One of the claims on TikTok is that it might try to spread false news, or influence the election, like what Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer just did to Israel, and Biden did regarding Covid. 
False Information and Information Suppression
Recall Hillary’s nonsense that Russia cost her the elections in 2016. The media was OK with that. Media also suppressed all the facts on the Hunter Biden laptop.
The EU banned the website Russia Today (RT) on grounds it was spreading propaganda. The US wants to do the same.
Radio Free Europe reports Two Years Into EU Ban, Russia’s RT And Sputnik Are Still Accessible Across The EU
Biden Officials, CDC Pressured Social Media Giants
Please note that on September 8, 2023, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Finds Biden Officials, CDC Pressured Social Media Giants.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that President Joe Biden’s White House and the Centers for Disease Control likely violated the Constitution’s First Amendment by asking social media companies to crack down on misinformation about COVID-19.
The Supreme Court took questions on that case today.
Supreme Court Voices Skepticism of Censorship Claims Against Government according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Supreme Court appeared doubtful Monday of claims that the government violated the Constitution when it urged social-media platforms to remove misleading posts about Covid-19 and other public safety risks, absent some threat of official retribution.
The Republican attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, along with several individuals who complained that online platforms suppressed their antivaccine views at the government’s request, filed the First Amendment suit in 2022. Lower courts have largely sided with the plaintiffs, but the high court during oral arguments on Monday voiced more sympathy with the Biden administration’s defense.
Liberal justices questioned whether any plaintiffs suffered harms that gave them a right to sue. And justices across the spectrum expressed skepticism that the government’s interactions with the platforms, even if heated, amounted to official restraint.
“It’s probably not uncommon for government officials to protest an upcoming story on surveillance or detention policy and say, ‘If you run that, it’s going to harm the war effort and put Americans at risk,’” said Kavanaugh, who served in the George W. Bush White House when surveillance and detention policies were front-page news.
Warning, Free Speech Could Lead to People Speaking Freely
Appropriately, The Babylon Bee reports Ketanji Brown Jackson Warns Right To Free Speech Could Lead To People Speaking Freely
What’s The TikTok Ban Really About?
The US claims it’s a security measure aimed at China specifically. Why all the other garbage in the bill then?
What’s Else Is in the Bill?
Hey, let’s enshrine Biden’s defense of pressuring media into law and let President [Biden or Trump] take your pick, determine what websites to ban.
Et Tu, Scott Adams?
Even Dilbert writer Scott Adams is in on the nonsense.
Check out his Adams’ amazingly silly idea that protesting the ban is proof that the ban is needed.
Similarly, protests against the Vietnam War were proof that the war needed to go on.
Dangerous Precedent
“The Bill would set a new and more dangerous precedent for the US Government in regarding to cracking down on Tech Companies and Online Content.”
A friend of mine supports the bill. He claims “China does it too“.
Is the US supposed to sink to the lowest common denominator based on playground logic, “But mom, Susie did it too.“?
Curiously, the bill passed 352 to 65. Both sides must be hoping their guy is the next president so they can set the social media agenda for the next four years.
I side with the extremely odd group of AOC, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rand Paul, and Elon Musk who is against the bill.
I’m Putting Together a Group to Buy TikTok, Details Coming
The TikTok ban has nothing to do with a very narrow focus about yelling “fire” in a theater as my friend claims.
This is about a very broad brush push against free speech. It’s also marching down a political path that will let the president define what websites to ban and what political agendas are allowed.
The bill would legitimize political pressure from the White House on national security grounds (think Covid) even if that is not the stated intent.
That was the point I was making in my March 17, post I’m Putting Together a Group to Buy TikTok, Details Coming
It’s obvious, but few see. Some do see it, but expect their party to be the one that will set the rules.
Meanwhile, the US constantly moans about election interference when the US is the biggest violator and hypocrite in the whole world.
We can’t let anyone do to us what we do to others. We can yell fire, and only the winner [Biden or Trump] gets to decide when.
As the Babylon Bee warns “Free Speech Could Lead to People Speaking Freely.”
We can’t have that because who knows what Russia or China might say.
Freedom is certainly messy, huh? Our choice is CCP manipulation or Global fascism manipulation masquerading as freedom. Wish there was a way to cheer for a healthier culture, especially for the kids. Data mining “channels” (social media) that have 12 year olds calling Congress and crying to save or else they’ll commit suicide is what we used to call a “clue” indicating a really sick culture.
