Comment on US lawmakers vote 50-0 to force sale of TikTok despite angry calls from users

• prole@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  To be fair, a big part of a functioning society is a government with proper regulations in place so that people are not expected to be experts in literally every field before making a purchase or performing some kind of action. Obviously, calling it “protect[ing] them from themselves,” is dismissive and patronizing, but it’s pretty much why we need government in the first place.

  For example, the EPA recently issued a recall for ground cinnamon from certain specific (dollar store) brands due to unacceptably high levels of lead. Without the career scientists (and yes, bureaucrats) working for that regulatory agency, millions of people would have continued consuming the product and feeding it to their kids (low-income folks too in this case, given the brands) literally indefinitely.

  Without the EPA, every person who buys cinnamon is what, expected to use mass spectrometry to determine the exact molecular make-up of every spice (or in the case of the EPA, literally any food or prescription drugs you may ever consume) before using?

  If they didn’t do their cinnamon research, then they deserved it, and the government should have no involvement? What happens in cases where companies hide dangerous issues in their products to avoid losing profits?

  What if there’s literally no way for anyone but a scientist, with extensive lab access and at least 4+ years of university to know that there is an issue with a product (or a construction site, or a drug, or water treatment, etc)? They’re the only ones who should be able to properly avoid using a product that may kill them and their children? And even then, only when it’s a product they’re an expert in?

  Not saying you’re a libertarian, just like pointing out the obvious things that make it so so stupid.

  source

  • affiliate@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    i agree with everything you’ve said here. and i liked the EPA example. sorry if what i said came across as libertarian, that was not my intention.

    i was just trying to push back against the “young people don’t know what’s best for themselves” mentality in the other post. i think the current state of social media does have quite a few problems that need addressing, and more regulation on that would certainly be welcome. i just don’t think that’s what the other person was trying to say.

    source
  • treadful@lemmy.zip ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Would love to see the science or other expert opinions that is being used to justify this ban then.

    I haven’t heard anything except politicians making vague references to spying or other things we allow from domestic services.

    It’s just politics.

    source

    • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      TikTok Data Harvests: Report by AU Cybersecurity Firm or if you can’t be bothered to get past the paywall the news coverage of the event.

      Misinformation on TikTok: doi.org/10.1016/j.jpurol.2022.03.001

      Adolescents more susceptible to product placement on TikTok: doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107723

      source
  • Misconduct@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Ok, sure. Show me what research you or they have done to justify “protecting them from themselves”. Already they’re telling lies by insinuating that only teenagers and old people are calling. And you all just believe it? Wild how biased people can be when presented with information they want to believe.

    source
• FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Those things are exactly the same and it is indeed what I just said. Problem?

  source