Posted on 01/14/2025 8:40:50 AM PST by delta7
The TikTok ban is a complete disregard for the rights and freedoms of the American people. The ban is NOT about national security, but rather, the final attempt to prevent the people from connecting on an uncensored platform without backdoor government censorship. The law in question goes beyond TikTok as the government will only permit social platforms based in the US, therefore controlling the narrative and information the people can receive.
It is not about privacy from the Chinese government. TikTok is not even available in mainland China as their version is heavily censored. TikTok is a subsidiary of ByteDance, a private company that is not owned by the Chinese government. About 60% of the company is owned by institutional investors, 20% is owned by the founder, and the other 20% is owned by employees. ByteDance has five board members and three of them are American. Their headquarters are in Singapore and Los Angeles, and they have 7,000 employees in the US.
Congress has been unable to comprehend that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is Singaporean and not a member of the Chinese Communist Party or even Chinese. Unbelievable.
Over 170 million Americans currently use TikTok. TikTok contributed $24.3 billion to the US economy in 2023, with 2024 estimates coming in higher. The majority of that money comes from 6 MILLION SMALL BUSINESSES that rely on TikTok to generate sales. Those 7 million businesses compose 20% of ALL BUSINESSES IN THE US.
Media outlets claim the Supreme Court is strongly siding with Congress, but that is simply not the case. The Supreme Court questioned whether this new law would infringe on the First Amendment. Government claims it is about national security and data. Yet, Chinese-owned online stores are allowed to operate in the US, for example, and they compile user data. Certain stores like SHEIN collect user’s social media data as well. Lawyers for TikTok believe they are being singled out because the people are posting content on the app, therefore, exercising their 1A rights.
RFK discussed the potential ban back in 2023. EVERY LIBERTY WE SURRENDER IS IN THE NAME OF NATIONAL SECURITY)
Government claims that the Chinese could influence the content to influence the American people. In that case, the concern is truly the content creation and not the data collection.
It is OK when the US government collects your data without warning. Mark Zuckerberg has been lobbying to ban TikTok for years. He permitted the establishment to use META/Facebook as a massive propaganda tool to influence politics and the overall narrative. The government was permitted to use his app to silence the people instantaneously.
It is of no coincidence that the ban will take place one day before Donald Trump takes office. Trump had asked the Supreme Court to hold off on the ruling until he had time to sort things out. Simply put, you cannot take away the circus before the people can afford bread. People cannot afford basic living essentials, and the government is prioritizing taking away one of the last forms of free entertainment and education that the people have left. Countless readers of this blog have sent me videos over the years of on-the-ground footage of events that the media fails to cover. People may speak freely on TikTok and that threatens the establishment.
We are not so different from North Korea. Our government is taking extreme measures to censor our ability to connect with others and share information.
The government tells us what is real and false. “Misinformation” is the information that goes against the current narrative. We are not to question our leaders.
The US market is only a fraction of TikTok’s international audience and it may not be in their best interest to sell. It also seems as if the current CEO would rather have his platform go dark for US users than allow Washington to use his platform as yet another propaganda tool.
What has the CCP done to harm us that is greater than the US GOVT genocide against its own people and the US govt stealing of the 2020 election and the mass censoring of conservatives and the full weaponization of the FBI and DOJ against the entire conservative population?? Answer - China supplies us with useful inexpensive products. We are their BIGGEST customer.
Are you aware of all the unfair trade practices they have conducted with us, violating all the promises they’ve made to us, resulting in thousands of Billions in trade deficit, which is the same as stealing, their stealing of US technology, resulting in billions lost in patent rights, not to mention their continued support for the Taliban, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Hamas, Venezuela, all to counter US interests around the globe, their encourage of Fentanyl trade into the US, killings thousands of Americans?
They hate the US, their goal is to bring down the US, you’re completely ignorant on this topic.
Are you aware they are the largest buyer of US debt, helping to keep us out of bankruptcy? Are you aware of the number of “deals” the US has broken, like the promise not to extend NATO beyond the countries that were members when the Soviet Union split up? If the Chinese violated an agreement, there are international courts where those complaints can be made. I notice that the US spends an awful lot of time complaining about what other countries do while doing NOTHING to make itself more competitive - like secure its borders, provide excellent educations to its citizens, encourage cheap energy, promote a sound currency, minimize regulations on businesses so the US is an attractive place for manufacturing. Instead of always bitching and moaning and “threatening” other countries the US should do what “great countries” do - lead by example.
The only conclusion I can reach about you is that either
1) You’re a paid shill for the CCP. In which case I’m sorry for you that you sold your soul, and you aren’t worth responding to any further, or
2) You’re a complete ignoramus.
First of all, China owns a very small percentage of US debt, and no, they aren’t keeping US out of bankruptcy, to say so is to be completely ignorant of the subject. Their entire holding is less than 3% of the total US debt, and there are plenty of other countries and people who will buy it should they decide to sell. Which BTW they have, China has been selling US debt nonstop for years now, their total holding is now only about 50% of what they once held, yet it has not driven down the price of US debt because other people and countries buy it up. Japan now is the #1 holder of US debt.
As for international courts, there are a dozen lawsuits filed against China just in the WTO alone, every single one that has had a ruling was ruled against China, with the rest still the pending. The result, nothing. Because China doesn’t follow the rules and there are no mechanism for those rulings to be enforced. Trump’s tariffs against China is the first time a country have taken real action against China for their violation of trade rules.