“Check out his Adams’ amazingly silly idea that protesting the ban is proof that the ban is needed.
Similarly, protests against the Vietnam War were proof that the war needed to go on.”
Mish:
this is why ive been a fan of you for a decade+
TRUTH, is the best comedy!!
Too bad half of humans operate on emotion, and not logic….
A complete picture of censuring free speech should include mention of Republican requests to social media platforms to take down posts. In this example it was Twitter where the staff maintained a database of Republican requests. Please petition your friend Elon to make public this database so we can see what free speech the old Twitter suppressed. Thank you.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elon-trump-twitter-files-collusion-biden-censorship-1234675969/
Rolling Stone? Real credible source there. Did they find another University of Virginia fraternity rape too?
You forgot to list Putin’s meddling in the 2024 election. Here he says he prefers Biden because he is more mature and predictable.
https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-says-he-prefers-more-predictable-biden-over-trump-2024-02-14/
Totalitarian manureholes of no value, always resort to speech-, as well as general freedom-, repression, in order to keep the stupid and easily indoctrinated among their captive dupes, from obtaining non-propaganda-ministry vetted information. The dump referred to as The West being no different. The utter rabble owning and running the dumps, couldn’t even remotely hack it in any free world, so banning freedom is all they are left to do.
List of banned apps by China:
Search engines
News
Music, books and shopping
Gaming
Cryptocurrency
In fact, all crypto trading is banned in China.
Tit for Tat. If the Chinese Communist Party wants to sell here then we should be able to sell there too. This has nothing to do with a free market because obviously there is not a free market there neither of services nor ideas.
Yes, by all means let’s trash the constitution and free speech and act like China.
Moreover, let’s give Biden the authority to decide what websites to ban.
Can you think?
When was the last time you tried?
Yes I can think very well Mish. I just don’t think that the CCP has our interests in mind. You on the other hand are a strict Libertarian ideologue and have difficulty thinking that perhaps Libertarian principles can be wrong in some cases. I just want China to allow our apps into China too as they once were. It is also a free speech problem because China doesn’t allow anti-Chinese memes to develop on TiKtok.
fukChina let them sow their own demise. That’s where “control” leads. This dumb legislation is about MORE control/bigger govt.
Read the USA constitution, and the federalists papers. USA is supposed to be about less control, and small govt. Which one are you for??
Ban TikTok and then let the Chinese government through ByteDance take it court and have the court decide. Is that OK with you? That is how we do it in the US to determine if a law follows the constitution or not.
“..take it court and have the court decide. Is that OK with you? That is how we do it in the US..”
IOW: Rob talented developers, as well as the millions talented enough to parlay those guys’ development into further developments.
All in order to empower and enrich gaggles of ambulance chasing, useless, imbecile, negative-value-add rabble who serve ZERO useful purpose whatsoever.
The more civilized parts of the world, will continue to use TikTok as long as it is the best platform at what it does. In the process leaving the bent over captives of the US ever further behind while they are stuck stewing in mediocrity imposed on them for no other reason than to enrich trash like Mnuchin and armies of useless ambulance chasers.
Back when America was something to aspire to: Live and let live was how “we” did it. That’s why “we” were at one point a more worth vile place than the totalitarian “need permission from crowns and courts” hellholes of Europe and Asia.
This goes past tiktok. As per usual they are lieing to get you onboard.
Who is “they”? The CCP? Why they wouldn’t lie to us!
If the US goverment is worried about communist propaganda, should ban Harvard textbooks, Oliver Stone movies or Bernie Sanders speeches instead of Tik Tok, I suppose…
Xristal Nacht in NYC upper west side : The Kosher Effy cafe was vandalized. The mob shuddered the front : free Palestine. Ethnic cleansing. Israel bomb children. The liberal
Jewish enclave in the upper west side got a dose of reality. The antisemitism of Germany in the 30’s is rising in the US, France and the UK.
Biden’s daughter is married to a Jewish doctor. Trump grandchildren are Jewish.
Effi is an Iranian Jew. In Iran antisemitism is the lowest, lower than in NYC and Londonistan. Absolute “Freedom of Expression” can spread out of control.
