TikTok is banned in the US

[tbh2023]

I opened the app and it kicked me out. It's banned already. If this can prove something it will be I'm right about killing my self. Even stupid fucking app was taken away. They are so controlling in America. I better get out of this life. They don't want people to see what's going on around the world.

 

[TooLate2582]

It was never about national security. The red Chinese own thousands of acres of farmland very close to military bases. It was about

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

who the fuck these congress peices of shit think they are . all the house congress monsters voted to ban Sn sodium nitrite and now goes to the senate . these monsters are evil and just another reason for me to ctb asap that no one sees this and thinks it's ok to ban an app to ban tiktok to ban SN . Sn is the only thing that matters to me. they are all fucking cockroaches

who made these worms gods ? why does everyone accept this

a cockroach is a trillion times more important than all these pieces of shit

SN is something that can get me out of this hell and then they want to ban SN

how dare these creeps all vote to ban SN :

House Passes Trahan’s Youth Poisoning Protection Act

trahan.house.gov

 

[tbh2023]

It was never about national security. The red Chinese own thousands of acres of farmland very close to military bases. It was about

True! I guess they don't want us to know the truth about what's going on in Gaza! They still have instagram

who the fuck these congress peices of shit think they are . all the house congress monsters voted to ban Sn sodium nitrite and now goes to the senate . these monsters are evil and just another reason for me to ctb asap that no one sees this and thinks it's ok to ban an app to ban SN . Sn is the only thing that matters to me. they are all fucking cockroaches

who made these worms gods ? why does everyone accept this

a cockroach is a trillion times more important than all these pieces of shit

House Passes Trahan’s Youth Poisoning Protection Act

trahan.house.gov

Right? It's crazy! I heard there are at least 2500 suicide cases in the US so far this year since January 1. Imagine by the end of this year.

 

[dragonofenvy]

I don't think it was about anything political or about Israel (not sure where this came from but maybe I'm not informed enough) or even about China itself. I think what happened is Facebook, Google, and all the other tech giants saw Tik Tok's success, and wanted it out. I wonder how much money they paid to Congress to get it banned.

Trump says he'll consider extending Tik Tok for another 90 days, but it's not like anything will come from it even if it's extended.

In the end, it doesn't matter. There's always alternative ways to get short form content. YouTube shorts, videos on X, and someone else will make a new short form platform to replace Tik Tok. Or Facebook will make their own version and rake in profits from it.

 

[JustA_LittlePerson]

It was never about national security. The red Chinese own thousands of acres of farmland very close to military bases. It was about

No it's not lol.

I don't think it was about anything political or about Israel (not sure where this came from but maybe I'm not informed enough) or even about China itself. I think what happened is Facebook, Google, and all the other tech giants saw Tik Tok's success, and wanted it out. I wonder how much money they paid to Congress to get it banned.

Trump says he'll consider extending Tik Tok for another 90 days, but it's not like anything will come from it even if it's extended.

In the end, it doesn't matter. There's always alternative ways to get short form content. YouTube shorts, videos on X, and someone else will make a new short form platform to replace Tik Tok. Or Facebook will make their own version and rake in profits from it.

It is political but it's not about Israel. People act like tiktok is the only place you get credible information like what? The chinese app really?

I don't think it was about anything political or about Israel (not sure where this came from but maybe I'm not informed enough) or even about China itself. I think what happened is Facebook, Google, and all the other tech giants saw Tik Tok's success, and wanted it out. I wonder how much money they paid to Congress to get it banned.

Trump says he'll consider extending Tik Tok for another 90 days, but it's not like anything will come from it even if it's extended.

In the end, it doesn't matter. There's always alternative ways to get short form content. YouTube shorts, videos on X, and someone else will make a new short form platform to replace Tik Tok. Or Facebook will make their own version and rake in profits from it.

It is political but it's not about Israel. People act like tiktok is the only place you get credible information like what? The chinese app really?

