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Sell or Be Banned: Anti-TikTok Bill Passed by US Representatives (npr.org) 96

The U.S. House of Representatives just passed its long-delayed Ukraine aid bill. But along with it they also approved a bill banning TikTok "if its Chinese owner does not sell the video app," according to NPR: While lawmakers in the House advanced a similar bill last month, this effort is different for two reasons: It is attached to a sweeping foreign aid bill providing support for Ukraine and Israel. And it addresses concerns from some members of the Senate by extending the deadline for TikTok to find a buyer. President Biden supports the effort. That means TikTok being forced to sell, or face a possible ban, is on the fast-track to becoming law. It would mark the first time ever the U.S. government has passed a law that could shut down an entire social media platform, setting the stage for what is expected to be a protracted legal battle... TikTok says it has built a firewall between its headquarters in Los Angeles and its parent company in Beijing, but some reports indicate U.S. user data does still move between the two.

While there has been no evidence made public that Chinese government officials have accessed Americans' information through TikTok, the idea that China has the theoretical ability to weaponize an app used by half of America has been enough to set off an all-out crackdown.
In Saturday's vote, 360 Representatives voted in favor of the sell-or-be-banned TikTok bill, while just 58 voted against it.
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Sell or Be Banned: Anti-TikTok Bill Passed by US Representatives

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  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 20, 2024 @01:41PM (#64410616)

    A platform free of Yanks, sounds heavenly.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Comes with Xi Jinping and Putin Spying

      • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

        by Opportunist ( 166417 )

        Well, since I plan to neither go to China nor Russia but might have to go to the US, I guess that's the lesser evil.

        • by Anonymous Coward
          Except China and Russia are using the information they gain to attack the US and other foreign countries. That's the reason for the ban.
      • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Considering FISA and section 402, China and Russia spying on me is a possibility, and the US spying on me is a certainty.
        Who is the bad guy here again?

      • While there has been no evidence made public that Chinese government officials have accessed Americans' information through TikTok, the idea that China has the theoretical ability to weaponize an app used by half of America has been enough to set off an all-out crackdown.

        As opposed to the US services where we know the USG has been accessing the information, over and over again. Heck, they just renewed a law saying that's exactly what they're doing. But hey, bread and circuses, look at the yellow bogeymen over there and pay no attention to what your own government agencies are busy doing.

  • Psychosis (Score:2, Insightful)

    by backslashdot ( 95548 )

    Purely an act of hysteria. We should act on evidence, not prejudice.

    • Re:Psychosis (Score:4, Insightful)

      by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @02:01PM (#64410650)

      Ehh, I also see this as a tit-for-tat measure as well, basically a social media trade war as China outright bans pretty much all western social media in it's borders.

      • by kyoko21 ( 198413 )

        Perhaps Trump will get his wall built after all. Difference being the wall isn't built to keep out the global south but in the new global north.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Purely an act of hysteria.

      Well, it uses hysteria, as a tool, for purpose of distracting people from our own domestic problems that are actually important

    • Reality is that they don't want to kill Tik Tok, what they don't want is Chinese Communist Party involvement. They don't want Tik Tok used as a CCP propaganda and disinformation tool, nor as surveillance tool for the CCP to profile Americans. Remove connections to the CPP and keep servers and data in the US and Tik Tok will be fine.
      • There's more CCP and communist/anti-USA propaganda on all other platforms than on TikTok. TikTok is mostly15 second videos of people dancing.

        • by drnb ( 2434720 )

          There's more CCP and communist/anti-USA propaganda on all other platforms than on TikTok.

          There is more balance on the non-TikTok platforms. TikTok is more consistently anti-US. It is a long term strategic tool of the CCP.

          TikTok is mostly15 second videos of people dancing.

          The bait for the propoganda.

      • US government wants control over TikTok so they can use it to spy on everybody. Theis issue is not that China spies with TikTok, they are jealous US can't spy with it.

        • by drnb ( 2434720 )

          US government wants control over TikTok so they can use it to spy on everybody. Theis issue is not that China spies with TikTok, they are jealous US can't spy with it.

          Its not just spying. Its the control of information, which manufacture opinions. TikTok in China is extremely different due to the way China wants to influence Chinese youth vs American youth. Its a long term strategic tool of the CCP.

    • by Lehk228 ( 705449 )
      evidence such as hoardes of children calling congress threatening suicide at the prompting of tiktok? it shouldn't be a year to sell they should be getting raided and all servers taken into evidence
    • Oh don't worry citizen, they've got the evidence [slashdot.org]. Trust the US, not them.
  • by destinyland ( 578448 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @02:05PM (#64410654)
    TikTok is already banned in India -- the largest nation on earth -- as well as in Nepal and Somalia [mashable.com].

    That means TikTok is already banned for 1,464,000,000 people. That's about 18% of the population of earth. And then if you count the population of China, that adds another 1,412,000,000 people. So it's more like 36% of population is already banned from using TikTok.
    • by Anonymous Coward

      It's awesome that the US is being compared to third world countries. The country has fallen a lot since Trump became president. It has become the same as shithole countries that he was complaining about in the first place. So much for MAGA.

