In a decisive move to address national security concerns, the Senate has passed a bill that would compel ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to divest itself of the popular social media platform within a year or face a ban in the United States. The legislation, which was included in a foreign aid package, garnered overwhelming bipartisan support and is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

 

The bill, which passed with a vote of 79-18 in the Senate, comes amidst growing apprehensions among lawmakers and intelligence officials regarding TikTok's ownership by a China-based company. There are concerns that the Chinese government's national security laws could potentially compromise the data privacy of TikTok's US users, as these laws grant authorities the power to access internal information from companies based in China.

 

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell emphasized that the legislation aims to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage and harming vulnerable Americans. Similarly, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner highlighted the risks associated with Chinese companies' allegiance to the Chinese government, underscoring the potential for covert manipulation of social media platforms to serve authoritarian agendas.

 

Despite assurances from TikTok that it does not store US user data in China, skepticism remains regarding the platform's data governance practices. Warner dismissed TikTok's proposed solution, Project Texas, as inadequate, stating that it would still leave crucial elements of TikTok's operations vulnerable to Chinese government exploitation.

 

Acknowledging concerns among TikTok users, particularly young Americans, Warner assured that the legislation is not an attempt to silence voices but rather to safeguard national security interests. He encouraged transparency and underscored the importance of robust consumer protections in the tech industry.

 

President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to signing the bill into law promptly, emphasizing the urgency of supporting Ukraine amidst escalating tensions with Russia. However, TikTok has indicated its intention to challenge the legislation in court, signaling potential legal battles ahead.

 

As the bill awaits presidential approval, its passage reflects a concerted effort by lawmakers to address emerging threats posed by foreign-controlled platforms and safeguard US interests in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

 

2024-04-25

Source

 

More censorship in the guise of your security.  The complete opposite in reality.

 

WAKE UP SHEEPLE

I am normally not into government interference and control, but when it comes to Tiktok I do consider it to be the most toxic social media platform on the planet. The damage that it's doing to the youth is astonishing, so kudos to the US government on this particular call. Get rid of this garbage, it is not doing anybody any good. 

Weird.  Competition is the best form of economic system. Until it isn't. And government interference in business is then tolerated.

 

Edited April 25, 20242 yr by Purdey

But it's not all bad?

34 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

But it's not all bad?

Ah ah! Excellent!

12 hours ago, KhunLA said:

More censorship in the guise of your security.  The complete opposite in reality.

 

WAKE UP SHEEPLE

No censorship. It's about forcing a CCP controlled Chinese firm to sell its shares to private non-Chinese investors.

And next Zuckerberg's Face<deleted>/Meta and Google.

BAN this SpyWare , Isolate China 

All part of the push for an online digital ID under the same guise of "for your protection" and or to "protect the children"...they have of course wanted this for a long time the end of online anonymity.

The ultimate censorship lovers dream.

Resist these draconian/dystopian edicts in every way possible.

4 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

And next Zuckerberg's Face<deleted>/Meta and Google.

Nope because those are already fully cooperating with the 3 letter agencies...but they would still love a digital ID..just to make sure.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

when it comes to Tiktok I do consider it to be the most toxic social media platform on the planet.

Yes it's horrible but this push to ban it is  IMHO more to do with censorship/control than protection of kids...which is ultimately upto the parents...unless by kids they mean everyone and the government is the parent which seems a bit north Korean-ish.

20 minutes ago, johng said:

All part of the push for an online digital ID under the same guise of "for your protection" and or to "protect the children"...they have of course wanted this for a long time the end of online anonymity.

The ultimate censorship lovers dream.

Resist these draconian/dystopian edicts in every way possible.

So, for you, it's OK that TikTok has a shareholder controlled by the CCP?

Just read an article that Blinken is in China asking the Chinese to treat American companies fairly. Oh the irony.

For me it's ok for everyone to decide for themselves if they want to use a service controlled by the CCP or one controlled by the CIA/NSA  I would prefere to use services with no conection to any government agencies but often its very hard to avoid them...

25 minutes ago, johng said:

For me it's ok for everyone to decide for themselves if they want to use a service controlled by the CCP or one controlled by the CIA/NSA  I would prefere to use services with no conection to any government agencies but often its very hard to avoid them...

