TikTok is in trouble... again? (Updated)

[BrandonTech.05]

Summary

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act called for action against TikTok and their parent company ByteDance. If this bill passes it means that ByteDance will be forced to let go of their beloved TikTok or just remove themselves from the US market.

Quotes

Quote

"The House Commerce Committee today voted 50-0 to approve a bill that would force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the company or lose access to the US market."

 

"If the bill passes in the House and Senate and is signed into law by President Biden, TikTok would eventually be dropped from app stores in the US if its owner doesn't sell. It also would lose access to US-based web-hosting services."

 

"The bill was introduced on Tuesday and had 20 sponsors split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. 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.'"

 

My thoughts

I will not be sad if TikTok is removed from the US. I am not sure what specifically the CCP are doing with the data they are presumably taking from the US. Honestly though tiktok is one of the most toxic platforms there is but I think that there is not any better alternative. But at least china won't have my data anymore?

 

 

 

***Update***

The Bill has passed through the house even though there are concerns about it being unconstitutional. You can read more about it here: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/03/bill-that-could-ban-tiktok-passes-in-house-despite-constitutional-concerns/

 

 

Source

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/03/house-committee-votes-50-0-to-force-tiktok-to-divest-from-chinese-owner/

Edited March 13 by BrandonT.05
Update

[SignatureSigner]

I stopped using TikTok a little over a year ago and my life is all the better not using that stupid platform.

[Middcore]

[LloydLynx]

7 hours ago, BrandonT.05 said:

but I think that there is not any better alternative

Do we need a better alternative? And what would it look like?

[Mark Kaine]

3 hours ago, LloydLynx said:

Do we need a better alternative? And what would it look like?

no you don't. if it "leaves" america just use vpn, its the internet ffs lmao.

 

also as if it would ever leave... they'll just sell it and that's it, you'll keep getting your info stolen from another none american (musk obviously)  and you will like it!!! all is fine ~

 

[williamcll]

4 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

no you don't. if it "leaves" america just use vpn, its the internet ffs lmao.

Never in my life I would imagine the US to build their own great firewall.

Funfact: some American government websites such as the US census are already geoblocked.

[Motifator]

10 hours ago, LloydLynx said:

Do we need a better alternative? And what would it look like?

I've come here to find girls off Instagram, and I'm all out of followers.

[TetraSky]

18 hours ago, SignatureSigner said:

I stopped using TikTok a little over a year ago and my life is all the better not using that stupid platform.

Stopped using it 3 months ago. Replaced it with Reddit... Stopped using Reddit a few days ago.

The endless scrolling for quick content is everywhere these days and so easy to fall into when bored. Be it youtube shorts, instagram, twitter or some other social media... It's all cancer for your sanity.

 

That said, related to this topic... It's just the US fear mongering as usual. They are just mad they aren't the ones doing the spying for once.

[Needfuldoer]

And nothing of value would be lost.

[SolarNova]

[duncannah]

I've been noticing just how much time I've been spending on it (~16 hrs a week), just added a 30-min time limit to it

[Motifator]

Social networking... how social can you go?

Such a bluesy topic...

I'll leave my synth pads to be it.

[Kisai]

21 hours ago, LloydLynx said:

Do we need a better alternative? And what would it look like?

Nope. Youtube already figured out the pieces it wants from tiktok and twitch, and has so far been more successful than other Google brands at not rolling out things people turn their nose up at.

 

TikTok is the zoomer social media platform. Twitter/Vine actually had that market and then closed it/fumbled it.

Just there is no way of really sticking ads on such short form videos that people will actually notice or care about, so without being subsidized by another business, TikTok is likely dead if it has to be spun off.

 

[Motifator]

21 minutes ago, Kisai said:

Nope. Youtube already figured out the pieces it wants from tiktok and twitch, and has so far been more successful than other Google brands at not rolling out things people turn their nose up at.

 

TikTok is the zoomer social media platform. Twitter/Vine actually had that market and then closed it/fumbled it.

Just there is no way of really sticking ads on such short form videos that people will actually notice or care about, so without being subsidized by another business, TikTok is likely dead if it has to be spun off.

 

I must not be the only one when you said Twitter fumbled it, I read that as Twitter Tumblr'd it... lol.

Yeah, Tiktok needs to go...

[Monkey Dust]

2 hours ago, Kisai said:

Nope. Youtube already figured out the pieces it wants from tiktok and twitch, and has so far been more successful than other Google brands at not rolling out things people turn their nose up at.