    • Are you you implying that TikTok is *banned* in China? TikTok is actually a version of Douyin where you can express yourself if you are genderqueer.
  • So, who is is more socialist now? The country that wants to spread memes through soft power or the country that wants to ban an app because they fear what they don't understand?

    • by Luckyo ( 1726890 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @02:26PM (#64410680)

      PRC banned tiktok long ago. So by your logic, China.

      You really need to work on your well poisoning skills.

      • by Anonymous Coward

        Just like they 'banned' any other company that doesn't follow the laws. Same as every country everywhere does.
        How do you think this makes them different again?

        America basically banned a single company because it doesn't like them. Not because they broke any laws. They are specifically making a new law, because there was no legal reason to 'ban' them otherwise.

    • by Baron_Yam ( 643147 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @04:16PM (#64410862)

      I don't think you understand what 'socialist' means, and are simply using it as an epithet. That does not help you get people to pay attention to your position.

      You would have been somewhat better to go with 'authoritarian', or 'nationalist'.

      And it's not a battle over memes, it's over who has direct access to the raw data for data mining and who has direct control over an agitprop channel.

      • And it's not a battle over memes, it's over who has direct access to the raw data for data mining and who has direct control over an agitprop channel.

        So it is okay to have an agitprop channel that is used for data mining? The only issue is who owns it?

        Oh my. The bar has been lowered some more.

  • by ebonum ( 830686 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @02:26PM (#64410686)

    And if the Chinese government tells Apple: Sell to Chinese buyers or be banned?
    Same for Tesla. Microsoft. Boeing. Etc.
    All these companies collect massive amounts of data inside China.

    • Then they will have to find another place to produce their stuff.

      With a bit of luck, eventually jobs will have to come back home because everyone else would want to steal the whole production.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

      It already did. If you want a subsidiary in PRC, you need to take on local investors. Until recently, these investors were required to have a majority stake for most industries, though large players can go 50/50. This was changed very recently in the wake of the economic clusterfuck that is PRC's investment market today. That's why if you go look at for example foreign cars in China, they're not called "foreign brand". They're called "local brand - foreign brand". For example, there's no Ford in China.

      But t

      • Re:Apple (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 20, 2024 @04:26PM (#64410890)

        trump imo is "right" about a lot of things, in that a lot of the problems he talks about are in fact real problems

        the issue is that either his solutions to those problems are terrible or he simply lacks the drive or ability to actually enact solutions to begin with. he ironically is absolutely terrible at executive functions

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        China did that because they had seen how other countries were exploited. Foreign companies using them for cheap labour and little else, avoiding local taxes along the way with licencing agreements. You know, the kind of thing Starbucks UK does, where they licence the Starbucks name for crippling fees that wipe out all their profit and mean they pay next to no tax.

        It's not dissimilar to how things are in the US, only the enforcement mechanism is different. Many foreign brands have subsidiaries who are staffe

        • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          I love how you're the meme of a communist to the point where you're literally jumping through multiple steps in the process straight to the end point of a typical far left narrative pusher.

          "They're not going it".

          "Yes they're doing it and here's the evidence".

          "They're doing it, and it's a good thing!"

          • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            The meme capitalists can't comprehend that anything China does could be good.

            • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              Your stupidity generates a lot of confusion. For example here, I demonstrated YOU to be the meme. And your delusion made you think it was the opposite.

    • That already happened and they already did. Chinese subsidiaries are all controlled by the communist government. Apple and Microsoft infrastructure in China is ran by a government cloud provider, Google, Facebook and other social media sites has Chinese censors employed. Gaming and porn companies have compulsory identity verification and Android is required to install government spying and tracking apps.

      China is not much different than East Germany, Cuba, Soviet Union or Venezuela, just a little more techni

  • Sure ban tittok, but propping up a government with 26 billion dollars of tax payer money just shouldn't be happening in the same vote. Ukraine, ok I guess they really didn't do anything stupid. But ISrael? Each part of this bill should have it's own vote and BE IT'S OWN BILL.

    All that money to another wealthy government and they can't even pass a small bill to continue things like the ACP for our own poor on our own soil.
    • Those are, in fact, separate bills. Ukraine funding, the Tiktok ban, and Israel are separate; ironically, the one that passed on the narrowest margin was the Ukraine funding, because Fox has been spewing pro-Putin propaganda for months now and so a bunch of the Trumpers are voting to let them conquer a New Warsaw Pact by force.

      If you instead wanted to complain about enjoining 9 billion of Gaza funding to the 18 billion of military aid to Israel then you'd actually be correct.

  • by newbie_fantod ( 514871 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @02:53PM (#64410760)

    Thank god someone is stepping up to protect us from Gen-Zeers miming pop songs.

