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FCC Commissioner Carr Says 'Huge Miss' If US Doesn't Ban or Divest TikTok in 2024 (indiadispatch.com) 136

Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, in a wide-ranging interview with Indian newspaper Economic Times praised the South Asian market for blocking Chinese apps in 2020 and said he hopes the U.S. will follow suit. He said: I hope there will be a movement towards a nationwide ban of the application soon, much like India led the way so many years ago. It is taking time, and I wish it was done as swiftly and with the alacrity that India banned not just TikTok but a number of other Chinese apps that had questionable data sharing and privacy policies. If TikTok is neither banned nor ByteDance is forced to divest this year, I would consider it a huge miss. Because only when action is taken would it be possible for us to go after the smaller players too.
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FCC Commissioner Carr Says 'Huge Miss' If US Doesn't Ban or Divest TikTok in 2024

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  • by sconeu ( 64226 )

    Oh, that pesky First Amendment. Too bad for Carr.

    • by Bodhammer ( 559311 ) on Thursday January 11, 2024 @11:26AM (#64149781)
      Speech is protected. Harmful algorithms, such as those found in social media, have been shown to cause anxiety, depression, and a host of other harms over the past few years; they play on the worst human tendencies. When that algorithm is managed by an adversary and promoted to the general population, it is a ligit concern.
      I agree that individual speech is protected in each video. The aggregation and omission of how those individual speech bits are amplified or suppressed is the problem.
      Consider that TicTok itself is not allowed by the Chinese government in China. Why is that?
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by TeddyRick ( 6515134 )
        The government shouldn't interfere. The free market will sort this out. People will reject a bad product. I don't need big brother telling me what I can and cannot put on my phone. If I consent that the Chinese government has information about me, my name, where I live, what I like, who I am friends with, that Is my right to let them know those things.
        • by Calydor ( 739835 )

          You mean just like people reject drugs, cigarettes, etc. all on their own despite the shown-and-proven addictive properties?

        • by Anonymous Coward

          The government shouldn't interfere. The free market will sort this out. People will reject a bad product. I don't need big brother telling me what I can and cannot put on my phone. If I consent that the Chinese government has information about me, my name, where I live, what I like, who I am friends with, that Is my right to let them know those things.

          Considering how badly the algorithms are damaging people's minds (especially Zoomers), intervention is necessary. We don't need to ban anything, just need:

          1. All algorithms need to be explicitly opt-in, with no reduction in service for not opting in.
          2. All algorithms must be open and fully transparent.
          3. Actual enforcement.

          • Your number one is proof that you know how nothing works, and or don't know the definition of algorithm.

            The other points are valid, but even sorting by date is done with an algorithm.

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        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by cayenne8 ( 626475 )

          The government shouldn't interfere. The free market will sort this out.

          In general I agree with you, with this thinking on most things.

          However, this is not something domestic, or even with a friendly country.

          This is something being pushed by an antagonistic country (at best)....it is a propaganda machine from an enemy country aimed at the western world.

          You notice even China doesn't allow it in their own country, that should tell you something.

          We have banned companies like Huwai (sp?) and others from US

          • It is a shining example of pure capitalism and entrepreneurship.

            Its founders happened to live in China.

            Its US customer related operations and data storage/management are entirely done in the US, after some pressure from US officials.

            Young people around the world seem to like it. Businesses around the world market to young people using it.

            One thing I'd say about defining a country as "antagonistic" or "an adversary". You have to be careful that you don't talk your way into a preventable war.
            Such terms to ref
            • by _merlin ( 160982 )

              IIRC TikTok was founded as a startup in the US, but the Chinese company ByteDance saw potential in it early on and bought the company and funded its growth.

            • Trying to ban a Chinese-origin company from doing adequately security-firewalled business in the USA smacks of xenophobia and frankly borders on racism.

              This has nothing to do with the general population or race of the people living over there...it DOES have everything to do with the Chinese Communist Party...which is our enemy and controls everything over there, including all companies that operate from China.

              You're wanting to allow more propaganda apps from Iran, Russia and the like to come get a grip on

              • Get in your bunker then.

                I'm going to live in the world.

                You're critiquing the "information" in Tiktok as being Chinese propaganda, without looking at it obviously.

                Those dance videos, stupid challenges etc are definitely designed to weaken our decadent western society lol.

                I believe most information and points of view that aren't illegal (weapons assembly instructions, child porn etc) should be findable on the internet from anywhere around the world regardless of where the f*** you happen to be or the source o
                • You're critiquing the "information" in Tiktok as being Chinese propaganda, without looking at it obviously.

                  Those dance videos, stupid challenges etc are definitely designed to weaken our decadent western society lol.

                  I believe most information and points of view that aren't illegal (weapons assembly instructions, child porn etc) should be findable on the internet from anywhere around the world regardless of where the f*** you happen to be or the source of the information happens to be. If you can't evalu

                  • So you're saying there are Chinese government operatives programming the algorithms in Tiktok? That is laughable misperception. It's a private company FFS. Such things exist in China. I would describe much of their economy as anarcho-capitalism. Which is generally allowed to thrive except they will shut down the odd billionaire who becomes too uppity. Sure, those companies self-censor to avoid mentions of Tienanmen Square or Hong Kong democracy or whatever, but believing their social media algorithms are tw
                    • So you're saying there are Chinese government operatives programming the algorithms in Tiktok? That is laughable misperception. It's a private company FFS. Such things exist in China.

