They Actually Banned TikTok

A Rant

Last night, under the cover of darkness, the senate passed a bill that will effectively ban TikTok in the United States unless the owner of the app, ByteDance, sells their stake. A few hours ago, Biden signed it into law and proved once and for all that when it comes to making life demonstrably worse for citizens, both parties can move quickly and efficiently. Oh and in tandem, too. Funny that.

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Now, a lot of representatives who are aware of the backlash have touted the idea that, “Once they sell, the app won’t be banned and you can continue using the app”. I would say that this is presumptuous arrogance on their part but I believe that they are being purposefully deceitful. TikTok’s user base is around 1 billion global users, with a little over 130 million of those being Americans according to Pew Research. While they would lose some of their most profitable influencers and an extremely profitable market in the TikTok shop, they would still be in the top 5 of most used social media sites in the world without the need for an American user base. It is unthinkable that an app would capitulate so easily to such a ridiculous request. Effectively, this means the app WILL be banned for use in America by mid 2025. Of course, TikTok plans to sue to stop this but I don’t like their odds. So that means no more peeking into the lives of those around the world, no more connecting and finding shared hobbies over the app, and most importantly, no more information being shared freely with each other, which is the real reason this is happening.

The concern over “spying” is laughable. They do not care. No information worth stealing is being posted on an app for free. The concern over disinformation is more laughable because no matter how many times the Zuck is called to slither into congress, nothing of substance has been done to Facebook or Instagram as far as their disinformation goes. No, it really is all about hindering the spread of information, with the student protests spreading around the country lighting a fire under them to do so. The backers are concerned about the truth spreading and everyone hopped out of their partisan bubble to ease their concerns, American young people specifically be damned.

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It boggles the mind how this was able to pass so quickly, while millions in this country suffer with no healthcare, low wages, lack of transportation, and food instability. This is a country without guaranteed maternity leave or safe access to abortion. With hundreds of thousands of people that go without a place to sleep. With a worsening opioid crisis that is often overshadowed by the gun crisis or the cost-of-living crisis or the other 10 crises I’m too stressed to name right now. But that has to wait, people are doing duets and lip-synching to old pop songs. I’m stunned at the level on nonsense and overwhelmed at how easy it was to silence millions without a second thought. The feeling is dour today and the vibe is grim, at least over here as I type this. Usually I try and include some sort of bright side or even a consoling statement but today I have nothing. Just anger.

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