Comment on US lawmakers vote 50-0 to force sale of TikTok despite angry calls from users
affiliate@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Many users called lawmakers’ offices to complain, congressional staffers told Politico. “It’s so so bad. Our phones have not stopped ringing. They’re teenagers and old people saying they spend their whole day on the app and we can’t take it away,” one House GOP staffer was quoted as saying.
and they still voted 50-0. really tells you something about how much these politicians are willing to listen to their constituents.
From what I read, the calls actually evaporated opposition to the bill.
Which, I’m NGL, if you’re worried about an app being used by a foreign adversary to encourage anti-social behavior in your youth, a bunch of people calling in acting like drug addicts getting their drugs taken away is only going to erase doubts.
Encouraging people to contact their representatives and demand action? Congress clearly can’t have this. How will they do their jobs if they are constantly forced to engage with their constituents?
Call to action from, say, activist groups is very different from call to action from a billion dollars company. This does make me really worried about how much influencer TikTok has on people ngl
How many of us stood up for net neutrality at the behest of Reddit?
In my opinion, considering Tiktok’s algo they had the best circumstance to notify a mix of their users more aligned with the actual electorate. The fact they ended up with the worst representation of their user base when it came to confirming the suspicions of politicians says everything.
It also tells you something about all the supposed gridlock in Washington that can magically evaporate when there’s money and power to be gained from it.
Are they “taking it away” though? Do normal people care about who owns it?
you’re taking it as a given that bytedance will sell the app if this law passes. there is a chance that they won’t want to sell and then the app will be banned. (but i think this unlikely.)
also, if i’m understanding things correctly, there’s the possibility that they do sell and the app still gets banned. the article says
An app would be allowed to stay in the US market after a divestiture if the president determines that the sale “would result in the relevant covered company no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary.”
depending on who the next president is, there’s no guarantee that they’ll say any sale will result in the company not being controlled by a foreign adversary. (although this past is just speculation.)
anyways. this bill will certainly raise the chances that the app will be banned in the US. (and it opens the door for other apps to get banned if the US doesn’t like the country they were developed in.)
I also just noticed in the article:
TikTok urged its users to protest the bill, sending a notification that said, “Congress is planning a total ban of TikTok… Let Congress know what TikTok means to you and tell them to vote NO.”
So they were literally sending out misleading notifications (because a forced sale is not a total ban), and then the users wrote to Congress based on that…
There’s no guarantee that making the sale will prevent the ban.
They also claimed that it was only “old people and teenagers” who were calling in and objecting which wasn’t true. One representitve stood up and straight up lied claiming that TikTok users were “forced” to call. How would that even work? TikTok possibly being banned isn’t a lie but all that other shit sure was. It was just a popup offering to help locate local reps to call and make their voices heard. The fact that any of you are pretending that people taking this democratic action is a bad thing is appalling and your bias is blatantly obvious. The absolute ego on all of you to act like you just know better than all of those other people because… Reasons? Ridiculous.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 months ago
It was a 50-0 to pass the commission and then go to the House floor for a vote and then the Senate for a vote and finally signed into law by the president unless he vetoes it, which is possible imo.
Honestly, teenagers and old people are the sorts of folks that need to be protected from themselves, I might just call in to my local representative to voice my support of forced sale or even outright ban.
ikidd@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Now do Facebook.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 months ago
Love to, I think the 5 Bn USD FTC fine was a little light considering no jailtime was given.
affiliate@lemmy.world 9 months ago
what are you even trying to say here? that it’s okay for politicians to ignore entire demographics? or that it’s only okay for them to ignore entire demographics if, ultimately, it’s left up to a different group of politicians to pass the law?
i don’t use tiktok or have any interest in the app, but it’s still very alarming to see a vote go through 50-0 despite a “nonstop” flood of calls opposing it.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 months ago
Ignore them? Gosh no. Protect them. Literally what I said.
affiliate@lemmy.world 9 months ago
“protect them from themselves” is what you said. which carries the connotation that they don’t know what’s best for themselves and aren’t qualified to make judgments about those things. this is different from simply “protecting them”.
Misconduct@startrek.website 9 months ago
You’re not doing it to protect people. It’s ridiculous that you’d even pretend to be.
Krauerking@lemy.lol 9 months ago
Yeah honestly if a bunch of addicted teens and old people were calling me screaming that I can’t take away their drug of choice when that’s not even what’s happening, and it’s not being taken away just moved to where there can be more control on quality… Then I would be really considering the damage this is doing to them.
I don’t know if supporting the junkies being taken advantage of is the altruistic take that these “absolute freedom” supporters think it is.
Misconduct@startrek.website 9 months ago
The fact that you guys just ate up that rhetoric without any hesitation… Like, you just happily believe it’s a bunch of “addicted old people and teenagers”? Is this reddit? Did I make a wrong turn at common sense and critical thinking?
Krauerking@lemy.lol 9 months ago
Uh dude… I know people addicted that got the email to message their representative. They will stop talking in a conversation and pull out their phone and just scroll through a few videos.
I struggle to believe so many would be messaging just out of laziness but don’t question that being the age groups that would respond most to that kind of targeted messaging into action.
Clent@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Nanny State.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 months ago
“Mr. Legislator I am 84 and I need my Heroin but the federal government keeps cracking down on my supplier, please stop taking away all my Heroin Mr. Legislator. Also, force my bank to let me transfer 85,000 USD to India, it’s really important that I do that before the 27th.”
Clent@lemmy.world 9 months ago
Yes. This is called Nanny State.
Rather than educate the populace, take away the tools. Of course, another tool will just rise to the surface but it will make a lot of people feel really good that they did something.
I do appreciate all of the reactionary statements. I don’t use TikTok but I do believe in freedom. Reducing freedoms, no matter how well intentioned does not solve societies problems.
Misconduct@startrek.website 9 months ago
It’s not just teenagers and old people anyway. That’s just some bullshit rhetoric. Millennials/middle age folk are abundant on TikTok as well as young adults.
The audacity of some of you to jump into action just to spite “teenagers and old people” is shameful. So easily manipulated.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 months ago
Right, sorry, it’s fine to let teenagers and old people be harmed as long as the company can continue to profit on consenting adults as well. /sarcasm
Misconduct@startrek.website 9 months ago
How are they being harmed? Why was it so easy for them to make you believe this? Also, who asked you to protect anyone with your one petty little email lmao
BreakDecks@lemmy.ml 9 months ago
Please, big daddy government, protect me from the freedom of choice. I cannot be trusted to consume without your permission.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 months ago
LMAO pay attention in school, kid, you seem like the type who is going to need it.
fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 9 months ago
They should really educate people about foreign threats like the CCP and Kremlin.
furikuri@programming.dev 9 months ago
Me when I find out that it’s illegal to sell your organs for profit