Not the same country and not at all the sane type of controll.

15 hours ago, KhunLA said:

More censorship in the guise of your security.  The complete opposite in reality.

 

WAKE UP SHEEPLE

Yeah, China, the bastion of free speech.

21 hours ago, KhunLA said:

More censorship in the guise of your security.  The complete opposite in reality.

 

WAKE UP SHEEPLE

Have you read the user agreement of tik tok when you sign up? Apparently in a nutshell you give them permission to access everything that's on the device you logging in from. 

Survey conducted March 16-19, 2024 - 1,682 US adults

 

Whose daddy just purchased all those shares in VPN companies then?

21 minutes ago, wombat said:

Whose daddy just purchased all those shares in VPN companies then?

That will be the next target of authorities, like file sharing sites.

 

Censoring 'free speech', any different opinions is top priority, and has nothing to do with anything else.  Can't believe people believe their reasons for doing things.   As if CH doesn't have all the info they need about the USA.   

 

Don't think they need TT to spy on you, or because they want to tell a company who to sell shares to.   The silly reasons people believe is mind boggling.

 

Notice it's snuck in on a foreign aid bill, and not a stand alone bill.   A clear sign that it wouldn't pass by itself.

 

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

Edited April 26, 20242 yr by KhunLA

13 hours ago, Purdey said:

Just read an article that Blinken is in China asking the Chinese to treat American companies fairly. Oh the irony.

With China it is a one way street. Ever tried to sell an item and send it to China? Nearly impossible. All imports are govt. controlled. It is all about exporting anything and everything they can and very selective importing. A highly controlled market with thousands of companies getting govt. subsidies. They don't believe in a level playing field, nor playing fair. 

 

I hope the Tiktok ban sticks. It is a dreadful platform and this ban would be great fun. 

One of my greatest fears is that US influence will continue to wane, and China will pick up the ball. They are not, nor will they ever be responsible guardians of the "public trust", as long as the CCP is in control. Not that America was always that. But, the CCP has nothing but evil intentions, in my opinion. World domination. And not what I would call "an overlord that wears their power lightly".

 

Xi is an updated version of Mao, with alot less power. Probably a bit less insane too, thankfully. And so far less homicidal. But very dangerous. 

More censorship from the "liberals".

 

Is cyber security in the US so weak that they cannot deal with TikTok? I suspect that's just the excuse for pushing through ever more authoritarian policies. 

 

Given the content of TikTok, I'm surprised Biden isn't a fan. I bet he's got it in some 'secret calculator' app on his phone 😃.

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

That will be the next target of authorities, like file sharing sites.

 

Censoring 'free speech', any different opinions is top priority, and has nothing to do with anything else.  Can't believe people believe their reasons for doing things.   As if CH doesn't have all the info they need about the USA.   

 

Don't think they need TT to spy on you, or because they want to tell a company who to sell shares to.   The silly reasons people believe is mind boggling.

 

Notice it's snuck in on a foreign aid bill, and not a stand alone bill.   A clear sign that it wouldn't pass by itself.

 

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

 

 

Not at all. VPNs are a simple tools to collate all the data they need. Spy agencies  them.

 

 

24 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

More censorship from the "liberals".

 

Is cyber security in the US so weak that they cannot deal with TikTok? I suspect that's just the excuse for pushing through ever more authoritarian policies. 

 

Given the content of TikTok, I'm surprised Biden isn't a fan. I bet he's got it in some 'secret calculator' app on his phone 😃.

 

One thing to keep in mind....whilst Biden signed the bill, it was the Republican-dominated congress that got it there in the first place.

India banned Tik Tok in 2020.

 

~ 200 million users quickly found other outlets to express themselves.

 

 

 

 

... hmm

 

A controlled burn of Merritt Island wildlife refuge (NASA center location) wouldn't look like that

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1565027114349428

Anything to shut the truth out... America...land of the free? Yes as long as it doesn't affect the elite Zioniiniininsts

10 minutes ago, This Guy said:

Anything to shut the truth out... America...land of the free? Yes as long as it doesn't affect the elite Zioniiniininsts

B.S. This is not about censoring TikTok, it's about removing the Chinese shareholder!