#tiktok is not owned by an american entity

[srldesigns6277]

Why is it that whenever I wish to scream, I am at work?

[moki-dokie]

i'm like actually legitimately loving that the result of the tiktok ban is decimating decades of propaganda against china in record time. everyone is flocking to the actual chinese-owned version of tiktok called rednote where they are being welcomed so warmly with the silliest jokes like "i'm your assigned chinese spy! i've been waiting for you! welcome!" alskdjgsld. folks are already making attempts to learn some mandarin to better interact with the chinese users. everyone realizing what our own government collects on us is twice as harmful as anything ccp could do with it. everyone waking up to the fact that every fucking facet of the american internet is designed to harvest and sell personal data off of you so what the fuck does it actually matter anyway if one more entity does it. us government managed to speedrun undoing their own fucking brainwashing it's so goddamn funny.

[soon-palestine]

Tim Walz is a regular speaker at the Minnesota Israel lobby where he said anyone who refuses to recognize the genocidal Israeli rape-torture entity is an "anti-Semite", just recently said he fully stands behind Israel's rape and genocide of Palestinians, and wants the Zionist lobby to write the curriculum on Israel and Palestine to erase Palestinians from existence. He literally wants to indoctrinate and brainwash children in school into Zionism and anti-Palestinian genocidal racism. He said that explicitly. He wants to teach kids to hate Palestinians and support their genocide. That is fucking insane. This guy is a fucking deranged freak. And they're memeing him into an epic based radical.

Tim Walz is a fanatical deranged fully owned Israel lobby plaything, exactly like Kamala Harris, and Shapiro, and all the other Democrats. There is no difference in policy that is going happen with these fucking freaks in charge. They're identical to Genocide Joe. Anyone who says otherwise with bullshit coconut memes is lying to you.

They are liars, intentionally lying to you, and pretending like there will be any difference. There will be no difference. Both will keep supporting the genocide of Palestinians because they're owned by the Israel lobby like John Mearsheimer just recently reiterated. As he says, without the US, Israel is nothing. It is beset with crises and on the verge of collapse, but the US keeps bailing it out with endless weapons, funding, and their own military moving in to protect this rape-torture death-cult masquerading as a society.

They will allow Israel to do whatever it wants, because it is Israel Uber Alles for these genocidal Zionist scum.

The only thing that has a possibility of changing it is when Palestinians, Arab and Muslim Americans and all those who oppose the genocide in states like Michigan say explicitly that they will not vote for Genocidal Zionist Queen Kamala Harris and Tim Walz unless they right now, at this very moment, make a policy change. Not bullshit abstract rhetoric and promises, right now. Now.

Don't buy the bullshit about "well she's just VP now, she has no power but she and Walz get in they will suddenly become epic and based and stop the genocide, just vote for them!" She is the head of the Democratic Party as the nominee she can force Genocide Joe to take a position if she wants to rescue her Presidential campaign and announce her own explicit policy of stopping funding, arms and diplomatic and military protection to the Israeli rape-cult. If she chooses not to, it means she is fine with losing and sticking with the Israel lobby.

I want you to reflect on just how unbelievably deranged the Tim Walz position of "we need to change the curriculum to brainwash our children into supporting Zionist genocide of evil Palestinian sub-human barbarians" is. His main selling point is "I was a high school teacher!", and he's endorsing pushing genocidal propaganda onto children to get them to support genocide. Holy shit. This by itself is disqualifying. Just change the context. Imagine he said: "All these people who oppose the Russian war on Ukraine, they're all brainwashed by TikTok and Twitter. We need to change the curriculum and you, the Russia lobby in the US, will have to change it for us, so we can brainwash our kids into supporting the war on Ukraine." Or even more absurd because it's difficult to even imagine it: Say he said it about Israel. Reverse the order: "All these people supporting the genocide of Palestinians are doing it based on propaganda from the Israel lobby and Zionists. We need to change the curriculum in schools to ensure that our children will learn the true history of the Nakba and the genocide and rape and massacre of Palestinians by Zionists and oppose it." He would not only not be VP, he would not be a dog-catcher in Minnesota, even though this is actually true. This curriculum would actually be based in actual history and not deranged Zionist propaganda. But he said it about Palestinians. He said he wants the genocidal Zionist Israel lobby in his state and every other state and country on earth to determine the curriculum of what children are forced to learn. Because his policy is not state-limited, he's expressing a universal view there about what he believes is best to teach all children everywhere. Tim Walz wants every US state and country on earth to let genocidal Zionists write their high school curriculum such that the rape and genocide of Palestinians is made justifiable by Israeli propaganda about how pristine Saintly white European Zionist Jews came to an empty desert land and made it bloom and then those fake Arabs made up their Palestinian identity to kill them because they're by their nature evil sub-human monsters. That's the Israeli Zionist narrative that Tim Walz wants every child on earth to be brainwashed into so that TikTok and Twitter posts of Israel beheading, maiming, massacring and raping Palestinian babies, children, boys, girls, women and men will be acceptable to them. They'll see it and go: "They deserve it, my high school teacher taught me they're evil barbarian terrorists." Tim Walz wants to dehumanize Palestinians through mass universal brainwashing of children so that their rape and genocide is made justifiable to them. This is utter madness. This guy is a fucking deranged and depraved monstrous freak. Holy shit.

[fiveeven]

TikTok Ban: A Little Too Convenient?

The TikTok ban saga has been wild to watch unfold, but honestly, the closer you look, the more questions arise. Between members of Congress holding Meta stock and Facebook’s sudden interest in integrating TikTok accounts, it feels less like a genuine privacy concern and more like a potential power play. Let’s break this down.

Congress Loves Meta—And Hates TikTok Did you know that several members of Congress own Meta stock? A 2023 analysis revealed that lawmakers with financial interests in Meta, Alphabet, and Snap could stand to benefit if TikTok faces a U.S. ban. This raises potential conflicts of interest, especially when these same lawmakers are involved in crafting legislation that directly affects TikTok.

Meanwhile, Meta, despite its long history of privacy violations (remember Cambridge Analytica?), doesn’t seem to face the same scrutiny. It’s hard not to wonder why Congress is suddenly so concerned about user privacy when it comes to TikTok but continues to give Meta a pass.

