“public square social media site.”
You actually answered your own question with this statement. The issue of free speech does not come in to play for the platform it’s self. It applies to the U.S. citizen users of that platform. They have free speech rights as long as TikTok provides them an open public square to exercise that right. So the whole issue is not actually about suppressing TikTok the company. It is about suppressing the rights of those who use the platform including U.S. businesses who advertise there.
This is greatly going to impact U.S. businesses and put a dent in the economy. It is going to harm us much more than it is going to harm China. And there is absolutely nothing on TikTok that China cannot get from any other forward facing public platforms who are also collecting private data and selling it. It is ignorant to even think this is going to make one bit of difference to China.
thanks for that. i tend to agree.
so then why did the uniparty pass the ban? and why did the USSC uphold it?