Court to hear arguments Friday on law forcing TikTok sale by Chinese parent company that takes effect in Jan. 19.

Summary

TikTok faces a U.S. shutdown by Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court delays or blocks a law requiring its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest.

The Biden administration defends the law as a national security measure, citing potential risks of Chinese government influence. Content creators argue it violates free speech.

Donald Trump, once a supporter of the ban, seeks a delay to reach a “political resolution.”

A shutdown could cost TikTok millions of users and revenue. The court’s decision, due soon, could reshape U.S. digital speech policy.

  • BlameThePeacock@lemmy.caEnglish
    335·
    16 hours ago

    It’s not simply about collecting data. That’s only part of the problem.

    Why do people keep repeating this like it’s the only thing.

    Tiktok controls the algorithm controlling which clips get shown. Combined with the data, this means they can propaganda individuals so hard it will make your head spin.

    • kava@lemmy.world
      41·
      2 hours ago

      this means they can propaganda individuals so hard it will make your head spin.

      Until you have an open source algorithm then any organization controlling a social media site can push propaganda. Just like they do here in the US.

      The reason that Tiktok is being banned has nothing to do with data. We know this because you can just buy data about Americans legally from data brokers. This isn’t about Chinese propaganda either. The real reason is that Tiktok is not easily put on a leash by the federal government. The real reason is that Tiktok has a large amount of popular leftist and anti-establishment voices. The real reason is that the US wants to funnel people into the social media sites that jump when the government tells them to.