Meta’s Sudden Interest in TikTok Integration With TikTok under threat of a U.S. ban, Facebook recently added features allowing TikTok users to link their accounts to their profiles. While this feature aligns with broader trends of social media integration, the timing feels a little too coincidental. It suggests a strategic move by Meta to retain users who might migrate away from TikTok or prepare for an influx of creators seeking alternative platforms.

Even If Trump “Saves” TikTok, I’m Not Buying It Let’s say Trump swoops in and “saves” TikTok at the last minute. I still have serious concerns about what that actually means. Trump is transactional—he doesn’t do anything unless it benefits him or his allies. If TikTok is “saved,” I can’t help but wonder:

Does it get sold—in name only—to a U.S. company like Meta, keeping the same issues but with a different logo?

Does it stick around but get neutered, suppressing content like other corporate-owned platforms?

Or does it become a tool for pushing American propaganda, especially with initiatives like Project 2025 on the horizon?

These are just questions, but I think they’re valid ones. If TikTok survives under Trump’s “protection,” it’s unlikely to remain the platform we know today.

Is This Really About Privacy? The ban is framed as a response to concerns over data privacy and national security, but critics argue it might be more about corporate competition and information control. TikTok’s algorithm has surpassed its competitors in engagement and reach, making it a significant threat to U.S.-based platforms like Meta.

It’s worth noting that many social media platforms collect similar levels of user data, and the difference often lies in who owns the company. In TikTok’s case, its ties to China have made it a target for U.S. lawmakers.

The Bigger Picture Regardless of what happens with TikTok, the implications of this ban extend far beyond one app. It sets a precedent for government control over digital platforms, raising questions about freedom of expression, competition, and corporate influence.

If we’re not questioning these decisions now, we risk handing over even more control to a small group of powerful entities—whether they’re corporations, governments, or both.

[xhxhxhx]

Today, the Supreme Court handed down opinions in TikTok Inc. v. Garland, No. 24-656, slip op. (U.S. Jan. 17, 2025), sustaining the federal law banning the social media platform.

For my own sake, I tried to figure out what the law says and does, bracketing the First Amendment issues.

I.

The federal law at issue is the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, Pub. L. No. 118-50, div. H, 138 Stat. 955. It's a division of an April 2024 appropriations bill, a bundle that came with aid for Israel and Ukraine.

The Act targets "foreign adversary controlled applications," which it defines, in part, as applications operated by ByteDance, TikTok, their subsidiaries or successors, or any entity they own or control. § 2(g)(3)(A), 138 Stat. at 958.

The Act's prohibitions address app stores and web hosts. They're the ones who have to deny support to "foreign adversary controlled applications," and keep them off their platforms.

The Act makes it unlawful "to distribute, maintain, or update" the app by providing either (A) "a marketplace" through which users in the United States "may access, maintain, or update" the application, or (B) "internet hosting services" that enable "distribution, maintenance, or updating" for users in the United States. § 2(a)(1).

These prohibitions are only applicable to the territory of the United States and those within it. They address "carrying out, within the land or maritime borders of the United States," acts for "users within the land or maritime borders of the United States."

The territorial language, "the land and maritime borders of the United States," is not defined within the Act. Nor is it defined anywhere else in the U.S. Code. It's only used once. 6 U.S.C. § 124h(e).

That said, deducing "the land and maritime borders of the United States" should be fairly straightforward for someone familiar with the relevant boundary treaties and law of the sea, as understood by the political branches. It's just not something I understand.

II.

The Act targets "foreign adversary controlled applications," which it defines, in part, as applications operated by ByteDance, TikTok, their subsidiaries or successors, or any entity they own or control. § 2(g)(3)(A), 138 Stat. at 958.

The Act extends to covered companies "controlled by a foreign adversary," following a public notice and a public report to Congress, § 2(g)(3)(B), but ByteDance and TikTok are the only persons identified by name.

The language seems broad. But "controlled by foreign adversary" is fairly narrow. It means persons domiciled in "foreign adversary countries," entities they have a 20 percent stake in, and persons subject to their direction or control. § 2(g)(1). That's it.

The term "foreign adversary country" is defined obliquely, § 2(4), by reference to a military minerals procurement rule, 10 U.S.C. § 4872, but it only covers four countries, specified by name: North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran. 10 U.S.C. § 4872(d)(2).

The President could, in other words, ban applications operated by persons domiciled in North Korea, China, Russia, or Iran, or entities in which such persons have a 20 percent stake, or entities subject to their direction or control.

It doesn't sweep much further than that.

III.

The "foreign adversary country" limitation means the Act isn't an unconstrained delegation to the President.

It's not like the President's authority to "suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate." 8 U.S.C. § 1182(f); Exec. Order No. 13,769, 82 Fed. Reg. 8977 (Jan. 27, 2017).

Nor is it like the President's authority to restrict entry from countries "designated by the Secretary of State," or "designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security." 8 U.S.C. § 1187(a)(12); Exec. Order No. 13,780, § 1(b)(i), 82 Fed. Reg. 13209 (March 6, 2017).

Nor is it like the President's claimed authority to bar "any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd.," Exec. Order No. 13,942, § 1(a), 85 Fed. Reg. 48637 (Aug. 6, 2020), a claim that proved wanting. TikTok Inc. v. Trump, 507 F. Supp. 3d 92 (D.D.C. 2020); Marland v. Trump, 498 F. Supp. 3d 625 (E.D. Pa. 2020).

The Act is, mercifully, is more constrained than that.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Todd Spangler at Variety:

TikTok could fade to black in the U.S. in a matter of days after the Supreme Court rejected its appeal to halt a law that will ban the popular video app as of Jan. 19 unless Chinese parent ByteDance sells its stake. “There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the Supreme Court wrote in its opinion in the case. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.” The court said that “we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.” The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, [...]

In the event of an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling, TikTok has been planning to shut down the app in the U.S. on Sunday, Jan. 19. At that point, TikTok users will see a pop-up message linking to a site with information about the ban. TikTokers also will have the option to download their personal data. There still could be wiggle room for TikTok to avoid an immediate shutdown. The Biden administration is leaving the question of what to do about TikTok to President-elect Donald Trump, set to be sworn into office Jan. 20. Trump is trying to position himself to be seen as TikTok’s savior: He is considering issuing an executive order to suspend enforcement of the law for 60-90 days while he tries to hammer out a resolution to keep TikTok available, as first reported by the Washington Post — although it’s questionable whether Trump has the legal authority to pause the divest-or-ban law.