 

[Thefuture]

Good. TikTok is vanity. Causes everyone to dress alike, to speak alike and to care about futile things. Promotes mindless consumerism. Content is mindless and there's algorithms of doing stupid shit that gets views and incites people to make things strictly to get famous or make money. The only benefit is it's one way for people to have a collective consciousness in what they consume. It's probably hard for people to connect when no one knows what others see and experience online. But also probably has nothing to do with any of the consumers and that and it's really about our tech overlords that want the traffic for themselves.

 

[tbh2023]

No it's not lol.

It is political but it's not about Israel. People act like tiktok is the only place you get credible information like what? The chinese app really?

It is political but it's not about Israel. People act like tiktok is the only place you get credible information like what? The chinese app really?

Initially they said it's about the suicide numbers through TT, bullying and the gaming challenge that killed some teens. None knows what's inside their head. I don't think they care about who dies.

 

[identity0]

I don't think it was about anything political or about Israel (not sure where this came from but maybe I'm not informed enough) or even about China itself. I think what happened is Facebook, Google, and all the other tech giants saw Tik Tok's success, and wanted it out. I wonder how much money they paid to Congress to get it banned.

Trump says he'll consider extending Tik Tok for another 90 days, but it's not like anything will come from it even if it's extended.

In the end, it doesn't matter. There's always alternative ways to get short form content. YouTube shorts, videos on X, and someone else will make a new short form platform to replace Tik Tok. Or Facebook will make their own version and rake in profits from it.

It is political and about national security, like all propaganda, media and information control. The algorithms on the apps you use control what you see, which in turn affects your thoughts, your political views, your ability to coordinate collective action. The information collected tells all sorts of things about the population. Information is power. They don't want China to have that sort of power over US citizens at least. They do want that power over other countries' citizens. The financial success of US-owned platforms is also in the national interest and is interlinked with security. I think it makes total sense that the future will see nationalised social media increase all around the world. China of course already strictly controls their internet. It's basically a war waged digitally and in our minds.

 

[idelttoilfsadness21]

True! I guess they don't want us to know the truth about what's going on in Gaza! They still have instagram

Right? It's crazy! I heard there are at least 2500 suicide cases in the US so far this year since January 1. Imagine by the end of this year.

we're gonna be ctbing and that makes me wonder and curious about how my death will go from hearing this ((:

Initially they said it's about the suicide numbers through TT, bullying and the gaming challenge that killed some teens. None knows what's inside their head. I don't think they care about who dies.

They never cared… they cared about privacy use and China raiding on Americans and selling them stuff as usual and making people millionaires and it blowing up… It's been around for 8 years now almost. You think they really care about the average American if they were dead?

 

[tbh2023]

It is political and about national security, like all propaganda, media and information control. The algorithms on the apps you use control what you see, which in turn affects your thoughts, your political views, your ability to coordinate collective action. The information collected tells all sorts of things about the population. Information is power. They don't want China to have that sort of power over US citizens at least. They do want that power over other countries' citizens. The financial success of US-owned platforms is also in the national interest and is interlinked with security. I think it makes total sense that the future will see nationalised social media increase all around the world. China of course already strictly controls their internet. It's basically a war waged digitally and in our minds.

make sense! Crazy government.

we're gonna be ctbing and that makes me wonder and curious about how my death will go from hearing this ((:

They never cared… they cared about privacy use and China raiding on Americans and selling them stuff as usual and making people millionaires and it blowing up… It's been around for 8 years now almost. You think they really care about the average American if they were dead?

I know they don't!

 

[dragonofenvy]

It is political but it's not about Israel. People act like tiktok is the only place you get credible information like what? The chinese app really?

Yeah I was thinking about mentioning that, but the average person solely gets not only their news, but also outsources their thoughts and opinions to social media. Most people do not view things with skepticism especially in a world where everyone claims everything is misinformation which I find interesting. But it doesn't really matter. Who cares if someone is getting misinformation on Tik Tok, from the legacy media, their friends, or other platforms. To me, it's better to be uninformed and make your own thoughts and be wrong, than to be misinformed and be "right" because everyone else thinks it is. That's why this isn't a big deal to me but for those who mainly use it for entertainment I can definitely see why they'd be pissed off.