Iran wouldn’t have allowed an unruly mob to vandalize Effi cafe, target other businesses or to do what they want.
Like in the 30’s, the fault lines are being drawn.
No : Biden’s daughter is married to a Jewish doctor. Biden is no Hitler. Things are out of control, bc Biden and his DOJ are focused on prosecuting Trump.
He allowed Bernie to run the US finance.
I don’t think the Supes will go for this.
‘“My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways.” – Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (not a biologist)
This is the ONLY thing anyone needs to know about this whole criminal ploy. Fuk her and her commie govt
The Constitution is supposed to hamstring the government. That’s its purpose! Who wants a bunch or retarded, elected grifters without any checks?
China clamped HK in the year of the dragon. Insurrection : life in prison. Terrorism : 20 years. Instigation : 7 years. Instigation with a foreign connection : 10 years. Spying : 20 years. Illegal holding of secret documents : between 4y years and 10 years. Access to lawyers : limited.
One country, two systems till 2047?
And where would we be if they already had these abilities? Esp with the other crap in the bill! Eating bugs, covid passports, lockdowns,and all the other dystopian crap. They pass this sign your death warrant.
This is a matter much deeper then wholesale censorship by use of government boot upon media.
It entails the abdication of political responsibility to serve a constituency that elected government administration in the first place. Replacing that voting constituency with a donor class of Oligarchs who then determine self serving policy.
In addition there remains the Supreme Court Chevron decision which subjugated citizens ability to challenge government bureaucrats, leading to the rise of entrenched power to flow to those staffing all the multiple letter Federal and State agencies.
So what is to be done about abusing Governmental power by the administrators?
Certainly nothing will change other then for the worse if Biden gets installed for a second term.
However Trump coming back in does present a chance for a radical overhaul of administrative actions. Currently he is being championed as a Transformative candidate. That remains to be seen.
Whom he chooses as VP and other slots will set tone for exactly how serious he is about reformatting Government policy to make permanent changes in Washington.
For a while I thought he would make overtures to Robert Kennedy as that would effectively had made over Republican Party into a resurrection of what was the Old working class party.
There are other Candidates for VP, but Trump must pick someone who fully believes that Government needs to be fundamentally restructured and will have the Balls to see it thru to completion. This is a Huge task and quite serious business or the country is going to get lost.
Vivek for VP!
My understanding is Trump already informed him that he was not in running for VP.
However cabinet level position of Homeland Security was where Vivek would be very effective.
VP for Viveksection. Bit radical but I am sure Harris would be OK with it.
Winsome Sears, the lt gov of VA.
I like her a lot but she still seems to need some seasoning.
Am of opinion whomever he chooses for running mate will be able to project true command and leadership.
Wouldn’t surprise me if it is someone from Military of stature. Fits ‘Peace thru Strength’ motto. Big part of 2nd Trump administration must be disentanglement from all the Wars Biden has created.
By the way, I increasingly think No Labels is going to put Romney at the top of their ticket. This is entirely a matter of the process of elimination. I can’t think of any other nationally known R who might do it other than Pence. The question would be what D they will be able to find for the #2 slot.
Oh, and please try to spare me any caterwauling. I am not any sort of Romney advocate, nor am I interested in anyone’s opinion of his merits. My only interest would be about the possible impact on the two parties if my wild guess comes true.
The election will not be decided by the stalwarts on either side, but by the 50% of the electorate that doesn’t much like either Senile Joe or the Andrew Jackson Wannabe from Queens. I had somewhat higher hopes for No Labels being at least serious until just about everyone under the sun began turning them down since the beginning of the year.
We shall see soon enough.
Since the Nation is effectively splitting into two camps those who want a Sovereign country and those who want a Globalist pseudo communist
authoritarian state there is not going to be much of a Fence to sit upon for the undecided.
Trump has depth of field to look at. Someone like Abbott of Texas has the credentials. Huckabee from Arkansas has been on the national stage. Trump is not vindictive, DeSantis and he could come to terms.
DeSantis has the military background and Abbott does not shirk from using Law Enforcement to enforce the Law.
The choice would come from those regions which are rising. South or Midwest as West Coast and Northeast decline in importance.
I mean no disrespect to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, it is still early in the day and I think of her in my mind as a Huckabee.
