more acceptable, just that the American ones that are given free rein are just as unacceptable.

          Come to think of it, though, the American ones are a bigger threat, simply by virtue of spying on a larger userbase than Tiktok currently has.

          And if you think the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google aren’t beholden to foreign governments such as the ones of India, Israel and yes China too, just because they’re headquartered in the US, you clearly don’t know much about how they operate.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          No. Because that’s not how politics works. This will be sold as a solved problem and the second you try to lobby to ban Facebook from selling data and ad space to the CCP the line will suddenly be about government interference in business.

          Swallowing bullshit like this is part and parcel of corporate governance.

        • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          in the meantime STOP USING these companies products.

          Can you share this list? I didn’t know we had a definitive answer on everything to avoid that the united states government is using to spy on its citizens. Not sure how I missed that, its kinda big news that we got something that definitive.

            • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Dude…you are the one saying thats part of the answer. So…help us. You have the knowledge of what to avoid. Share please?

                • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  You’re an angry little thing, you know that? I was discussing how the US government is spying on us at all times and you came along and said ‘just stop using the things they spy on you with.’ How was I supposed to know you didn’t actually mean all spying? Just the tiny fraction of spying that is done through facebook?

                  Why are you so angry and defensive?

                • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  So you don’t agree with me? You think making sarcastic comments is the path forward? You seriously take time out of your day to start shit with a stranger on the internet who simply suggests we have the ability to try to change things for the better in this country?

                  Responding to the edit you made after I replied. I asked you for further information on how to do this and its lead to quite a bit of anger and hostility from you dude. I haven’t insulted you. I have shown no anger. But you say I’m the one starting shit?

        • echo64@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I would argue that this is the opposite order. You want to take care of the people who actually hold power over you now, China has no power over you.

          Look at what the eu has done. First control and regulate the local companies.

            • echo64@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Just at the cost of setting up the American version of china’s firewall, right?

              It’s going to be weird for the rest of the world to have access to tiktok, but just America bans their citizens from accessing it. America really just isn’t so far from what it hates.

              It’s also strange to see people championing a path towards this, it’s all good until they decide to ban the thing you don’t hate though right?

                • echo64@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  Sir, this is a discussion platform. People leave text to have a discussion.

                  if you don’t want to, that’s okay. You don’t have to continue. Just don’t reply, you don’t need to leave a message like that, that’s just weird

        • SkyNTP@lemmy.ml
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          8 months ago

          Shutting down TikTok on US soil for 99% of people is trivial to execute and sufficiently effective.

    • Daft_ish@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      If China wants my private data they are going to have to buy it from a third party like everybody else!