                      There is no such thing as a truly independent company in China.

                      The CCP has full access and authority over any business over there....

                      They are full well involved with TikTok.

                      The CCP is not like the US, it is full blown authoritarian govt.....I'd think that was common knowledge.

          • You notice even China doesn't allow it in their own country, that should tell you something.

            That's just on brand for China. Next time it's gay pride month, go to Target and flip over some of the rainbow colored kitsch so you can see that "Made in China" sticker. LGBTQ+ rights in China, however, are in a rather sad state.

            Most of the reasons why China doesn't allow $THING revolve around their form of government not being very big on the concept of individual rights and freedoms. But if you've resolved the cognitive dissonance of being pro individual rights but still simultaneously think there's s

        • The government shouldn't interfere. The free market will sort this out. People will reject a bad product.

          What you are missing that TikTok is targeting minors in the midst of their cognitive development. They by definition lack that kind of discernment and, in fact, a major part of how adolescent humans form that kind of discernment is by social cues from their peers. Which is where TikTok as a CCP propaganda tool comes in, vastly over-representing to them videos which encase views friendly to CCP ideology - or just things they think will destabilize American society - but certainly not the educational content

          • by GlennC ( 96879 )

            The only person you can control is you. So the question becomes:

            What are YOU going to PERSONALLY DO about it?

        • by KILNA ( 536949 )
          The free market has only ever solved one problem, maximizing wealth extraction from those with less control over the economy.
      • Harmful algorithms, such as those found in social media, have been shown to cause anxiety, depression, and a host of other harms over the past few years; they play on the worst human tendencies.

        So, slap a warning on it and let people exercise their individual responsibility. We tried banning alcohol because in addition to having all of the problems you've listed, it is also physically addictive and causes temporary cognitive impairment. If you remember your history lessons, that ban didn't work out so well.

        Consider that TicTok itself is not allowed by the Chinese government in China. Why is that?

        Because China is a control freak communist nation that we'd do well not to emulate.

    • Oh, that pesky First Amendment. Too bad for Carr.

      But....TikTok is a "Platform"....

      It isn't of itself "speech".....

  • Cool (Score:5, Insightful)

    by DarkRookie2 ( 5551422 ) on Thursday January 11, 2024 @11:06AM (#64149733)
    Just make sure you apply the same law to all the American and European tech companies as well.
    They are just as guilty as Tik Tok is.

    But I guess they are ok since they are white and not yellow.
    • It's shocking and saddening you assume that this is a racial issue. But I guess this gives us context everytime you use the race arguement.

    • by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Just make sure you apply the same law to all the American and European tech companies as well.
      They are just as guilty as Tik Tok is.

      But I guess they are ok since they are white and not yellow.

      Rather than targeting specific platforms, why not make a law that sets out conditions and applies them to all companies regardless of who owns them. I don't know, some kind of General Regulation for the Protection of Data

  • GOP!!! Don't cancel me, bro!
  • by smoot123 ( 1027084 ) on Thursday January 11, 2024 @11:34AM (#64149809)
    From the fine summary:

    Because only when action is taken would it be possible for us to go after the smaller players too.

    Translation: "Nice social media company youse got here. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it, like whats happened to ByteDance.

    • They said the quiet part out loud. It's always a slippery slope towards more government control with these sort of things, but I guess he wants to do a speedrun.

  • Can't compete? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by backslashdot ( 95548 )

    Go crying to Daddy Government! Waaah! Whatever happened to individual choice? Is it any secret who owns TikTok? Is there anybody out there who doesn't know their data is going to some Chinese database? They choose it anyway. "People are smart enough to make their own decisions on what's best for themselves and their families." That's literally the fundamental principle of capitalism and conservative philosophy.

    • I'm sure you're posting from the Libertarian Paradise of the Congo where there's no big daddy government to go crying to? What's that, you're not? You mean you're posting from somewhere where you need Daddy Government to actually protect you and your way of life. Interesting...

    • by dryeo ( 100693 )

      I worry far more about the American government and their database on me.

  • I sat at a restaurant, my plate piled high with a food, and couldn't help but overhear a conversation at the next table. An incredibly rotund gentleman, his shirt straining against the force of his belly, was passionately arguing for the banning of one drink in particlar. His reasoning: Americans needed to consume fewer calories, and Coca Cola was the culprit. With a mouth full of fries, he proclaimed, "Listen, folks, it's simple math. If we ban it, we'll be saving thousands of calories! I mean, let's face
  • No semi-intelligent politician worth their dark money coffers would ban TikTok in America during a presidential campaign year.
  • United States Of Mommies.

    I pledge allegiance to no one.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Meanwhile what did the FCC do about this:
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry... [huffpost.com]
    http://irregulators.org/bookof... [irregulators.org]
    https://kushnickbruce.medium.c... [medium.com]

    Oh but TikTok is a bigger problem? Really?

  • the reason so many congressmen oppose tiktok is because unlike every other american media outlet, their donors don't control the narrative. this has absolutely nothing to do with data privacy, as evidenced by the obvious disinterest in the violations we have endured for decades by other corporations. tiktok is the best bulwark we currently have against the capitalist oligarchy that runs our country. there is nothing in our constitution that mandates or even hints at structuring our society around the pre
  • Ok, you plan to ban Facebook too, right?

Their idea of an offer you can't refuse is an offer... and you'd better not refuse.

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