Trump may also instruct the government to not enforce the ban. But given that the law imposes fines of $5,000 per user on companies that distribute or host the TikTok app, tech companies like Apple, Google and Oracle (which has an agreement to host TikTok user data in the U.S.) may be reluctant to flout the ban. [...] The shutdown of the TikTok app in the United States would be a boon to rival platforms including Meta’s Instagram, Google’s YouTube and Snapchat. Amid the looming threat of the TikTok ban, Chinese-owned social app Xiaohongshu (aka Red Note) has soared in popularity this past week.

[...] The law doesn’t mandate the shutdown of TikTok per se. Rather, it prohibits Apple and Google’s app stores and web hosting services from distributing TikTok in the U.S. (under penalty of monetary fines) unless ByteDance sells its ownership stake in the app to an entity based in a country that is not designated a “foreign adversary” of the United States.

SCOTUS unanimously upholds TikTok ban in TikTok v. Garland, meaning that the app could be shut down as soon as this Sunday.

[qqueenofhades]

People are apparently saying "well I'm not gonna vote/vote for trump if tik tok is banned!"

I'm pretty sure they were already going to do that, this is just their excuse of the week

But more importantly, if a stupid app matters more to you than the actual lives trump and the republicans will deliberately destroy, well that says more about them don't it?

But wait... I thought they weren't going to vote because of Gaza/because Biden hasn't personally forgiven THEIR student loan/because something something corporate centrism/because something something garble garble??! Does this mean their excuses just change by the week according to whatever's in the headlines and have no actual logical coherence or adherence to a guiding principle? Surely you jest, good internet sir and/or madam. Shocking.

Anyway, also... they realize that this effort is being spearheaded by Republicans and is pretty transparently an attempt to get another huge social media platform (after the Bird App Formerly Known as Twitter) into the ownership of an ex-Trump Cabinet official and an investor group with Russian ties? And that voting for Trump would directly play into those people's hands? And that... wait, never mind. I still expect logic or reason to have any place in this discussion, and it doesn't. Just tell me Why They Aren't Voting For Biden!!! next week and maybe I can get ahead of the curve for once.

This, however, is likewise why I oppose this rushed and Republican-driven move to "ban TikTok!!" in a highly consequential election year and think somebody needs to talk some sense into Biden and/or the Senate that this is a stupid idea and should be shelved (or at the least, heavily revised or modified). Yes, TikTok being owned by a group with Chinese government ties isn't great, but there's no morally pure ultra-megacorp that's going to rush in to fill the void. Forcing the Chinese owners to divest will just create an opening for Trump's ex-Treasury Secretary and his Russian businessmen buddies to step in instead, and I don't know about you, but I don't think that's a net positive in terms of keeping Americans' personal data out of the hands of hostile foreign entities. We already have Musk shilling for the alt-right and the Russian government every chance he gets, using Twitter to prop up their narratives and their operations, and selling TikTok to a Trump/Russian-linked consortium in fucking 2024 would be an incredibly massive own goal and give MAGA and company virtually hegemonic control over American social media content. That is why I think this is a stupid idea and should be opposed, but also, I agree that people who are using this as their Excuse of the Week to not vote were deeply, deeply unlikely to vote in the first place.

This is also a perfect example of why "well now I won't vote >:[!!!!" as a threat/temper tantrum backfires every single time. If there are young people who are concerned about TikTok possibly being banned, and their response is to immediately throw temper tantrums about not voting, all that does is reinforce to elected officials that young people never vote, there is no need to make legislation that champions their interests, and they don't need to fear any electoral backlash because these people have already spent years announcing their intention to Not Vote at every opportunity and clearly aren't about to start now. They remove themselves further from the civic process at every turn, and they reinforce the narrative that young people as a group are not worth having their concerns or ideas prioritized, because even when politicians do other things that young people like and/or support, young people are poised to turn against them and urge No Vote!!! :( at the drop of a fucking hat. So, yeah. "Don't vote!" is always a stupid and self-defeating message, but I can't see how it's possibly supposed to convince politicians that a group of people already predisposed not to vote is going to make any difference from what they already do. So yeah. Like. Not that this surprises me, but it's literally the same threat they've echoed at every single turn, doesn't represent anything new, and will probably be changed 10 times before the election anyway.

[katakosmos]

i love your evan SO MUCH. in my mind he’s become his own fun little destructive entity and i need him. badly. i do fear he may be a gym bro…which brings me to my question. what are the gang doing at the olympics (basically, which of them is stephen and which of them is the muffin man. and why.) LOVE!

thank you 🥰 i love my evan too 🥰 probably cause i know he could destroy me 🥰

(yes he'd be a gym bro)

btw. there are too many sports in the olympics for me to even remotely know what they consist of, so i won't get into things that are too strange (and so i don't know if i'll be able to give all the characters a sport 😭)

james for me is a world pole vault champion. i think the reason he loves quidditch is because he loves flying, not kicking a ball into three circles. so no football for him. in a fic that i started writing (but, obviously, never finished) lily and james met on an athletics field cause lily practiced hammer throw. in a domestic context, james would reach high shelves while lily assembles furniture and lifts the sofa when james loses something underneath it. they go to the olympics together and kiss from the stands.

(honorable mention to that french guy who knocked over the pole with his dick. james coded.)

sirius fencing makes sense, and he's so good at it that you can't take your eyes off him. sirius' fencing is a declaration of love, it hypnotizes you, it moves you. it's not an equal fight: there's no chance, he has to win because he brings fencing to a poetic and emotional level. he plays a whole different sport

...but i think he'd hate sweating under his mask and getting his hair greasy. LMAO.

peter fits in rugby but personally i think he would slay in a gymnastics competition: he does perfect floor routines. before a competition he needs silence and concentration, so he side-eyes anyone who speaks to him. he's so scary that everyone's afraid of him.

dorcas practices martial arts, and i can see her doing kung fu, which is very choreographic and acrobatic. but unfortunately, kung fu is not in the olympics and therefore... she would probably do gymnastics too. but mhmmmmm, it's not really her vibe.

mary runs. no questions and no explanations. and she wins the gold medal with thick eyelashes and a 5cm long set of nails. she can also run on heels. this woman is not to be underestimated.

barty is a shooter. and he absolutely loves to terrify people by saying he has a gun. he's precise, he has a lot of fun and he thinks his professional glasses are very, very cool. buttt, when he doesn't have a clear advantage he gets angry and starts losing, so he never won a medal. he's famous for his little smirk every time he hits the bullseye, and people think he's very hot.

