While the US TikTok ban is a bit muddied right now, there is an ongoing effort in Canada to ban the platform using similar conspiracy theories.
In the US, the TikTok ban has become extremely messy politically. Indeed, at different times, both Trump and Biden were pushing hard to have the platform banned over conspiracy theories that the platform is a Chinese mind controlling device. This along with other conspiracy theories such as the claim that TikTok is a unique privacy threat that requires a unique ban from the US market. Obviously, there is no evidence to speak of even after all of this time. The US intelligence community was brought in before Congress to showcase all the evidence that they had so they can prove once and for all that the threats are real. In response, the intelligence community admitted that they got nothing. Instead, all they had was speculation and hypotheticals.
Of course, we live in a post truth society now and for organizations like mainstream media, everything is made up and the facts don’t matter. So, despite the complete lack of evidence on hand to support the conspiracy theories about TikTok, the push to ban TikTok was tentatively successful when the US Supreme court ruled that free speech doesn’t matter when the government screams “NATIONAL SECURITY!!!” As a result, TikTok ultimately got banned for reasons that were completely unsupported by actual evidence or reality.
As I pointed out in response, one of the major problems in this whole sorry affair is the precedence this sets. The precedence is that the government can, on a whim, ban or block any internet website or service they damned well feel like and there is nothing anyone can do once the government made up its mind. Evidence, of course, matters little in such cases since the government can ban anything they like because they just feel like it. There was, of course, some really optimistic takes out there suggesting that this could ultimately be a one time thing and that, for America, it won’t happen again they swear. I was ultimately really skeptical about that because if you give the government an inch on the issue of censorship, they will take a mile. As a result, I noted how the conditions were ripe for the American government to repeat the mistakes of Napster by initiating a never ending unwinnable game of whack-a-mole with platforms.
Well, right on cue, the very next day, there was already a push to have TikTok alternative, Rednote, banned. This under similar conspiracy theories that the app was a Chinese mind controlling device and a threat to privacy. Really, it didn’t take long for my point to be proven at all.
Another major problem with this whole sorry affair is the fact that an estimated 170 million American’s enjoy the platform. This generated tens of billions in economic activity resulting in hundreds of thousands of jobs. As others have pointed out, this move to ban TikTok is a major job killing move that stands to piss off, at minimum, a third of the country. This barely got mentioned throughout the debate, but it is a hugely important point. It does explain why both Biden and Trump ultimately flip-flopped on this issue with Biden saying he won’t enforce the ban (isn’t that an oath of office violation?) and Trump altering the conditions of the law (some have wondered if that’s technically a violation of the oath of office). Both ultimately realized, far too late, that banning TikTok was a really bad idea because it alienates American’s.
You would think that people in other countries would learn from the mistakes of the US. If you are really truly concerned about privacy, then pass federal privacy reforms to address these issues across the board. Targeting a single platform is a really bad idea because it solves nothing while alienating your own electorate. Of course, the problem with all of that is that it’s logical and reasonable and, for government, that’s about the last thing they’d want to do. In Canada, that appears to be exactly what is happening.
According to the Toronto Sun, government officials are using conspiracy theories in a seeming bid to have TikTok banned in Canada:
National Security analysts said in a sworn federal affidavit that TikTok is promoting videos that appeal to teens to encourage young Canadians to rely on the Chinese app “as their primary source of ‘unbiased news.’”
The Intelligence Assessment Secretariat of the Privy Council said it was a long-term strategy to “influence future leaders,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“A hefty percentage of Canadians are on TikTok and it is easier for China to reach Canadians through a series of 10-second videos than through articles in traditional media,” said the affidavit filed with the Commission on Foreign Interference.
“Proliferation of social media platforms has influenced how adversaries shape the information environment and how they engage with youth. Tools like TikTok, for example, are ripe ground for targeting Canada’s youth, especially since TikTok content is moderated and influenced by China. The security and intelligence community is aware of this threat.”
The hypocrisy and stupidity of this is laid on thick here. First of all, there is a damned good reason why younger generations are resorting to social media to get unfiltered news while turning away from traditional sources. This is because mainstream media has spent decades regularly bashing younger generations. A great example is the very tired Millennials have killed [insert literally anything here] meme that the mainstream media has long been in love with. Mainstream media has generally trivialized problems facing younger generations such as the issues of wage suppression, cost of housing, the rising costs of tuition, student debt, the mental health crisis, and more. What’s more, the mainstream media has long bashed the very things that younger generations turn to to get some kind of relief. Whether that is bashing or ignoring modern music, pushing moral panics surrounding video games, or, as this case so vividly highlights, bashing social media for being some kind of scourge to society (as opposed to the enormous opportunities it presents). Is it really that big of a surprise that the generations that the mainstream media have been bashing for decades are tuning out mainstream media? What the hell did you expect? That younger generations are all going to collectively stayed glued to the television set nodding to every word about how terrible of a person they are every day? Give me a break.
When younger generations are going to turn to social media, they can watch or listen to content that doesn’t say that playing video games is a complete waste of time. They are going to consume content talking about the latest things about games, suggestions on what cool adventures are waiting for you if you check out a certain game from 5 or 10 years ago, and, more importantly, that content isn’t going to be sitting there being judgmental about your life decisions (which, honestly, could be a heck of a lot worst if you really must rely on the meme that video games are terrible for you). The outcomes are obvious. People are going to turn to social media so they can get the real scoop on things they care about, not what the mainstream media dictates is important to them.
Second of all, there has yet to be any evidence that TikTok is some sort of Chinese mind controlling device. I mean, seriously, how the heck am I being influenced by the Chinese government if I’m watching a video of funny cat videos on TikTok? Seriously, it makes no sense.
Third, the fact that online platforms in general have become popular among the youth is not an inherent threat. Unless you are in the business of controlling speech and saying that your narrative must be the only narrative that is accepted in society (ala dictatorship), then this shouldn’t be problematic. If anything, all it is is a sign of where people have moved to. If you want to reach out to younger generations (just like how the Liberal Party themselves have hypocritically been using while arguing that they shouldn’t be used by anyone).
Buried at the bottom of the article is a statement which really summarizes what TikTok is really about:
“It’s really a place for creativity and joy,” said Steve de Eyre, public policy director with TikTok Canada. “We are not a Chinese company. We have never provided information, Canadian user data, to the Chinese government. TikTok isn’t available in China. We couldn’t provide that information if we were asked.”
Much like the United States, an effort to ban TikTok is a constitutional nightmare. Canada does have freedom of expression protections in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Additionally, there are over 12 million TikTok users in Canada. That’s the number of people that will be pissed off at the government should the government actually try to ban the platform. What’s more, all the economic activity and jobs that have been created in Canada will suddenly be at risk. Also, banning TikTok is going to solve exactly nothing because users are going to just flock to other platforms or find ways of skirting the ban. You run the risk of initiating a Canadian version of whack-a-mole because you know damned well it’s not going to stop at just TikTok.
Ultimately, it’s really embarrassing and stupid to witness government officials engaging in this stupidity in the first place. I’d like to think that this stupidity is going to stop at the discussion stage when people realize what a monumentally stupid idea it all is, but given the precedent of the Online News Act and Online Streaming Act, being idiots on anything technological is not only something the government is known for, but they are actually proud of their stupidity to boot. So, really, the government is dumb enough to make an attempt to repeat the same mistakes as the American’s. It would be hilarious if ordinary Canadian’s weren’t the ones paying the price for all of this.
(Via @SWBenzie)