 

TikTok is the zoomer social media platform. Twitter/Vine actually had that market and then closed it/fumbled it.

Just there is no way of really sticking ads on such short form videos that people will actually notice or care about, so without being subsidized by another business, TikTok is likely dead if it has to be spun off.

 

They are pushing TikTok shop hard, diversifying away from advertising. I guess with the ad-pocalypse, lots of ad supported platforms will be exploring options.

 

It's hard to say if TikTok profitable now, unless ByteDance have broken down the figures? I suspect it isn't, streaming video is an expensive business. Aren't Google cagey about if YouTube turns a profit too?

[Motifator]

5 hours ago, Monkey Dust said:

They are pushing TikTok shop hard, diversifying away from advertising. I guess with the ad-pocalypse, lots of ad supported platforms will be exploring options.

 

It's hard to say if TikTok profitable now, unless ByteDance have broken down the figures? I suspect it isn't, streaming video is an expensive business. Aren't Google cagey about if YouTube turns a profit too?

I'll just sit and Wait until somebody pulls the plug on Tiktok...
 

Ah, good old Waite... never gets old.

Good old what did you do for my kingdom. 

[Stahlmann]

Even if TikTok gets banned, YouTube Shorts basically fills that hole nowadays if you still want short-form content.

[Motifator]

1 hour ago, Stahlmann said:

Even if TikTok gets banned, YouTube Shorts basically fills that hole nowadays if you still want short-form content.

Yeah, shorts is bit higher school in my book though...

[Stahlmann]

On 3/9/2024 at 3:20 PM, duncannah said:

I've been noticing just how much time I've been spending on it (~16 hrs a week), just added a 30-min time limit to it

Short-form video can be insanely addictive. I also noticed how the hours can fly by once I start to browse shorts. Our brain loves these small, frequent kicks of dopamine.

[BrandonTech.05]

1 hour ago, Stahlmann said:

Even if TikTok gets banned, YouTube Shorts basically fills that hole nowadays if you still want short-form content.

Not to mention Instagram reels. Recently, at least at my school, it's gaining a lot more popularity ever since most the sounds got yeeted off of tiktok.

[Motifator]

37 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

Short-form video can be insanely addictive. I also noticed how the hours can fly by once I start to browse shorts. Our brain loves these small, frequent kicks of dopamine.

How about a full Hawkwind concert, though? Make it physical while at it. 

Kids these days don't know what a real mental manipulator is...

social experiments like Twitch, Youtube etc.. are the basic stuff... built up upon 80's camera tricks.

[Touch My Hamm]

Id be ok with most of these apps being removed for children. Screens of autoplaying shortform videos, non monitored or properly curated content should be brought to light. There are parents now simply sitting kids in front of devices to parent them. Or allowing kids to have too much freedom of the internet. It was bad historically allowing millennials on the internet without much control or understanding. There are ALOT of controls in place for people with easier appearance to do so. TikTok employing its users to call people shows what sort of power they could employ and this is the same with so many of these apps. Every app for social media steals information as well as other sources stealing from those social media apps. To me it sounds more who has that data. Where they are ok with NA based companies stealing and using the data for their means but not foreign non disclosed ones.

[kpluck]

On 3/8/2024 at 8:02 AM, BrandonT.05 said:

tiktok is one of the most toxic platforms there is but I think that there is not any better alternative

Sure there is…the better alternative is to not use it. I say this not because its alleged connection to the Chinese government, I say this because it has absolutely no useful purpose. I understand that many will disagree with that statement…but, of course, they are wrong. 

 

-kp

[BrandonTech.05]

1 hour ago, kpluck said:

Sure there is…the better alternative is to not use it. I say this not because its alleged connection to the Chinese government, I say this because it has absolutely no useful purpose. I understand that many will disagree with that statement…but, of course, they are wrong. 

 

-kp

No, I actually agree 100%. Especially with children these days it is getting super dangerous for them to have any social media platform. Snapchat comes to mind as another terrible platform for young people. Basically there's nowhere for anybody to go that's positive and scam free. It's such a mess and it's sad because social media could be so much better. But as I always say, people are always going to people and that just is what it is. 

[dizmo]

I don't think it's as much them taking your data as it is bad actors being able to indoctrinate the vulnerable. Like the case of the US serviceman that set himself on fire. 

 

I'd be glad to see this gone, though to be fair I'd be glad to see most social media gone. Such a waste of most people's time. 

 

Now I know what old people felt like when tv's were taking off. Welp.