Trump admin bans TikTok and WeChat downloads

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

What we know about Trump’s ‘ban’ on TikTok and WeChat

Importantly, there are two key dates here. The first is Sunday, September 20, when new downloads will be blocked from US app stores. But the 100 million or so people who already use TikTok in the US will be able to continue to do so, but they won’t be able to download app updates or security patches. There’s also no mention of TikTok’s website, which allows users to view their feeds as they normally would even if they can't upload new clips.

The second date is November 12, when the Commerce Department says the service will face a more sweeping ban that will bar any use of TikTok at all. But this is hardly set in stone either. It notes that if TikTok can address Trump’s “national security concerns” before that date (which would likely entail some kind of deal with Oracle), the order could be lifted.

As Missouri Senator Josh Hawley suggested in a tweet, the order seems to be more about applying pressure to China, rather than implementing a total ban right now. So in a sense, the latest threat actually gives TikTok a little more time to solidify a deal.

No word on whether banning videos mocking or otherwise critical of Mr. Trump would address his "national security concerns".

(Yes, there are real concerns with security in the mobile ecosystem, bad actors, and Chinese government backdoors in particular. I see no reason why anything the Trump administration does should be taken at face value. They have spent years demonstrating a pattern of abuse for their own benefit while ignoring the public good.)

[Bootes Void]

He might be bad cause of what tik Tom did to his ralliea

[Zohranism is OUR future]

Go ahead, make Gen Z even more pro-China.

[JGibson]

Shame on the Trump Misadministration for this.

[lfromnj]

Shame on the Trump Misadministration for this.

Criticize the CDC eviction ban too !, Executive overreach for decisions you like can lead to ones you don't!

[brucejoel99]

If only Trump was as serious about getting rid of COVID-19 as he is about getting rid of TikTok.

[Senator Sirius]

The law which allows the president to prohibit doing business includes an exception which does not allow the president to block the trade of "information or informational material". This will likely be the crux of an upcoming court case. I find this to be rather worrisome, that the president can outlaw media sources unilaterally. Tiktok is an easy target, which is obviously why he's banning it first. If he tried to just ban NBC or something right now it would obviously never be allowed. But if he's allowed to start doing things like this, it could expand further and further until he can basically just ban anything he doesn't like because of "national security". I seriously hope that this is not allowed to happen for the sake of free speech and free press.

[Reluctant Republican]

Go ahead, make Gen Z even more pro-China.

Is there any evidence Gen Z is especially warmly disposed towards China? I did stumble across this article that said millennials have  a more positive view than older generations towards them, but even that's fallen off by about 20% since 2005.

[beaver2.0]

There are some pretty solid reasons for doing this.  Trump himself may not have the best reasons but it is true that we are in a cold war with China.

[brucejoel99]

There are some pretty solid reasons for doing this.  Trump himself may not have the best reasons but it is true that we are in a cold war with China.

Nothing "pretty solid" about illegally allowing a President to just ban anything they want (unless you'd be just as fine with Biden banning the Fox News app this time next year). Do you not understand the precedent that this sets for future administrations? Don't get me wrong, TikTok is very much a national security threat that's being utilized against us by an antagonistic foreign government, but ban that (especially their data collection practices that reach way the hell too deep) & do it with a legitimate law passed by Congress, because this just essentially condones the politicization of censorship & constitutional violations. It's patently ridiculous that, in an ostensible attempt to fight China, we're becoming China.

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1307460412770865153

[beaver2.0]

There are some pretty solid reasons for doing this.  Trump himself may not have the best reasons but it is true that we are in a cold war with China.

Nothing "pretty solid" about illegally allowing a President to just ban anything they want (unless you'd be just as fine with Biden banning the Fox News app this time next year). Do you not understand the precedent that this sets for future administrations? Don't get me wrong, TikTok is very much a national security threat that's being utilized against us by an antagonistic foreign government, but ban that (especially their data collection practices that reach way the hell too deep) & do it with a legitimate law passed by Congress, because this just essentially condones the politicization of censorship & constitutional violations. It's patently ridiculous that, in an ostensible attempt to fight China, we're becoming China.

I did not state my position clearly.  I totally agree that doing this unilaterally is not the right way, but I have seen a worrying number of people express the opinion that Trump is doing this all out of xenophobia and racism.  That's what I was referring to.  I don't know what his personal reasons are, but there are legitimate concerns about the relation between Chinese intelligence and Chinese products.

[Where's the Epstein Client List?]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1307460412770865153

If a developing country's populist strongman leader threatened to kick a foreign company out unless it sold its operations to a local firm, and then demanded a kickback from the local firm, Very Serious People would be tut-tutting about "rule of law" and "property rights" and "regulatory certainty" and "corruption" and how that sort of behavior was undermining investor confidence and inhibiting ability to attract foreign capital.

Funny how it's a Republican who's tearing all the Washington Consensus Good Governance standards to shreds, from antagonizing foreign businesses to ranting against foreigners and globalists to engaging in reckless borrowing and wantonly printing currency to finance the debt.