marlene would either do the best known sport in the world (football) or the most unknown one (underwater hockey). so let's put them together: water polo. if i'm honest though marlene doesn't have a personality in my head so i don't know 😭

pandora maybe diving? she's very good at it but she always comes second behind the chinese athlete, and this makes her furious. she smiles at her friendly when in reality she wants to drown her.

now remus, regulus and evan... but i think regulus would compete in figure ice skating (he is very graceful but also sharp and fast), and evan would be a hockey player (for obvious reasons), but these are winter olympics' sports.

remus on the other hand, i have no idea what sport he could do. i'd love to see him play tennis, but it's too tiring. he wants something messy, fast and where he doesn't have to move too much. if there was a sport like this he'd be world champion, but he's probably still looking for it. for now he has to settle for long jump (james forced him to try but he hates it).

now... i have a personal beef with tiktok because of that american guy like tell me if you hate me ok. but stephen is 100000% xenophilius like: he sleeps for all the competition, completely unaware of what anxiety is, then he wakes up to do just one thing and does it perfectly. this is xeno right here.

but i have no idea which of them could be the muffin man.

[america-hold-the-line]

I am sick of doomscrolling and feeling helpless.

At this point, I can only hope that the communities put on notice by the Radical Right Wing Republican party—which I will henceforth refer to as the American neo-fascist regime—will rally around the actions that need to be done to send a real message to this administration, and to the world.

This will not be the ultimate enfuckening of America.

The neo-fascists who have installed themselves into power have wasted no time ensuring that they make as much of an impact on the rest of us as soon possible.

There is no reason to sit here and take it.

What I’ve personally realized is that I already have action items. We all do. And we can act on them to the best of our ability.

We can’t all do everything, and that’s ok. Sometimes we need to make space for ourselves so that we don’t lose our minds to the helplessness, and that is completely valid and necessary. We can always feel secure in the knowledge that when we are ready to engage and step closer to the front lines, the people who came before us will have our back with some good ideas that have proven track records of success.

This blog hopes to capture some of those action items as inspiration, and to ruminate on the case studies of the past so that those who feel helpless—like me—can find hope and encouragement in the resilience of the people who already fought some version of the fascist dragon.

The history books are on the shelves. Start reading them.

Between social media eureka moments and various think pieces being written lately, it’s well understood that playbooks of everyone who already went through some iteration of this can be accessed at any time.

One boon for America is that we’re in the early-ish stages of this shock. Nothing to the scale of what has happened in the Ukraine, Gaza, South Korea, or anywhere else in socio-political turmoil is happening here just yet. We still have power, food, generally safe infrastructure, and are going on about our days at our little jobs, furtively peeking at social media and the news every so often. We know the beginning, middle, and end of the book being written arc to arc because we read it, adapted it into a movie, made sequels, prequels and TV shows, and even wrote fanfic. We can course correct at any time. But it will require unification, consistency, and perseverance. None of these things will be easy, or even convenient. Resistance never is.

1. Passive Resistance

Divest your capital from businesses that funded the neofascist administration. This is the hard part for many of us. But on a small scale, start here, and do what you can. For examples, on my end, I’ve deleted my personal Facebook and Instagram accounts, deleted the TikTok app (can’t get back in to fully delete my actual account sadly), cancelled my Spotify subscription, and will be working to remove other ongoing subscriptions like Amazon prime, Netflix, and more. I am working to replace the on and offline vendors I use with local businesses and vendors, and to switch the productivity/entertainment tech platforms I use—as much as is possible and realistic—to ones that are open source or decentralized (that’ll be another post later, it’s not blockchain shilling shit don’t worry). This action, though technically passive, will only make a huge difference with a force multiplier of millions. Remember that in an oligarchy, power rests with a small number of generally very wealthy individuals. Their foremost goal is to amass more wealth, and the power they have really only lies in their capital and ability to manipulate people out of it. Our goal needs to be hyperfocused on ensuring that the oligarchs stock tanks and that their businesses lose revenue. That means financially divesting from all of the big tech/business entities who have supported the neo fascist administration.

Do not let the oligarchs terrorize you and the world with your own money.

Attend Marches. Sit ins. Walk-ins/outs. We already did this in the cause of Palestine. It seems this only went as long as it was trendy. How quickly Americans tire of protest and being arrested. If the people doing sit-ins, marches and walk outs to protest Jim Crow, segregation, lack of woman’s rights, and lack of LGBTQ rights had peaced out as soon as things got hairy or boring, we wouldn’t have any rights to fight for in the first place. Keep up the pressure, even if they drag you away. We have to be annoying.

2. Support Persecuted Groups

Protect our trans community. They are under direct attack from this neo fascist administration. As cis folks, we need to protect them. Stand up for them. Fight for them. Walk with them, march with them support them wherever and whenever you can. Ensure that anyone who feels emboldened to attack someone who is trans thinks twice about it.

Protect our immigrant community. They have a similar target painted on them. Tons of posts around tumblr and the net have better and more specific advice. Those of us who do not fall under the immediate ire of this neo fascist administration now have to step up to use whatever privilege we have to protect the most vulnerable. This will demonstrate who the majority in this nation is, and show the world that perhaps, at our core, America is not completely lost, and not all of her people are not to be colored in Neo fascist colors.

Protect the queer community. People of color. Women. The neo fascists believe it is now open season on everyone that they hated in the first place. The neofuhrer has been frothing at the mouth to strip away key rights for women already. Any guess at this point as to what’s next in the queue. We have to spin up our own resources to protect each other, backed by support from the business people, scientists and intellectuals who aren’t afraid to have a target on their backs. Unifying and standing up for each other is the only way we will make it through to the other side in generally one piece.

