this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2026
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politics

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[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 218 points 3 days ago (5 children)

So the reason why Tik Tok was not allowed to run as a Chinese company, was not to prevent Chinese propaganda but to allow for US propaganda

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 116 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Yes, that is literally the point.

Same reason grok is allowed to generate CSAM but not unflattering images of Trump.

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[–] fyrilsol@kbin.melroy.org 96 points 3 days ago (11 children)

Can't say I'm sympathetic to anyone who uses TikTok, that platform has been a vacuum of people's intelligence and attention span for years. You reap what you sow.

[–] lemmylommy@lemmy.world 46 points 3 days ago

Unfortunately everyone else also reaps in this case.

[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

With that mindset, we are all doomed. I get the desire to shit on them, just like the people who haven't left X. But for every person who knows about the manipulation and censorship, I guarantee there's another who's ignorant of it, and will be shaped by it unwittingly. This is not a good thing and having that mindset only serves to allow others to get away with this.

Tell people. Save this article and share it. Remind people of the fuckery behind the scenes whenever you get an opportunity. Be annoying about it. The people who are tuned out are the ones who need to hear it the most. Tell anyone you know using tik tok. Try convincing someone you know to quit the app. It's better than telling them to reap what they sow. because we all lose when anyone is convinced the propaganda is real

Trump's whole thing is making his own reality. If you don't challenge that reality every time he tries to lie or cheat, then it will only get worse and worse.

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[–] apftwb@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

American gamers who spam Taiwan/Tiananmen square in chat are in shambles

[–] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I have had every single comment of these two photos removed and threatened with a ban. They are actively trying to suppress this.

Jesus H. Christ!

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[–] PhoenixDog@lemmy.world 75 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Should have removed Tik Tok the moment you downloaded it.

[–] edwardbear@lemmy.world 31 points 3 days ago (1 children)

or never download it in the first place…

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[–] KneeTitts@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

How is this NOT government censorship? How is this NOT a direct violation of everyone's freedom of speech rights???

edit: yes I Know tikkk tokkk is a private company, but they are doing the censorship at the direction of, and for the benefit of the white house.

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[–] poor_choices@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 days ago (2 children)

God, you Yankees are sure winning at everything

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well sure, you didn't think Trump "saved" it did you. He bought it.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

he didn't buy anything, he stole it :)

[–] daannii@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Also pro Palestine stuff is blocked

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Ironic considering Israel was behind Epstein and Ghisline . Must be a coincidence

[–] mechoman444@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I downloaded tiktok when it first came out scrolled through it for a while. Realized there was no porn on it and then uninstalled it.

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[–] TheMinister@sh.itjust.works 41 points 3 days ago

Who saw that coming

[–] DaMummy@hilariouschaos.com 8 points 2 days ago

Suicide didn't Epstein himself.

[–] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Why are you still using Tik-Tok.

You know it's compromised, yet still try to make it work.

[–] Zwrt@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Who are you talking too? Not likely to find many here.

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[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago

They knew it was a Chinese info-stealing tool before and didn't care. But they weren't afraid of the Chinese administration coming to their house to threaten them.

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 30 points 3 days ago (8 children)

Newest inductee to the Dead App Club.

The fascists will descend upon it. It will turn to garbage. The only value in staying will be to study what incels are like close up.

As an older millennial who was around when all this social media bullshit started, I've accepted that attending app funerals is a normal part of life and there's always a new app to move on to. Not a big deal.

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

It is a big deal that 99.9% of idiots won't leave the platform and instead will be getting all kinds of propaganda.

This isn't like Digg -> Reddit. This is something else.

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[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (8 children)

On the positive side, the fediverse has just been given a new use case for a lot of disaffected TikTok users.

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 36 points 3 days ago (3 children)

On the negative side...

People who have lived half a decade on algorithm-fed short-form video feeds are not looking to replace it with text message boards and still image memes.

They're going to stay exactly where they are and just have the nutrient mix of the IV adjusted.

[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Each batch of crazy at Twitter moved people off Twitter and to Mastodon and Bluesky. Loops won't catch them all but it'll get some.

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[–] mriormro@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

If you haven't deleted your tiktok account by now, then I don't know what to tell you.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Good thing I never had a TikTok account.

[–] PissingIntoTheWind@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Larry Ellison will lose billions on this. TikTok will go the way of MySpace.

[–] MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip 13 points 3 days ago (3 children)

It seems like a no-lose for aspiring oligarchs, buying a social media platform with a large enough left and/or youth user base:

  1. muck with the algorithm until what remains is a new right-wing echo chamber; or
  2. accidentally sink the whole platform, but at least you wrecked a popular place for left-wing messaging; or
  3. somehow not meaningfully change the status quo, and end up with loads of user data and ad revenue.
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[–] scroll_responsibly@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

One can hope… but Twitter still exists and people were saying the same thing about that when Elmo bought it.

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[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 13 points 3 days ago

Do you think Trump is guilty? LOL I hate this country.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

TBH the only surprising thing here is that outside the USA users can still search it. Apparently the "US-based" TikTok doesn't need to follow their own rules outside the USA, almost like ByteDance is still the majority owner and the algorithm is still in Beijing.

[–] PhAzE@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Just write it Esptien instead.

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[–] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

“But I can search Tiananmen Square again, checkmate commies!”

—Man with pit vipers live-streaming from inside his F-150

[–] foggianism@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Epstein+Trump... just checking something

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[–] Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I yearn for the days when Tiktok was still Chinese spyware, instead of US/Israeli spyware. Leftist agitprop really popped of there for a while.

[–] IntrovertTurtle@lemmy.zip 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I yearn for the days when people didn't willingly install Spyware at all.

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[–] Ironfist79@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well gee, if it isn't exactly what we said would happen when they allowed Oracle to buy Tiktok.

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[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Remember when Google had the same “glitch” right after the inauguration?

The only way this happens is if there’s custom handling for these queries, and ask why there would be custom handling for things anti Trump?

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