“The Bill would set a new and more dangerous precedent for the US Government in regarding to cracking down on Tech Companies and Online Content.”
The government wants to be able to lie to us with impunity. The false government narrative was “safe and effective.” Facebook shut down a group of 150,000 people who were injured by the Covid shot. The mainstream media endlessly parroted the false narrative for the government, instead of investigating the truth. It was online content that exposed the truth. The government wants it blocked for its self serving purposes, to the detriment of the American people.
Unless we have unfettered free speech we will never know the ability of US citizens to make informed, wise decisions. Not unlike children needing to learn by being the latitude to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. This learning process is often short circuited by many adults, parents, teachers, & athletic coaches not unlike all knowing government experts!
The government has the threat of “regulation” when the social media platforms do not fall in line. With all the regulation, every business is in violation of something at all times. If the government wants to go after you, they can and will.
I’m a right-wing nutjob and I wouldn’t want Donald Trump to have this power over social media companies and I definitely don’t want Biden (his handlers) to have this power either.
Right wing nut job or a sane person in an insane world?
Of course the government needs to squash free speech. How else can the criminals in DC get away with it.
To note: Biden’s proposed 2025 budget is $7.3 Trillion! That is $57,000 for every US income tax payer (129 million according to US debt clock). How can this possibly continue? Now wonder they’re importing a bunch of military aged men and seeking to recruit them into the army. As the Roman emperor Septimius Severus said, “first pay the army!” What better way to complete their victory over the American people.
Here’s a good article from Tom Luongo on Biden’s proposed budget.
https://tomluongo.me/2024/03/18/biden-hail-mary-budget-anchor-baby/
Ban judging freedom Napolitano with col MickeyG for poisoning people’s minds. Ban Scott Ritter who was looking for WMD instead of the Shia militia in Iraq.
Ban Micheal Engle and his Zionist talking points. This is America not Israel.
Judge Napolitano is a Constitutional lawyer. He stands for the founding principles of America which includes the Bill of Rights. Micheal Engle is an Israeli stooge. He is for exploiting American tax payers for the benefit of Israel. It’s all about what benefits his tribe and to hell with the American people. I’m a big fan of the Judge. I despise Michael Engle and his kind.
Bing Videos
Why is this in the economics section when it belongs in politics?
Because it’s Mish’s site and he can put it wherever he pleases?
Gee, you are smart! Got any other obvious gems for us this morning? LOL
Because economics is completely politicized. It always has been which is why it’s called political economy.
If that is the case, then why have separate sections at all? Look, he can do whatever he wants, that much being blindingly obvious to anyone with a third digit in his I.Q., but the current mishmash makes no logical sense. Kill me now, but I am something of a fan of logic.
Because when TikToc is banned, some companies will benefit so it can be construed as economic more than political.
“Biden Officials, CDC Pressured Social Media Giants”
The CDC lied to the American people about antiviral drugs which work against Covid. The CDC lied to the American people about the Covid shots. People who were telling the truth were blocked from social media. Mainstream media, which runs a plethora of pharma ads, covered up the truth and still are.
The claim is that Biden didn’t force, so it is OK. It is semantic. James Baker was embedded at Twitter, as a former government employee. When Musk took over, he interfered with Taibbe’s investigation of the Twitter files. Baker was not being loyal to the company, but to the government. Musk fired him. The government is back door interfering with social media companies First Amendment rights, whether or not the Supreme Court sides with Biden on the basis of a technicality. Public health agency disinformation endangered people’s lives. The public had a right to know the truth.
A solution could be a free platform version anointed by the ruling guild and an uncensored paid version which is already starting to happen with some platforms and podcasters like Tim Poole and Rokfin.
All the uni-party really wants is to keep the feeble minded under their boot. Most of them will not pay to be un-feebleminded and frankly, some people just can’t tolerate the deep end of the pool. Let them stay in the kiddie pool where they belong. Everyone wins.
That pesky Bill of Rights is real obstacle to governance!
I guess the right to lie is what’s for sale here?
As for the pressure exerted by presidential administrations and various government-affiliated agencies on the (social) media, familiarize yourself with ”operation mockingbird” and understand that the ties that bind are much tighter than they were 50 years ago. “The Media” is consolidated in a handful of companies and one can digitally make visual media that far surpasses the green screen magic on display in the film “Wag the Dog”.