3. International Alliance

For our friends across the seas and borders who see what’s happening here, you can help us by amplifying our protest, our messages, and our mission. Right now, America—rightfully—is looked upon with some scorn internationally. How could we let this happen, again? How did things get this way? Perhaps this is who we were all along and perhaps we deserve to be helmed by a neo fascist regime. But truthfully there are many good people in America, and we are an incredible nation of people despite our system’s many, many flaws. America is in a self-induced chokehold from flaws that it has been fighting to extricate from for centuries. Its flaws are sadly an intentional and key component of its design. As a nation built through colonialism and slave trade, the concept of America has struggled to be completely true as it wades through a thick mire of hypocrisy. Despite this, that concept has had great staying power. The “American Dream” of autonomy, independence and democracy has won the hearts and minds of people across the globe, and is a mantra/philosophy that reminds every American what we work towards everyday—some of us even successfully! The fantasy can still inch towards being a reality with more time. But right now, we are almost certainly at a standstill. And with a neo fascist regime in power, we now run a real risk of going back to point A after so much hard work has been done to make the American Dream an American Reality. It might sound a little pathetic…but at least personally, I believe that Americans do need someone to cheer us on from the sidelines and throw us a glass of water from time to time as we work ourselves out of our own twisted grasp. Not all Americans are delusional, hateful or mean spirited. As the TikTok/Red Book fracas has helped in a way to illustrate, many of us simply want to know that there are friends—not merely vague cartoon enemies—waiting for us beyond the North American shore. I know this is a very abstract action item…but maybe you get the picture.

4. Intellectual Resistence

Publicly celebrate, consume and share banned literature and art. Fascists hate knowledge, and will do everything they can to either prevent access to it, or destroy it. This is one of the most vital and important things we can do. Read. Podcast. Make art. Write things. Gather together to discuss the words and thoughts of people who came before us, who lived through adjacent socio-political struggles, and who used their minds, words and plain old facts to fight back against the forces of ignorance and bigotry.

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered… Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” - 1984, George Orwell

Take every opportunity to share verifiable, documented resources to counter the doublespeak of the neo fascist administration and its followers. We will need intellectual leaders who have not been bought by the neofascist regime to lean in here. Our scientists, philosophers, educators, and more, need to form an intellectual phalanx that advances on right wing anti-intellectuals (or psudeo intellectuals as it may be) and curbstomps them with facts, science, and pure logic. We have to treat these neo fascists like bad magicians. The success of a magicians trick relies on the audience being distracted by the left hand enough to not notice what the right hand is doing. This is why the concept of being aware—a.k.a “woke”—is so important. Through their doublespeak, the neo fascists have redefined being aware of reality as an undesirable thing. Logic—for all those who practice it—dictates that the opposite of being awake is to be asleep. Unconscious. Unaware. Helpless. And that is exactly what we cannot become, now more than ever.

[theforbiddeneden]

Metal Hammer Magazine December 2023 Enter The World Of Sleep Token - Revista Metal Hammer Dezembro 2023 Entre no mundo do Sleep Token

"We'll never see the band at this level again" Sleep Token fan Benji Purdy

A deep, distorted voice is coming through the PA of Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre.

“Do you think they want you to cry?” it’s saying. “Do you think they like it?”

A second voice, lighter in tone but still distorted and oddly inhuman, replies.

“Not as such,” this one says.

“I think they just want to know that I am feeling something, feeling what they are feeling, perhaps.”

The audience in this ornate, 800-capacity venue stands silent, entranced by the voices. The band onstage are masked metal sensations Sleep Token, tonight playing their first headlining show in the City of Angels as part of their month-long North American Rituals tour.

The dialogue that is playing out around us is hugely significant to everyone in this sold-out crowd. It marks the first time crowned frontman Vessel – the lighter voice – has broken his silence in public. The deeper voice he’s communing with belongs to Sleep, the god-like entity at the heart of the band’s lore. As the conversation continues, you could hear a pin drop.

“Do you think that this amount of crying is healthy for you?” Sleep asks.

“I don’t know,” comes Vessel’s response. “But at least I feel something. If I don’t feel anything then why would I even do this?”

At this, the crowd lose their minds and a wave of mania ripples across the floor. That the voices are pre-recorded doesn’t matter. Nor does the fact that this isn’t, strictly, the first time it’s happened – Sleep Token have been doing throughout this tour. But modern metal’s most enigmatic band have done something they’ve never done before: they’ve cracked open the door and given us a tantalising glimpse into their inner world.

This show isn’t the biggest Sleep Token will play this year. In December, they will headline London’s Wembley Arena. But Los Angeles, together with New York, is one of the epicentres of the US music business, and the buzz that’s surrounding the anonymous band suggests that America is paying attention to them.

More than that, La La Land has always had a thing for cults, from the Manson Family to Scientology, as well as the countless smaller ‘spiritualist’ groups that operate in the city today. An anonymous, masked British band with their own mysterious, quasi-religious mythology? LA never stood a chance.

“There is a new atmosphere at these live shows, an electricity,” says Benji Purdy, an American fan who also acts as moderator on the band’s official Discord server. He first saw Sleep Token when they supported metalcore act Issues on a 2019 US tour. After witnessing their headlined show in Portland, Oregon a few days ago, he says they’re an entirely different beast this time around.

“We’ll never see this band at this level ever again,” says Benji. “They are catapulting themselves.”

2023 has been the year Sleep Token’s cult success went fully overground. On January 5, the band released Chokehold, the first single from then-upcoming third album Take Me Back To Eden. Twenty-four hours later, they chucked in another new song, The Summoning. By the time the track hit TikTok, videos of listeners reacting to the genre-defying sound were reaching users around the world, with some even hitting a million-plus views.

Their social media profile was helped by celebrity boosts from Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, Architects singer Sam Carter and Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos. And in May, they announced that Wembley date. All 12,500 tickets sold out in just 10 minutes. Sleep Token had officially become a arena band.

Chris Lody, a Sleep Token fan based in Coventry, set up a subreddit for the band back in 2018 after discovering they won their nomination for Best New Band at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods. The same year, he saw their first headline performance at St Pancras Old Church in front of 150 people. He’s had a front row seat to their dizzying rise.

“To go from that to Wembley in December, it’s incredible,” says Chris. “Creating the subreddit was a bit opportunistic really. Nothing like it really existed and I wanted to see what other people were saying about the band.”

It took a while, but fans eventually began to head to Chris’s Reddit page to share their own interpretations of Sleep Token’s music, art and lore. After the release of Chokehold and The Summoning, the page exploded with new users.

“The volume of people posting day-to-day is massive now,” says Chris, adding that it has grown from around 6,000 users to 34,500 at the time of writing. “We’ve had to take on more moderators just to maintain a bit of order.”

Much as the fandom has expanded, so too have the opportunities afforded Sleep Token. This summer, they stepped up to festival headliner status in the UK, with appearances at Portsmouth’s Takedown in April and Manchester’s Radar in July. Radar organiser Joe James admits they lucked out with the timing of the band’s booking.