Once again, of course of the US should strive to increase our productivity to better our economy. That’s a complete non sequitur to the fact that the CCP is actively trying to damage the US where ever and when ever they find an opportunity, and it’s long past due for the US to do something about it.
You work for a defense contractor and make your money getting US boys killed in wars or sending US arms to other countries so their boys can be killed. You just love war because it pays for all the crap you own. Or, you are just plain stupid. I think that is the one.
No, it’s you who have an outdated view.
Deng did push through some economic reforms, which is how China went from abject poverty in the late 70s to a much improved situation by the 2010s.
The new leader Xi though, put in place because they thought he was going to continue Deng’s reforms (because his father was pro-reform), showed his true colors after taking power, which is that he wishes to return to the days of Mao.
He has completely reversed course, promoting state run businesses, and attacking private businesses, and has completely botched China’s economy, which is in the middle of a huge collapse.
I think I’ve proven my point, you have 0 facts and 0 arguments.
Yes, your are an idiot.
BTW, what do you propose Germany do to the US for its blowing up of the Nordstream pipeline that supplied cheap energy to German industry for manufacturing and German homes, which need heat in the winter. That is a real act of war on another nation’s economy, not this chicken shit stuff you accuse China of doing - selling us decent products at cheap prices. The US literally wiped out the major energy source for a NATO ally of ours and then offered to sell it LNG gas at 10 times the cost. And the US is now making money hand over fist on this act of war it perpetrated against Germany. You, being an idiot, probably think this is cool.
I think it’s clear you’re an anti-american fifth columnist who hates everything about the US.
I don’t propose anything to the Germans because I’m not German nor do I live in or near Germany.
All technologies - phones, social media platforms, and web sites alike - offer a usable subset of functions. They also offer a more dangerous set of functions that require disclosure of personal information or facilitate the collection of personal opinions and preferences. The trick is learning how to take advantage of the former without falling prey to the latter.
In almost every case an intelligent user can do this - but most people lack discretion. Thus they like to demand that politicians impose discretion upon other people, for their own good.
What is clear is you don’t know how to read, how to do critical thinking, or which way is up.
Thanks for the chuckle. This has nothing to do with intelligence; there is no actual choice other than not participating in the game that big tech imposes on nearly all of us. If you want to use an Android or Apple phone, you have no choice but to participate in the game.
If you want to use a PC with either a Microsoft or Apple operating system you have to participate in the game. If you want to use an Amazon device, you have to participate in the game. Nearly every Linux build is along the same lines. Nearly all big tech companies have adopted far left woke policies... This means that for the most part they hate conservatives, and at this point they know who we are.
The following is an interesting video on YouTube by the The Lunduke Journal which discusses the operating system situation in detail. I already provided a link to a video that demonstrates the situation with Android cell phones.
Your position blaming the victims of the lefty dominated Big Tech oligarchy would be completely comical if they had not already won the game. You have demonstrated only that you are a smug fool who believes that you can somehow use the tools granted to you by big tech and will never have to pay any type of price.
You already are paying the price my friend and none of the discretion that you have shown when agreeing or not agreeing to supposed agreements will make any difference at all. Just because you are blissfully unaware that you are already paying the price does not mean that you are not. Personally, I do not have much of a desire to burst your bubble. So just carry on.
I am hopeful that the incoming administration and their allies such as you and I will be able to slow the unrelenting march to the abyss. But realistically all the important cards are already stacked against us.
But we live in interesting times, people of mine and probably your generation were able to watch the rise and then the fall of Western civilization. The best that we can hope for is that a change in sentiment by enough people in this country will provide a softer than expected landing. But even though many of the political figure heads had their butts handed to them in the last election, big tech, big pharma, big media, big government etc., etc. still dominates the big picture. And they all are almost all dominated by a bunch of left leaning megalomaniacs who care almost exclusively care only about their own bizarre agendas.
I am not sure exactly where you were trying to go with your post. It seems that you are concerned that the government will try and regulate the oligarchs that control them. But of course, excessive regulation is the way that the government actually serves their master's to keep the rest of us from gaining any form of control that will usurp the oligarchs. It is a vicious circle, and it is never what it seems at this point.
President Trump apparently does not share your view of TiKTok and the CCP.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4290377/posts
So, President Trump must be an anti-American fifth columnist, based on your screed below.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4290540/posts
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As the author points out with facts, TikTok is NOT even Chinese. Can you read?”
Then why is the headquarters in Bejing?
Again, your illiteracy shines through. From the article,
“TikTok is a subsidiary of ByteDance, a private company that is not owned by the Chinese government. About 60% of the company is owned by institutional investors, 20% is owned by the founder, and the other 20% is owned by employees. ByteDance has five board members and three of them are American. Their headquarters are in Singapore and Los Angeles, and they have 7,000 employees in the US.”
“TikTok is a subsidiary of ByteDance, a private company that is not owned by the Chinese government.”
it is undisputed that the PRC has access to ByteDance data.
No doubt the same for TikTok.
As revealed in testimony, TikTok influences vulnerable minds.
Facebook, Youtube, CBS, NBC, PBS, the NYT, FoxNews - all negatively influence minds of all ages.
The Deep State has zero control over TikTok.
They have complete control over Meta, Google and Apple.
They can probably pressure Elon Musk eventually, if he wants to keep SpaceX. The Deep State will force Elon Musk to keep X or SpaceX, he'll probably have to sell X at some point.
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