At the Associated Press Kevin Freking, Haleluya Hadero, and Mary Clare Jalonick report that the House of Representatives has passed what is being described as a “TikTok ban”:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake, as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company’s current ownership structure is a national security threat.
The bill, passed by a vote of 352-65, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.
TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.
The lawmakers contend that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok’s consumers in the U.S. any time it wants. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.
My feelings about such a ban are pretty strong. Unlike some I do not believe that it violates deeply held American values. Foreign governments do not have a generalized right to gather intelligence within the United States and only a First Amendment absolutist sees it any other way. There are such absolutists. For example, consider this post by Matthew Petti at Reason.com:
Competition is the strongest force keeping the internet free. Whenever users find a topic banned on TikTok, they can escape to Twitter or Instagram to discuss the censored content. And when Twitter or Instagram enforce politically motivated censorship on a different topic, users can continue that discussion on TikTok.
Forcing TikTok under American control is a way to block that escape route. Instead of protecting Americans from Chinese censorship, it would bring Chinese-style censorship home.
I have no idea what the bill’s prospect will be in the Senate.
I should also add that I can be persuaded to change my views—I’m soliciting arguments from my readers. Should TikTok be banned from operating in the United States?
What assurances would we have this will keep hostile powers from obtaining the info they want from other sources and/or create online mobs to demand certain topics be censored or rhubarb them so signal is lost amongst the noise? What happens when there are demands GM sell its Buick division or Textron its aviation division for similar reasons?
Life is messy
It is fine for the US government to steal my data but not the Chinese. I guess the FBI paying for it makes it different.
The solution is simple. My data is my property, and anybody using it is stealing. Stealing is illegal. No ban necessary.
Terms of Service (TOS) are not adequate. I do not have a Facebook account. I have not agreed to the Facebook TOS, but Facebook has any data posted by anybody. My contact info can be sold by Facebook.
Rather than ban Tik-Tok, they should ban anybody under 18 from having a cellphone, or since adolescence ends at 32, that could be the cut-off age.
I’m pretty close to a 1st Amendment absolutist and see this more as an issue of foreign control. From a 1st Amendment perspective, the problem is actually arbitrary viewpoint censorship that flows from that foreign control. TikTok has been shown to suppress content that the Chinese government doesn’t like, and they do so in a non-transparent way. And I think there is a huge question about whether Tik Tok is able to comply with our laws regarding privacy of user data and the limitations of consent to use data shared by platform users.
Those are legitimate reasons for government action, IMO, although I don’t think banning the platform is the only option.
More generally, my preference would be that we have a policy of reciprocity with China. If China is not willing to allow our social media companies to operate as freely in the PRC as TikTok can in ours, then I have no problem restricting China-owned companies to match the restrictions placed on US companies operating in China.
If the U. S. government were competent, it would be a bigger threat.
Meh, no real strong feelings. I dont really think it will accomplish much since everyone else has our data with few limits as far as I can tell. It actually seems kind of odd that they are singling out TikTok but I guess it lets everyone posture about being tough on China.
Steve
Actually, the ban is just another example of the anti-Chinese racism that permeates our government. Irrational fear and loathing is all.
That our government should waste so much time on irrelevant nonsense like banning tiktok merely shows that Franklin’s experiment is over.
Its a cornucopia of opinion!
I’ve never even looked at TikTok. But what the hell, everyone is entitled to my opinion. :->
Dave: I think I light there. This isn’t about freedom of speech; that’s a contorted interpretation. Its about spying. And influence. Which brings me to Andy: yes, I think that’s correct. I have read that the real issue is that TikTok editorializes (read: propagandizes) the info it takes in or allows access to. That’s a privileged function. Who wants to raise their hand and support V Putin’s purchase of NPR, ABC or the NYT’s, and control of their information content? (although sometimes….)
I sympathize with Tasty’s observation. Sometimes the worst bastards are your own. And has anyone ever confused me with a big supporter of government control? But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t deal with the Chinese. Perhaps it will shed light on our own bastards.
steve – light, as always.
bob – I think you underestimate the power of undermining the national culture.
I should have added: China (TikTok) editorializes inherently through its algorithms. Its by design, and systemic.
TikTok’s algorithm steers you toward your interests by your previous viewing. It’s so many things. If comedy light’s your fire, they’ll send you more, if racism is your thing, you’ll see a constant stream of it.
If the Chinese are perusing the videos for valuable info, they’re spinning their wheels.
Probably more concerning is that the version of the platform seen in the west is unavailable in China.
I personally think Xi sees it as disruptive to western society and therefore a good thing.
When looking at the details of the actual bill, I think it is pretty awful. It gives POTUS the power to shut down almost any social media. If it were limited to specifically TikTok I still think it would not accomplish much but it wouldn’t be all that harmful either, but the bill goes well beyond TikTok.
https://twitter.com/DavidSacks/status/1768453579013312662
Steve