Comment by roncesvalles

Comment by roncesvalles 2 months ago

11 replies

View on Hacker News

Sweet summer child, do you think TikTok would've been banned if it didn't come into focus as a hotbed for pro-Palestinian content?

"The issue in the United States for support of Israel is not left and right. It is young and old. And the numbers of young people who think that Hamas' massacre was justified is shockingly and terrifyingly odd. And so we really have a TikTok problem."

"[TikTok] is like Al Jazeera on steroids."

- Jonathan Gleenblat, ADL.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IsraelCrimes/comments/1i3vwll/we_ha...

Something very appalling has just taken place in the USA. Old people have muzzled the free speech of young people. Americans spend more hours on TikTok than on television (but it mostly skews to young people), and now it's been taken away.

soerxpso 2 months ago

If TikTok were sold to an American company, as the new law demands, why would that change anything about the amount of pro-Palestinian content? Just because the ADL said they don't like TikTok does not mean that's the motivation for the bill. You're still allowed to criticize Israel as much as you were a decade ago (which is to say, less than you're allowed to criticize the US, for some reason ;) but still).

Reply View 5 replies
  • roncesvalles 2 months ago

    Because a sale is and has always been impossible since it would be an unacceptable embarrassment for China in the current climate. The divestiture is just a way to make the ban pass muster.

    Reply View 1 reply
    • daedrdev 2 months ago

      Thats a good reason why it's banned. China cannot sell. TikTok is under the strong control of their government, and so won't sell despite loosing an stupefying amount of revenue by doing so.

      Reply View 0 replies
  • LAC-Tech 2 months ago

    Which big US social media company operates without some form of involvement with the ADL?

    This isn't a conspiracy, the ADL openly admits and is proud of their involvement in censorship.

    Here they are bragging about their role in youtube censorship:

    https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/adl-applauds-goo...

    Google search results censorship:

    https://www.adl.org/resources/news/can-google-search-be-used...

    X may be the one exception, though I note that the "advertiser boycott" was ended when Musk made trips to Israel, was photographed next Netanyahu's atrocity propaganda prop pieces, next to Ben Shapiro, etc.

    Reply View 2 replies
    • DiogenesKynikos 2 months ago

      Musk first posted an antisemitic tweet, which caused a minor scandal. Then, to atone for that, he traveled to Israel, met with Netanyahu, and had Twitter begin boosting pro-Israeli content.

      Musk went from antisemite to Israel fan in the course of just a few days. This actually isn't so surprising, though. There are many people who are both antisemitic and pro-Israel (see basically every far-right party in Europe, for example).

      Reply View 1 reply
      • [removed] 2 months ago
        [deleted]
        Reply View 0 replies
daedrdev 2 months ago

TikTok was specifically banned because of one main reason. When it was being discussed in congress, they told their users to complain to their congresspeople, and posted their congresspersons number. Then when a bunch of unhinged teens called threatening to kill themselves, congress members rightfully went "What the fuck" and the bill gained enormous support

Reply View 0 replies
HDThoreaun 2 months ago

Tik tok was banned because it tried to use children to start a political movement. Unfortunately for them children can not vote so the movement did nothing other than scare adults.

Reply View 0 replies
zahlman 2 months ago

> Please don't use Hacker News for political or ideological battle. That tramples curiosity.

Reply View 1 reply
  • BeefWellington 2 months ago

    Eh, I don't really agree with roncesvalles, but I think this is an inherently highly political topic. Should HN just be deleting the entire thread?

    Reply View 0 replies