The theatre of the absurd!
Political campaigns in the U.S. are months of nonstop advertising, all trying to ”influence” potential voters. Evidently if it’s backed by $ then it is free speech and if it isn’t, then the message better be approved by the authorities.
If one clutches their pearls about something misleading or “false” potentially duping members of the electorate, I suggest they take a different tack instead of pushing censorship. Advocate for a more intellectual electorate! Encourage critical thinking instead of emotional reaction (which is devoid of reasoning or thoughtfulness)!
Also, where is the outcry against false and misleading information when it comes from the federal government or one of its subsidiaries? For example:
Fauci knowingly promoting the ‘wet market’ theory, pinning everything on some peasant wanting to make bat soup while conspiring to silence intelligent and scientifically factual conversation, for example. Should be cause for embarassment, but in the aftermath of the disclosure there wasn’t a single blushed cheek. Even after the disclosure the involved and many media outlets attempted to spin it as innocent openmindedness, despite the lies and character attacks that were spread.
https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-suppression-of-the-lab-leak-hypothesis-was-not-based-in-science/
“Key Takeaways
”
“Shortly after the pandemic began, Daszak effectively silenced debate over the possibility of a lab leak with a February 2020 statement in the Lancet.2 “We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that covid-19 does not have a natural origin,” said the letter, which listed Daszak as one of 27 coauthors. Daszak did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The BMJ.”
https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1656
Fauci should be reassigned to Haiti.
Ketanji Brown-Jackson doesn’t know the difference between a man and a woman and worries about the first amendment hamstringing the government. Stepin Fetchit was smarter than this woman
Thou shalt not question the wisdom of a black woman (assigned female at birth) on the Supreme Court.
Information warfare … Mis -> factually incorrect by error. But science is empirical, not certain. Hume, Black Swan problem. Dis -> incorrect by design to mislead. OMG ban all metaphors! Lol. Mal -> Factually true, but the truth is inconvenient to the powers that be. Cf. Biden WH and Covid, Hunter’s laptop etc.WTF?
Are humans data points and society simply an engineering problem? Does language speak the thing? Think, “fiat lux” from Genesis. Why are metaphors and figurative language even legal? Lol. Is truth simply what Power says it is?
The Sun King. “L’etat, c’est moi.”
Sophistry, the art of persuasion which literally means the art of wisdom, was investigated in depth by the ancient Greeks. Information warfare is sophistry with a far greater reach and far more insidious in its ability to fabricate, disseminate and hence persuade. This is a big problem when Power can use lawfare and threat of violence both implicitly and explicitly to silence opposition. Think Navalny. Think Trump.
None of this is even close to accordance with our firewall and social contract, the constitution and bill of rights. Yet Justices are leaning towards the National Security State? Corruption, ignorance, both?
The US Constitution guarantees free speech for citizens to protest government actions. Free speech was never meant to be an indirect channel of psychological attacks on the US by foreign governments. Free speech within the US, but filtered speech entering the US.
Then who selects and oversees the filters?
As soon as the flow of information is restricted/controlled, someone or something is deciding what information you are allowed to receive. If you’re comfortable with a little of that, then you should be comfortable with a little more. Iteratively, it could increase to the point where you would no longer approve and then personally label it as censorship.
EVERYTHING GETS FILTERED. There will be some slippage by the mere fact people travel overseas, but that is a drip compared to the army of disinformation grunts safely in our adversary’s country.
Ah yes, surrender your ability to process information and let ‘the government’ protect you from the nefarious army of foreigners waiting to take you down. If this is a significant concern of yours, then note what I wrote later in the comment section:
“If one clutches their pearls about something misleading or “false” potentially duping members of the electorate, I suggest they take a different tack instead of pushing censorship. Advocate for a more intellectual electorate! Encourage critical thinking instead of emotional reaction (which is devoid of reasoning or thoughtfulness)!”
The antidote to darkness is light, to falsehood is truth. If you’re susceptible to being led around by the nose by an “army of disinformation grunts” then perhaps it is good that you want someone to protect you from yourself.
Is there a human right progressives are actually in favor of? I can’t think of one.
Progressive is such a misnomer!
Yes. Those sickos crave the right to diddle children and groom them in any way they want. That’s the entire platform of the Human Right Campaign ….they are no longer disguising it