• Steve@communick.news
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    20 days ago

    It’s not a semantic argument at all. It may be nuanced for some, but it is a vital, material difference.

    First. You can’t know if it will substantially change under new management. That’s speculation

    They aren’t banning ByteDance do to it being competition with domestic platforms. If that were the case the ban would be for TikTok directly. One example for it being a material difference.

    Second. Yes. The fact that they are at least partly beyond our justice and regulatory system, is part of the reason for the ban. But it’s only a real concern because…

    Third. They can and have already been shown to subtly manipulate the algorithm to artificially elevate China’s image.

    It’s got absolutely nothing to do with China collecting data on Americans. As you said that’s laughable on the face of it.

    • kava@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      First. You can’t know if it will substantially change under new management. That’s speculation

      you would fundamental shift the power structure of the company. in one instance, it’s a company that ultimately answers to Chinese investors and the CCP.

      in the other, it would answer to American executives and the US government.

      the incentive structures are wildly different between these two. for example, if it’s an American company and the NSA comes knocking asking for data… they are under much more pressure to quietly bend over.

      i think it’s absurd to say the company wouldn’t change. if the company wouldn’t change, they wouldn’t be forcing ByteDance to sell in the first place. they are forcing the sell because they need TikTok to change

      Third. They can and have already been shown to subtly manipulate the algorithm to artificially elivate China’s image

      yeah, they want to be able to subtly manipulate the algorithm to show pro-US propaganda instead.

      forget about free speech and rights to association and all that, i guess

      • Steve@communick.news
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        20 days ago

        Management changes don’t necessarily mean product changes. TikTok is killing it. No reason to risk screwing it up.

        As much as people think the US social media companies manipulate their algorithms for political purposes, nobody has demonstrated it. They’re only geared to maximize engagement, and profit.