“We got them at that sweet spot that every promoter dreams of,” he tells Hammer. “We’re a festival that wants to book progressive, contemporary music. Sleep Token tick all those boxes: they’re doing something fresh and are at the top of their game at the moment.”

Headlining the first day of the festival gave the band a full “limitless” rehearsal time, which in turn resulted in a truly headline-worthy performance.

“It looked and sounded amazing,” Joe enthuses. “They are so massive now, but they don’t behave like they’re blowing up just yet. I truly think they’re the next Download headliners of the new breed.”

It’s 4pm in Los Angeles when Hammer arrives at the El Rey Theatre, and queues are already stretching around the block in both directions. Some fans have brought chairs and blankets to sit on, while others are propping themselves up against the walls of the venue, clinging to the scant shade to avoid the glare of the Californian sun.

Amy McLaurin and her friend Sarah Hibbert are standing at the venue barrier. They’re from Virginia, and arrived at the El Rey at 9am, despite having fast-track passes that guarantee them priority entry.

“I found them on TikTok,” she says of how she discovered Sleep Token, with a nervous smile that suggests she’s worried any gatekeepers will leap out and chase her away at any second.

The pair saw Sleep Token for the first time a couple of weeks earlier in Baltimore, but couldn’t risk booking flights to come more than 2,000 miles to repeat the experience. It’s doubly impressive because Baltimore was Amy’s first ever gig, full-stop.

“I’d never really found an artist I loved enough,” she says. “Right now they’re everything I want in music. I listened to rock before Sleep Token, but not much metal – I’ve actually discovered more metal through them. I also met Sarah at the Baltimore show and we both decided to fly here.”

“They make you think about things you otherwise wouldn’t want to talk or be open about,” adds Sarah. “These songs can mean something different to everyone, a universal pain we all feel but some might be less able to express that.”

Vessel famously doesn’t do interviews – the only one he has given was to Hammer in the band’s early days – but their fans have been more than happy to pick up the slack. Sleep Token’s official and unofficial social media channels are full of running narratives, memes and jokes.

It hasn’t all been deadly serious, either. In April, a fan-filmed clip of an audience member at a gig in Sydney letting loose a “sinister” fart during the quiet part of the song Atlantic went viral. Similarly, after the release of The Summoning, a section of their fanbase dubbed Sleep Token “metal’s sexiest band,” largely thanks to lyrics such as

"THEIR MUSIC TRANSCENDS THEIR PERSONALITIES" SLEEP TOKEN FAN CASSIE KNOX

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“THERE ARE SECRETS LEFT TO BE UNCOVERED”

Daniel Owen is the man behind the artwork of Sleep Token’s first two albums, 2019’s Sundowning and 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST COME INTO CONTACT WITH SLEEP TOKEN?

“Around early 2018. I ended up becoming one of their lead visual creatives from [that year’s single] Jaws through to This Place Will Become Your Tomb, and some initial development on Take Me Back To Eden.”

HOW MUCH OF A BRIEF WERE YOU GIVEN IN EACH CASE?

“The briefs behind each project have varied greatly in scope, but usually only restricted to a few lines – in the case of Sundowning per song - or a paragraph to explore the central idea of This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Symbolism throughout history has always been a communication method that encapsulates a sense of power and reverence; my work for the project has always aimed to champion atmosphere while masking a considerable amount of intention below the surface. “One example would be the Sundowning sigils as a whole: being informed by the passing of time and mirroring the positions of a clock face, referencing the namesake of the album. Individually, each sigil was a cipher I'd developed that represented a hidden selection of elements relating to the singles that later served as artwork – eventually all would be removed from streaming services and become an intentionally forgotten to reflect one of the central themes of Sundowning and its primary cover. A beautiful part of working with a band is that there's an unparalleled level of bravery involved with taking the kinds of creative choices that many are too hesitant to pursue.”

SLEEP TOKEN PUT HIDDEN ‘CODES’ IN THEIR SONGS AND IMAGES. ARE THERE ANY SECRETS IN YOUR ARTWORK THAT FANS STILL HAVEN’T DISCOVERED?

“There’s certainly some things I’ve left seeded within my work that’s ready to be pulled from the future if I’m called upon. There are still some secrets left to be uncovered.”

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‘Or are you really here to cut me off? Or maybe just to turn me on’ and ‘I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t think that I could be your man / Or maybe make a good girl bad,’ combined with a raunchy bass drop in the song’s second half. This sexiness is something the band have leaned into on this US tour. During The Offering, members have been seemingly kissing through the masks, reportedly prompting a suitably ecstatic reaction from the crowd each time.

There are other, more wholesome displays of fandom, from fluffy crochet plushies to homemade necklaces. A video of guitarist IV putting on a cowboy hat given to him by an audience member at a gig in Dallas has yielded close to two million views on TikTok. Back at the barrier at the El Rey stands Cassie Knox, who has come to LA from Houston, Texas. Cassie has now seen the band eight times, including at Radar in the UK.

“Sleep Token have a big thing about community,” she says matter-of-factly, when we ask whether it gets lonely following the band on tour. “I met two girls last night in San Diego, they’re here with me and we’re also going to Anaheim [the next gig on the tour].”

While every fan has a personal answer for what Sleep Token mean to them, Cassie’s response seems to be shared by many. “They taught me self-love,” she says, holding a sign stating as much.

In May, shortly before the release of Take Me Back To Eden, several select fans were invited to an exclusive listening session for the album in London. Chris Lloyd, who runs the Sleep Token subreddit, was one of them. He won’t divulge too many details of the event, but offers an anecdote that highlights the band’s dedication to keeping their enigma intact.

“We got there and there was just this stage with curtains,” he says. “They opened at the start of the album and we thought there was a Vessel mannequin just in a chair. It was really dark and there were loads of smoke, but it was really exciting. Then right at the very end of the session, the ‘mannequin’ stood up and it was actually Vessel – he’d just sat perfectly still the whole time! It was insane.”

The band show no sign of changing their minds when it comes to preserving their mystique. Hammer’s request for an interview with Vessel is, predictably, turned down. But this anonymity is something that their devotees embrace. The golden rule of Sleep Token fandom is to never, under any circumstances, divulge or speculate on the members’ real-life identities. Still, that hasn’t stopped some people trying.

“The mystery surrounding the band will always be a key element that draws people in,” says Discord mod Benji Purdy. “It’s a rabbit hole and people love diving into them. But I have found that since [2021 album] This Place Will Become Your Tomb, there has been a culture shift within the fanbase between those who want to respect the band’s wishes to stay anonymous, and those who have a general lack of respect and think the band don’t care.”