  • by oumuamua ( 6173784 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @04:05PM (#64410850)
    The app that helped raise awareness of what was happening in Gaza as US news outlets ignored it. https://www.washingtonpost.com... [washingtonpost.com] https://www.nbcnews.com/politi... [nbcnews.com] Watch this play out in the future, when US geopolitical goals trample its 'stated values' a narrative is pushed in the media to smooth over the rough spots.
    • by mysidia ( 191772 )

      The other thing that's weird about this bill is it Purports to Restrict how the law could be challenged in court By stating that there is a Very short time limit to file any kind of challenge against the law, and the DC Court of Appeals has exclusive jurisdiction.

    • You have to understand that it is not permitted in the United States to point out that Israel is committing genocide, using weapons and money provided by the United States, and getting away with it. Uncle Sam is Netanyahu's bitch, and he'd better get used to paying for the privilege and getting slapped around when he doesn't obey fast enough.

  • It is way past time our elected leaders defended our interests. Whether is it the notorious technology transfers China has required to do business there, its banning every major Western social media platform, and now communication platforms such as What'sApp, Telegram and Signal, [slashdot.org] or it directly subsidizing the export of Fentanyl or its components on a global scale, our leaders have been meek and weak. [npr.org]

    Banning or forcing the sale TikTok, manifestly under the CCP's thumb [fortune.com] is just one of many steps that nee

  • Yay! (Score:2, Insightful)

    Only our government can control our speech. WTF is wrong with our country. We go nuts over anything against the second amendment, allowing people to die pretty much each day from gun violience, but free speech goes down the drain at a whim. F*ck the first amendment. Hell the supremes even ruled double jeopardy was legal while people were looking the other way. F*ck the constitution I guess.

    I don't know if TikTok was the reason people saw through the IDF and US State Department lies over Gaza, but if it w
  • by ffkom ( 3519199 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @05:10PM (#64410956)
    ... regardless on which platform they are posted. And straight to jail for those who horizontally extend the vertical plague with blurry side stripes.
  • Phew (Score:5, Interesting)

    by trawg ( 308495 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @07:02PM (#64411148) Homepage

    Now inconceivably vast amounts of highly detailed and personal data on citizens will only go to that one safe place, American corporations. Well, I guess also by extension, the American government. But what are the chances anyone would come to regret that!

    • Whist I don't doubt there is some concern of data collection to a foreign power. The elephant in the room is the influence TikTok has over the population, where that influence is controlled by a foreign power.

      Governments on both sides are well aware that influencing a democratic population in certain ways can direct it in certain directions. TikTok could be influencing certain segments of the American population using its algorithms to stir up trouble and destabilize regions, or ignite issue between group

  • by NotEmmanuelGoldstein ( 6423622 ) on Saturday April 20, 2024 @07:34PM (#64411184)

    ... the theoretical ability to weaponize an app...

    By that metric, Facebook should be sold to, um, never mind.

    Selling TikTok means China can no longer apply Chinese law to the internet and censor statements they dislike. Theoretically, China can sell TikTok to US owners, then like Russia, publish their disinformation and propaganda under US 1st Amendment protections.

  • You commenters defending TikTok do realize that TikTok is BANNED in China right? RIGHT?? It's sole purpose is disruption and influence by a foreign government adversary. Good riddance to it.

  • Is the inclusion of the tiktok ban a poison pill that Johnson expects the Senate to reject. He can then say he tried.

    BTW, parents need help. The law prohibits kids from accessing alcohol, tobacco and porn. Adding social media is for the same reason. Their minds are not developed enough to understand the harm. Kids should also be protected from high fructose corn syrup and ultra processed food.

    • this isnt about disallowjng kids from these things. its about banning a company they just dont like.
  • Gen Z and Alpha will either rebel and try to take over the USA or go into a deep depression
  • Is Biden now saying Trump was right?
  • We should not have CBS owned by Soviets in cold war, why have the most popular media platform in US teens owned by another foreign entity.

    This is not about "free speech", or "capitalism", but basic common sense. If you want to invest in the US, that is fine. If you want to post terrible vertical videos, nobody should stop you. But if you are harvesting US citizen's data, and making it available directly in China, it is not fine.

    And this is not hypocrisy either. When EU asked Microsoft to do the same, they s

  • to pull out of US market altogether.
  • The number of people quoting TikTok as the source for knowing the âoetruth âoe about Gaza without realising thatâ(TM)s exactly the power of CCP to conduct successful misinformation campaigns which is undesirable and sought to be controlled by this ban, is mind boggling!

    They are ready to believe 99% of the media is controlled by US Govt but not that TikTok is controlled by CCP ? Not even the Chinese Govt but a single political party in China.

    And itâ(TM)s not even a news / journalism platf

    • Not even the Chinese Govt but a single political party in China.

      "Potayto, potahto"

    • by Anonymous Coward
      So Palestinian civilians in Gaza uploading videos after their entire families and everything they own have been wiped off the face of the earth is merely a CCP mISinFoRmAtiOn CamPAigN? Riiiiiiight...

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