It is political and about national security, like all propaganda, media and information control. The algorithms on the apps you use control what you see, which in turn affects your thoughts, your political views, your ability to coordinate collective action. The information collected tells all sorts of things about the population. Information is power. They don't want China to have that sort of power over US citizens at least. They do want that power over other countries' citizens. The financial success of US-owned platforms is also in the national interest and is interlinked with security. I think it makes total sense that the future will see nationalised social media increase all around the world. China of course already strictly controls their internet. It's basically a war waged digitally and in our minds.

Whoops, I meant to say political about (the "or" shouldn't have been put in there) Israel since someone above me threw up the Palestine flag which confused me as to what Tik Tok had to do with that. You're completely right on what you said though. Though to be fair, I think all legacy media is nationalized at this point given how much blatant bias there is in every single one of them. People can claim "CNN is left leaning" "Fox is right leaning." I don't think they, or any other ones "lean". They simply are cheerleaders for the people they like which is a lot more than leaning. The only media left outside of government influence are YouTubers and maybe a select few streamers who aren't being influenced by the parties. This is why I always tell everyone that it's better to be uninformed than misinformed. Not one piece of media or social media is objective anymore.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that keeping up with current events is pointless anyways? This site is the only form of social media I use so maybe I don't quite understand, but I only ever saw it as people purposefully seeking out ways to make themselves angry at something and finding things to reinforce their anger. I'd think that not engaging in this system would be beneficial to oneself in almost every single way especially with the knowledge that governments want you to think a certain way. Amiably towards the government, angry at whatever politician they don't want you to like, glad that a policy passed that only benefits politicians, etc.

 

[fallingtopieces]

Mitt Romney Reveals Twisted Reason Why Congress Moved to Ban TikTok

It’s not about national security, after all.

newrepublic.com

It may not be solely about Israel but it may be some part of it. Israel has gone all out to control information internationally coming out and advocacy for Gaza. Western media and politicians have largely gone along with it. Facebook, Google and X certainly benefit from this ban. I would wager lobbyists and cash went out from their coffers to support and push for the ban. Meanwhile Zuckerberg has called on his buddy Trump to put pressure on the EU to stop fining Meta, like that $1.3 billion fine regarding privacy. The EU has stronger privacy laws relative to the US where our tech overlords run rampant. The claim on its face is about national security, but other factors surely are playing out as well.

 

[EternalShore]

while I support getting rid of Chinese spyware and apps like this which plague everyone against talking irl (granted, they should've gone for Snapchat, Instagram, etc. too~ :/), I'm beginning to think this has nothing to do with that~ >_< and Trump got himself entangled with a bunch of rich monopolists! :/ I sure hope his presidency doesn't become an oligarchy~ >_< plus, I've heard TikTok had greater free speech and ability to spread truthfulness than most other social media platforms these days~ I sure hope some good policies and anti-trust stuff gets enforced rather than only bad stuff from both parties~ >_<
Regardless, I'm even more scared about that SN ban someone mentioned here! >_< That's what's truly terrifying! :(

 

[dragonofenvy]

I sure hope his presidency doesn't become an oligarchy~

This has been the United States since probably 1960s at the very least. People are just becoming conscious of it finally thanks to the internet. But don't worry, when the pendulum swings back people will forget again and a new subset of people will complain while the others wave away their complaints. Then it'll swing again, and again, and again, and again... same oligarchs, different teams. That's how it's always been.

 

[loneloser]

I don't really mind about the ban.

 

[needthebus]

It was never about national security. The red Chinese own thousands of acres of farmland very close to military bases. It was about

As an older person over 20, I understand their perspective.

It's partly about Israel, but that's not the entire reason.

In China, you can't speak out against the government. There is no freedom of speech. You can not choose who you want to run the country. Journalists also can't report if they think the government has done something wrong, so often there's not even information about when bad things happen.

