Both the Economist and the WSJ state explicitly that the main reason the TikTok ban picked up so much bipartisan steam in DC since Oct. 7 was because of how much Israel criticism was allowed to air and circulate on the platform (see below).
WSJ:
‘It was slow going until Oct. 7. The attack that day in Israel by Hamas and the ensuing conflict in Gaza became a turning point in the push against TikTok, Helberg said. People who historically hadn’t taken a position on TikTok became concerned with how Israel was portrayed in the videos and what they saw as an increase in antisemitic content posted to the app.
Anthony Goldbloom, a San Francisco-based data scientist and tech executive, started analyzing data TikTok published in its dashboard for ad buyers showing the number of times users watched videos with certain hashtags. He found far more views for videos with pro-Palestinian hashtags than those with pro-Israel hashtags. While the ratio fluctuated, he found that at times it ran 69 to 1 in favor of videos with pro-Palestinian hashtags.’
@EggsAlexWorking Family2mos2MO
Bipartisan DC supports most of these foreign policies:
-- US funding of Ukraine
-- US funding of Israel's military and war
-- US bombing of Yemen
-- US encirclement of China
-- TikTok ban
@9CJ6CB61mo1MO
I’m all for Ukraine, but a lot of this stuff is not helping anyone. Ukraine deserves help because we swore we’d give it, and because they’ll only get in a worse condition if we don’t. Not to mention that our interests, the worlds interests, and the people’s interests would strongly support Ukraine winning the war, so giving weapons is a great option.
@MorbidCurlewSocialist2mos2MO
Neocons are all about small government until it comes to something they don't like. It's easy to live this way when you don't hold any real principles or values and let your emotions guide you.
@FerventBipartisanDemocrat2mos2MO
I disagree because the "US Security State censorship over internet speech" (e.g., the Twitter files evidence) was about censoring content primarily created by individuals, and who were primarily Americans. The TikTok ban is ostensibly about stopping the flow of content designed by a true foreign adversary with an anti-America agenda, and manipulated by algorithms that deliver this content into America, and more specifically directed at American youth. Whether or not the actual motivation for US lawmakers to do something about it now is about Israel-Palestine, is the next level of this conversation and seems more plausible than a genuine bi-partisan desire to limit/control speech or information in general.
@TreasuryKayleeLibertarian2mos2MO
Banning TikTok has nothing to do with China: this is one of the few platforms that does not censor countersеmitism and our goverment cannot accept that. Left and right, media/social media are occupiеd, just check the last names. Since power doesn't allow dissent, they just ban it
@BicameralPiperGreen2mos2MO
Establishment knows Leftists have gone too far, and are trying to control the emergent mainstream right-wing news
It's why we see an increasing amount of right-wing media figures doing huge spins on some of their positions, too
@WisePorpoiseLibertarian2mos2MO
I can't get my mind wrapped around this. People that were, ostensibly all about free speech back this Orwellian insanity. I'm very concerned for my country.
@RobinSavannahPatriot2mos2MO
Security state goons and politicians in Israel and the US are locked in a mutually beneficial and mutually destructive partnership-by design.
It’s a cartel based on blackmail, subjugating Muslims and poor people, stealing resources, and controlling the world with the dollar.
@PigletHaileyGreen2mos2MO
The question to ask is which media outlets are *not* occupied by these people. I would genuinely like to know
@RobinSavannahPatriot2mos2MO
I would say al-jazeera. RT was also not controlled but they're already out of the US market.
They aren’t banning it. It’s far more nefarious. They are going to force a sale of the U.S. operations. It will be purchased by private equity and used to propagandize children
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
Should the portrayal of international conflicts on social media platforms influence government decisions to ban them?
@CivilRightsSnailLibertarian2mos2MO
Absolutely astonishing to watch the same conservative faction that insisted the greatest threat to America was US Security State censorship over internet speech snap into line behind a policy pushed by CIA and FBI to further control the information Americans can and can't hear.
@NurturingTermiteRepublican2mos2MO
Are you saying we shouldn’t worry about China spying on users?
@9CJ6CB61mo1MO
I trust china about as much as the billionaires that would replace it if we ban TikTok. China will get that info anyway, and I say the issue is far less about fears of china itself, and much more about attempts to isolate America’s speech to one area, controlled entirely by private companies HERE who have their own propaganda to spew out as well. The issue lies with the propaganda itself, and the media disinformation, not the Chinese exclusively.
@CaviarDeanPeace and Freedom2mos2MO
Everything is a Trojan horse
@VibrantSwingStateGreen2mos2MO
But really! It's all about China! Lol
Don't forget the ADL going on a media tour where he constantly whined that TikTok users are critical of Israel regardless of their political affiliation.
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
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