this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2024
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I really don't think China is nearly as interested in siphoning data as controlling the algorithm. Getting people to see more pro-Chinese videos, more anti-US videos, and some bias toward candidates they want to see win is completely doable without exfiltrating any data.
Basically, all the stuff people are pissed about Musk doing to Twitter (changing algo to push right wing content) are just as feasible for TikTok to do, with the main difference being China is a state actor, whereas Musk is a private billionaire.
We should be very worried about any social media app that's very popular and controlled by an org with political motivations.
I mean sure, if you can find any evidence they're actually doing that. We have the best intelligence agencies in the world, both domestic and foreign facing. So where's the meat?
Well, there's a law to block it, and our intelligence agencies are pretty secretive, so there's a good chance the proof exists.
I'm against banning it, not because I don't think China is manipulating the algorithm (they probably are), but because I believe banning it is a violation of the 1st amendment. I refuse to use it, but I also refuse to ban others from using it.
That's the problem though. Under that reasoning they can shut down any social media app. There's specifically a catch all in the definition to do this so they don't have to pass another law.