<story><title>House passes bill to force TikTok sale from Chinese owner or ban the app</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/technology/tiktok-ban-house-vote.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>codekaze</author><text>I think the primary argument for banning TikTok should be based on reciprocity rather than moral and&amp;#x2F;or security concerns. We can make similar arguments about the negative effects of Facebook, Instagram, and etc. even from the POVs of other countries, but the key issue here is that China heavily restricts foreign apps and services from operating in their market. If China is unwilling to allow US companies to compete fairly in their digital ecosystem, why the hell should we continue to grant Chinese firms unrestricted access to our market?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>jrockway</author><text>I don&amp;#x27;t think we should &amp;quot;lowest common denominator&amp;quot; to oppressive regimes.  Our Constitution says &amp;quot;Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.&amp;quot;  TikTok, at the end of the day, is just a kind of printing press.  So it should be allowed under the First Amendment.  The First Amendment protects pledging your allegiance to the Flag, just as it protects China saying &amp;quot;China is great, you should love us instead&amp;quot;.  The First Amendment makes no attempt to moderate content; you can say pretty much whatever you want.  If China&amp;#x27;s use of TikTok for propaganda upsets you, then it&amp;#x27;s on you to make a compelling argument that is better than theirs.  (I actually don&amp;#x27;t think that TikTok is much of a Chinese propaganda avenue.  People are just mad that it&amp;#x27;s telling kids to eat tide pods and then they get sick.  Who knew that underfunding public education for years would have consequences.)&lt;p&gt;At the end of the day, what this law is asking for is a Great Firewall around the US, that prohibits which websites its citizens can visit.  I do not want that, even if China&amp;#x27;s market practices are unfair.  The cure is worse than the disease.</text></comment>
<story><title>House passes bill to force TikTok sale from Chinese owner or ban the app</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/technology/tiktok-ban-house-vote.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>codekaze</author><text>I think the primary argument for banning TikTok should be based on reciprocity rather than moral and&amp;#x2F;or security concerns. We can make similar arguments about the negative effects of Facebook, Instagram, and etc. even from the POVs of other countries, but the key issue here is that China heavily restricts foreign apps and services from operating in their market. If China is unwilling to allow US companies to compete fairly in their digital ecosystem, why the hell should we continue to grant Chinese firms unrestricted access to our market?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>bilekas</author><text>&amp;gt; If China is unwilling to allow US companies to compete fairly in their digital ecosystem, why the hell should we continue to grant Chinese firms unrestricted access to our market?&lt;p&gt;I understand what you&amp;#x27;re saying and I actually support the ban as tiktok can be used as a giant botnet at-will by Chinas government, but an eye for an eye doesn&amp;#x27;t end well and the US is supposed to be &amp;quot;free&amp;quot; so this part of the argument I wouldn&amp;#x27;t agree with.</text></comment>