Comment by LargeWu 4 days ago
It's not about getting our data. The TikTok algorithm is already being used to sow discord by showing stuff the PRC wants impressionable Americans to see. This ability of an adversarial foreign nation to surgically push individualized propaganda to consumers in another country is pretty unparalleled in human history. TikTok is the ultimate propaganda machine.
‘There are three fires’ is not an argument against putting out any one of them.
TikTok is basically the same as Facebook/Instagram/Y.T.Shorts but with a different owner
Right, I guess I'm agreeing with you that social media is an effective propaganda machine (they're ad companies and what is an ad but propaganda to buy a product) and the US Govt wants one where they set the tone.
I was disagreeing with GP that seemed to act like TikTok was uniquely a propaganda engine
It's also possible that the US market just isn't as valuable or profitable to TikTok/ByteDance as we assume.
At this point, I trust Xi approximately as much as I do Zuck and Musk with my economic future.