There are reports that sometimes they do really horrendous things like, like harvest the eyeballs of political prisoners. It's hard to know if this is true because journalists aren't allowed to report on this.

There are things like slave labor of Muslims. The Chinese government still has some people disappear. There are things like execution vans that drive around, looking normal, and execute people who have been convicted, without a jury, of a crime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_China

The main difference between the US is that China sees capitalism as evil and oppressive and also thinks the government must do anything possible to prevent capitalism inside China. But most communists also want worldwide communism. But this isn't just capitalism versus communism. It's also about free speech and the right to criticize the government and journalism without fear of the government allowing for an open society. That does not exist in China. People in the US who believe in democracy (choosing who governs you) are mostly afraid that China could try to manipulate the US into a communist revolution that results in a loss of freedom of speech and democracy.

An example of this would be that if China has a lot of information on who is gay and straight and they know someone is secretly bisexual from TikTok, and they are a Republican and conservative, China could try to pay them money to bribe them to vote the way China wants. China could also wait until there is unrest in the USA and then change the algorithm to show more unrest in the US. If there were ever a communist revolution in the US and China invaded to help the communists, biometric information and AI could be used to help Chinese soldiers immediately know who was a "friendly" communist and who was an "evil" capitalist.

The Chinese Communist government, much like the US government, is able to tell companies what to do. In the US, the government can go to court, get a judge to issue an order demanding a company do something (like spy on users), and then issue a gag order saying the company can't tell the users or the employees of the company will go to jail. That's perfectly legal. It is similar in China, the government in China can order a company to lie and hide things. This is not true in all governments. (In Sweden, you can't do that.) So when ByteDance says they don't give data to China, we don't know if it's true, the Chinese government could force them to lie.

The job of people in the Senate is to make "hard" decisions that protect the values and interests of people in the USA. This was one of those hard decisions, but also a decision that was smart to make from the perspective of planning for the future in case of wars or strife. Both conservatives and liberals are less concerned about Chinese values of collectivism and more concerned about the lack of democracy and transparency. So it was not entirely about Israel and the mistreatment of people in Gaza.

So that being said, TikTok is a great App and one of the great things about it is it is uncensored and shows the world as it is. From everything I read and saw, the Chinese weren't manipulating society with TikTok. Also, many other Big Tech Apps are heavily censored. Meta is fucking disgusting, censors things constantly, and does collect information on users. It also is pro-Israel even at the cost of sharing honest information, and also does whatever the US government wants, even at the cost of honesty and openness. Meta is awful. Google is also pro-Israel and is a terrible company because of how much power it has. It does deplatform people who say things that the US government doesn't like, including for being too critical of Israel. The effort to ban TikTok was, in fact, influenced by Israel who tried to get the US government to do this.

One of the things that absolutely sucks is there really isn't an alternative to TikTok. Reels is owned by Meta and thus is going to be heavily censored, it is going to be very pro-Israel, and it's going to be less open to everyone because Meta blocks people very easily and when it does it blocks them forever. Meta is awful. Google's YouTube also has a TikTok style reels part to it, but it sucks, the interface sucks, and it's highly censored. And any US-based company that has a TikTok clone could be ordered by the government to give the government a secret back door and not tell the public.

It really sucks. In an ideal world, the US would not treat poor people so terribly but also in China there would be journalistic freedom and the ability to criticize the government without fear of imprisonment. The worst part of all of this is that it feels like Meta is frothing at the mouth, salivating, so excited to get people to use "Reels" it's shitty highly censored product that will ban people permanently for who knows what. I am glad that younger people hate Meta and Google and realize that they suck and am glad people are downloading Red Note or whatever.

It's unfortunate that there can't be yearly conventions of understanding between the US and China so that the two countries can understand each other more. Chinese people are incredibly smart and talented and China has so much to offer the world. From the US perspective, many of the leaders and people came from English lineage and people did not have a right to criticize the king in England and the Constitution is a reaction to that, in part, and we see China the same way, the people can't criticize the king (the government) in China. It just sucks because all the US alternatives to the Chinese app are terrible. Young people hating Meta gives me hope for the future.

Although now that TikTok is banned, another US company (not Meta or Google) could make a clone App, the problem is the US clone of TikTok will likely have many of the same shitty problems as Reels or YouTube because there will eventually be court orders and gag orders. The "gag order" problem of how courts do things causes immense distrust of US software and institutions and it's unfortunate this policy exists.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Good riddance. Taiwan is a free and independent country. Winnie the Pooh can eat a fat wiener.

 

[fallingtopieces]

The job of people in the Senate is to make "hard" decisions that protect the values and interests of people in the USA. This was one of those hard decisions, but also a decision that was smart to make from the perspective of planning for the future in case of wars or strife. Both conservatives and liberals are less concerned about Chinese values of collectivism and more concerned about the lack of democracy and transparency. So it was not entirely about Israel and the mistreatment of people in Gaza.

I don't think they are concerned about the lack of Democracy and transparency in China. Shit, right now the US a corrupt Supreme Court has practically helped install a king and there is lack of transparency especially with campaign financing.

The US has regularly allied itself with nations that are not Democratic and they don't care because they serve some geopolitical purpose, including setting up shop and military bases. Meaning it's purely out of self-interest.

China is an economic powerhouse and has extended its influence and reach globally, no different than what the US has done. It also can't be called completely communist as there are certainly elements of capitalism in their economic approach.

China over the last few decades has said to have lifted 800 million people out of poverty. Meanwhile capitalism in the west has created absurd levels of inequality, an immoral system where here in the US there are record homeless, alongside record profits. Millions living paycheck to paycheck, squeezed by corporations for the sake of profits and stock prices. It is immoral that three men have almost a trillion dollars in wealth. Musk's sole purpose is to enrich himself, to become a trillionaire. The vast majority are suffering.

Clearly China's economic approach is to be commended on some level, by the sheer fact of having alleviated poverty on such a mass scale. Meanwhile western capitalism went on to become exploitive, parasitic, enriching only a small sliver.

 

[taysontheory]

It's a cheap Chinese app, nothing important.

 

[yellowjester]

I support the ban but they probably did it for the wrong reasons. This app is destroying young people's minda by messing with their brains natural effort-reward cycle. Only fans and twitch should also be banned but we all know that's not going to happen.

 

[untothedepths]

i wish they would put this amount to care in affordable healthcare instead, but who am i?

 

[Forveleth]

I am going to say this with full respect, but you need to wake up and look at what is ACTUALLY going on in China. Here, you can shout to the heavens how much you hate the US and the government. You try that in China, you literally disappear, never to be heard from again. Here if you have a problem with a company, you can post about it and bring attention to the problem. In China, you do that, your account gets banned and the government makes you publicly say you were wrong and the company is amazing. If you think this is censorship, you have NO IDEA what freedoms we have in the US.

People are switching to RedNote which is TikTok but literally run by the Chinese government and accounts and getting banned left and right. Go make an account there and try to mention anything LGBT+, anything that isn't full-throated support of the CCP, anything about Taiwan, your account will IMMEDIATELY cease to exist. THAT is censorship.

 

[L'absent]

Europe has not banned TikTok entirely but has taken some precautionary measures for security and data protection reasons. The European Commission and the EU Council have prohibited the installation of TikTok on official staff devices. Additionally, some European countries, such as Albania, have implemented temporary bans or restrictions in specific contexts, citing concerns about privacy and the promotion of inappropriate content. However, TikTok remains operational for most European users, although the debate over data security is ongoing.

Europe and the United States have always been the cornerstone of freedom and democracy in the world. Despite imperfections, these territories have built their foundations on values that place individual rights, freedom of expression, and respect for diversity at the center. Our history has been marked by centuries of struggles to achieve what we often take for granted today: the right to be heard, to think freely, and to contribute to public debate without fear of censorship or repression.
Looking around us, however, we realize that truly democratic states are a global minority. In much of the world, emerging economies are growing under authoritarian regimes that suppress dissent and tightly control access to information. This poses a threat not only to the citizens of those countries but to the global balance itself, as the freedoms we have fought so hard to achieve risk being eroded by a model where control and censorship become tools of power.
For this reason, Europe and the United States have a moral and historical responsibility: to defend freedom and oppose any form of censorship, whether directed at platforms like TikTok or other modern technological expressions. Banning or limiting access to communication tools without a solid and transparent justification goes against the fundamental principles on which our democracies are built. We must be the example for the rest of the world, demonstrating that security and freedom can coexist without sacrificing fundamental rights.
If we give in to these limitations now, we risk undermining everything we have fought for over centuries. We become complicit in a global system that prioritizes control over freedom, and we miss the opportunity to be that beacon of hope and change in places where democracy is still a distant dream. Defending freedom is not only a duty to ourselves but a commitment to the entire world. We may be one of the last bastions of hope in an international landscape increasingly marked by dictatorships and authoritarianism. We must act now because every compromise on these principles brings us one step closer to the abyss.
And standing as a reminder of this commitment is the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States, whose original name is "Liberty Enlightening the World." It serves as an eternal symbol that freedom is the beacon guiding our democracies and inspiring hope. It is our duty to ensure that this light never goes out.

 

[needthebus]

I am going to say this with full respect, but you need to wake up and look at what is ACTUALLY going on in China. Here, you can shout to the heavens how much you hate the US and the government. You try that in China, you literally disappear, never to be heard from again. Here if you have a problem with a company, you can post about it and bring attention to the problem. In China, you do that, your account gets banned and the government makes you publicly say you were wrong and the company is amazing. If you think this is censorship, you have NO IDEA what freedoms we have in the US.

People are switching to RedNote which is TikTok but literally run by the Chinese government and accounts and getting banned left and right. Go make an account there and try to mention anything LGBT+, anything that isn't full-throated support of the CCP, anything about Taiwan, your account will IMMEDIATELY cease to exist. THAT is censorship.

yes, this is correct, both countries are flawed but in the US you can always complain about the government and state what you think should be changed

but the US is very very flawed in many ways

 

[EvisceratedJester]

I support the ban but they probably did it for the wrong reasons.

Yeah, pretty much

 

[dragonofenvy]

That was fast.

TikTok says it's irestoring service to US users based on Trump's promised executive order

Trump announced the decision in a post on his Truth Social account on Sunday as millions of TikTok users in the U.S. awoke to discover they could no longer access the TikTok app or platform.

apnews.com

 

[Agon321]

It doesn't change anything.
Another app will be created in its place, or American competition will simply take the cake.
If politicians cared about mental health, other social media would be restricted as well.
Of course, I am in favor of restricting Chinese surveillance, but Americans and others are doing the same. If someone thinks politicians have good intentions, they weren't paying attention enough.

I don't care because I'm not American and I've never used TikTok, but the lack of consistency in their actions is charming.

 

[dragonofenvy]

other social media would be restricted as well.

Some states are floating the idea of restricting access to social media for those <16. I haven't looked into it enough to know what restrict means, but it almost certainly just means they won't be able to make accounts and post content on those platforms, but will still be able to view the content. Ie: Watch YouTube videos, but not be able to make a YouTube account.

Of course, I am in favor of restricting Chinese surveillance, but Americans and others are doing the same. If someone thinks politicians have good intentions, they weren't paying attention enough.

I guess it's a matter of if you want China to surveil you, or your own country. In the end, I am completely apathetic to it.

 

[tbh2023]

Some states are floating the idea of restricting access to social media for those <16. I haven't looked into it enough to know what restrict means, but it almost certainly just means they won't be able to make accounts and post content on those platforms, but will still be able to view the content. Ie: Watch YouTube videos, but not be able to make a YouTube account.

I guess it's a matter of if you want China to surveil you, or your own country. In the end, I am completely apathetic to it.

It's age restricted in all social media already but they lie about their age.