This ring of secrecy is intact today. Before the show, Hammer is sitting at a table in the taco restaurant adjacent to the El Rey. We can hear and see the security manager briefing in front of the venue.

“Tonight’s show is Sleep Token,” the security manager says, marching along his ranks like a general on the eve of battle. “Their whole deal is that they are anonymous. If anybody – anybody – tries to go where they shouldn’t, you MUST. STOP. THEM.”

In reality, transgression seems to be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. The people queuing outside the El Rey are here to Worship, after all.

“Their music transcends their personalities as individuals,” Cassie Knox tells us. “Everybody has a part in this music, and from the messages that the band have put out, it seems like that’s exactly what he [Vessel] wanted.”

By the time the doors open, the excitement is palpable. Airport-style security gates mean everyone is thoroughly searched before entry and it seems half the audience has brought along trinkets, gifts and signs in their own expression of Worship. One fan has turned up with a bouquet of roses so big it is seen engulfed her head. They all make it through security without issue.

While some fans have been dressing up in full Vessel cosplay elsewhere on the tour, there’s no such regalia tonight, although many have covered their faces with painted Sleep Token sigils. Equally, it’s striking just how youthful the crowd is as a whole.

“It’s been like this the whole tour,” reveals Matt de Burgh Daly, guitarist/keyboardsist with support A.A. Williams, as he sits down next to Hammer to grab a bite pre-show. Williams and her band previously supported Sleep Token on their 2021 UK tour, and now they’re on these US dates, suggesting they’re within the headliners’ circle of trust.

“It’s funny actually,” Matt says between taco bites. “This is actually one of the smaller shows on the tour, I think. But we’re pretty nervous.”

Oh?

“Yeah, our drummer’s broken his arm – he’s having to play Def Leppard style!”

With its art deco exterior, crystal light fixtures, chandeliers and blood red decor, the El Rey Theatre feels more like it should be hosting a seance than a metal show. It’s not your typical dive venue. But where Sleep Token aren’t your typical metal band, sonically or visually.

From Hammer’s vantage point, a dark balcony overlooking the main floor, it looks like nearly everyone is adorned in some kind of Sleep Token memorabilia, be it t-shirts, hoodies, or even smaller items like necklaces or homemade earrings. A queue stretches from the merch stand to the barrier throughout the entirety of A.A. Williams’ set and right up until Sleep Token themselves appear.

Sure enough, the headliners’ arrival elicits a frenzy of activity. An extended shriek of pure ecstasy greets the band as they march onto the stage, and it’s not long before the audience is singing along ardently, tears literally streaming from some fans’ eyes.

Detractors may point to the prevalence of piano ballads in Sleep Token’s sound, but there’s no shortage of heft in tonight’s set. Chokehold is explosive, its pendulum riffs cutting through the air like a buzzsaw. Hypnosis has the booming, almost floating menace of a great Deftones track, fans waving their arms wildly throughout.

Even in terms of physical presence, there’s a marked difference from the band that toured in support of 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Back then, Vessel seemed like a solid, rooted entity, his movements stiff and minimal, clinging to the mic-stand like he was tethered to it. This time out, he’s a ball of kinetic energy, bouncing, dancing and stalking his way backwards and forwards across the stage, even dropping to do push-ups during The Summoning. Bassist III and guitarist IV are similarly lively, headbanging furiously and commanding circle pits and walls of death with finger gestures and head nods.

The Take Me Back To Eden songs are especially visceral live. Vessel skitters across the stage during Vore like someone having an ancient entity, switching between howls and soulful melodies before intoning the song’s key lyric: ‘I want to give you all, but nobody else will ever go?’

For all the excitement, background chatter falls away completely when segments of conversation between Vessel and Sleep play out. The distorted voices discuss everything from the fandom to the role the masks play in their mythology.

“In order for all of this to work there has to be a certain boundary in place,” Vessel says, his unearthly, pre-recorded voice spilling from the speakers. “They need to be able to project themselves onto this, without anyone else’s identity getting in the way. In turn, I need to be able to show my true self to them in a way that does not compromise their ability to connect.”

There’s certainly no shortage of connection as fans roar along to the likes of The Summoning, The Love You Want and Alkaline, some moved to tears as the music takes on new dimensions, the closing rave-metal thrust of The Offering ending the night on an exultant and triumphant note, before Vessel clasps his hands in thanks as Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) plays incongruously over the PA.

So where next for Sleep Token? In a year where they have notched up a Top 10 album in the UK – Take Me Back To Eden peaked at No 3 – and sold out venues around the world, it’s hard to say exactly where the ceiling could be for them.

“I could easily see them playing arenas here in the States within two years,” Benji states. “The demand here is insane – as seen by the number of people who’ve lined up at every almost every show of this tour.”

For a British metal band to break into the US market is no mean feat, and the buzz and excitement Sleep Token are generating here is starting to catch up with the noise that surrounds them back home.

Equally, their pop sensibilities enable them to serve as a gateway, their success on TikTok showing they don’t just appeal within the metal sphere, but to wider audiences whom then tumble further down the metal rabbit-hole after discovering them.

Uniting newcomers and dyed-in-the-wool metalheads alike, Sleep Token are a new breed of band, transcending genre boundaries by simply refusing to stay in one, and backed up by a mystery and spectacle all their own. They are as at home supporting Slipknot and Architects as they are appearing at festivals like Reading and Leeds – testament to just how influential and breakout they’ve become.

Crazy as it may seem, 2024 will likely be an even bigger year for Sleep Token, and they’ve already booked some of the world’s most iconic venues in that period. With Wembley Arena and Alexandra Palace shows in the diary for next April, Sleep Token will be looking to cement their place at the top of the mountain. How long before the Worship of Sleep Token becomes a religion?

SLEEP TOKEN PLAY WEMBLEY ARENA ON DECEMBER 16. TAKE ME BACK TO EDEN IS OUT NOW VIA SPINEFARM

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MASKS REVEAL THE ARTIST’S VISION

Mario Garvera and Beatrice Rebondi are MysteryStar, an art studio specialising in masks, costumes and accessories. They also created the Vessel mask

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN MASK-MAKING?

“We’ve always been drawn to the dramatic and theatrical aspects of expression, along with our shared love of music. We have produced thousands of pieces together over the decades. We never make replicas of our masks; they are, and always will be, one-off characters, created especially and never to be repeated.”

HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH SLEEP TOKEN?

“In early 2019 they were looking for a workable mask, as they hadn’t found anything wearable that could work onstage yet. We provided [Vessel and Sleep Token’s management] with several sketches and worked out together how to keep Vessel’s character essence and vision, while creating something that could work on a human head and be practical onstage.”

WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

“It took several modifications, especially around the shape of the head. We had to accommodate certain parts of Vessel was adamant were integral parts of the full-face mask for the photoshoots and a mouth - less one for tge stage perfomances. These were the first two masks that we made for Vessel.”

WHY DO YOU THINK WE FIND MASKED BANDS SO FASCINATING?

“Masks have always been important to humans since perhaps the beginnings of civilisation. Ancient tribes created masks, for recounting their history and transmitting knowledge of their young; for healings and for warding off their enemies. In addition, it could be because masks are a created expression of the artist – the one - who created it, as well as the one who wears it – and as such reveal something of the artist’s mind and their vision.”

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Transcription English Version from theforbiddeneden

[mariacallous]

TikTok’s day of reckoning in the US has arrived. On Friday, the United States Supreme Court will hear the company’s appeal against its slated nationwide ban, which could come into force in a little more than a week if the company’s efforts fail.

The social video app, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance and is used by around 170 million Americans, has been appealing the ban since US president Joe Biden signed the law underpinning it last year. The Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) states that ByteDance must sell TikTok’s US business to a non-Chinese company by January 19—no buyer has yet been found—or see the app blocked in the US. Donald Trump, who retakes the White House on January 20, publicly originated the idea that ByteDance be forced to sell TikTok during his first presidential term but has since reversed course.

The Supreme Court, which is hearing the case quickly due to the impending deadline and following a federal court upholding the ban in December, will determine whether the US Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech is overruled by the government’s belief that TikTok is a threat to US national security. Proponents of PAFACA claim TikTok’s Chinese ownership could allow China to steal data on Americans and spread disinformation��although little evidence has been presented to support those claims, which the company denies.

If the court allows the ban to go ahead—and Trump doesn’t find a way to stop it—the move will be an unprecedented technological clampdown in the country.

“This is the first time we’ve seen a national-level ban that appears imminent in the United States,” says Joseph Lorenzo Hall, a distinguished technologist at the Internet Society. TikTok has been banned or faces lawsuits in other countries, such as India, and the pressures come against the backdrop of total internet shutdowns and increased online censorship. “What we learned from all of those is that this ends up really hurting the people of the country, that the economic effects are immediate for people,” Hall says.

So, how would TikTok actually be banned?

App Stores, Hosting Providers

Unpicking TikTok from the nation’s consciousness—thousands of influencers and businesses use the app to make money and promote themselves—is not exactly straightforward. Nor is it simple to untangle the company from US-based internet infrastructure.

PAFACA doesn’t require anyone to uninstall TikTok from their phones. It also doesn’t say TikTok should directly stop its services from working in the US. Instead, it effectively tries to throttle TikTok by making it harder to use over time and by stopping companies from providing services that help it to keep working and quickly loading videos.

TikTok, as with all companies mentioned in this story, did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment and hasn’t, at this stage, outlined what technical steps it will or will not take if the ban does eventually come into place.

The law says it will be “unlawful” for entities to “distribute, maintain or update” the app including its source code, or by “providing services” that allow it to keep running as it is now. This distribution, maintenance, or updates could be, the law says, by means of mobile app stores that can be accessed in the US or by “providing internet hosting services.”

“The law really deliberately avoided saying that it was illegal to have the app on your phone,” says Milton Mueller, a professor and cofounder of the Internet Governance Project at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in opposition of the ban. “Their attempt is to say nobody new can download it from the Apple or Google stores, and nobody who has it can update it through those stores,” Mueller says. “There’s nothing in the law that says ‘TikTok you must block US users,’ which is again interesting.”

If TikTok is removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in the US, it will not be possible to directly install new updates that will add new features, fix bugs within the code, or quash security flaws. Over time, that means TikTok will stop functioning properly. Apple didn’t respond to WIRED’s request for comment, while Google declined to comment on what it will do if the law comes into effect.

The law’s other focus is on stopping “hosting” companies from providing services to TikTok—and the definition is pretty wide. Hosting companies “may include file hosting, domain name server hosting, cloud hosting, and virtual private server hosting,” the law says. Since the summer of 2022, as TikTok faced pressure about its Chinese ownership, the company has hosted US user data within Oracle’s cloud services. Oracle also did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

Even so, other systems such as content delivery networks, advertising networks, payment providers, and more are used as part of TikTok’s infrastructure. The law does not specifically mention these services, but differing legal readings could make them question whether they help to “maintain” or “distribute” TikTok’s fully functioning service.

Hall says a recent test of TikTok’s website showed 185 embedded domains on the page. “They pull in code, content from that array of third-party providers and their own domains too,” he says. “The apps will start to decay and rot as either services stop working, things like content distribution networks or services who feel like they can't take the risks of the ambiguous nature of the language or the potential enforcement by the incoming administration.”

There’s one internet infrastructure player that the ban does not specifically put pressure on: internet service providers. Countries such as Russia and China have developed censorship measures that allow them to block entire websites from being accessed through web bowsers. Mueller believes this omission by US lawmakers was likely deliberate, as it avoids setting up a Chinese-style internet firewall. “They knew that a system of ISP-based blocking and filtering would obviously be a form of First Amendment restriction,” he says.

Avoiding a TikTok Ban

While TikTok’s service in the US would likely degrade over time, there remain some potential ways around any ban—both for individuals and potentially also the company itself. How effective these measures would be likely depends on how motivated people are to keep using TikTok and what the company decides to do.

“TikTok has 170 million users,” says Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota, who is in favor of the law but says it is the “best of a bunch of bad options” relating to TikTok. “This law will not prevent every one of them from accessing TikTok. I don’t think that was ever the goal of the law. The law is to make it meaningfully harder to access TikTok.”

Theoretically, at least, TikTok could shift its services providers—such as hosting companies or content delivery networks—to be based outside of the United States. Using technical infrastructure based abroad, for instance in Europe, could allow TikTok to be served to people in the US while operating within the bounds of the law.

While skirting the full-blown ban would allow people in the US to continue to use the app, that doesn’t mean the experience will be good. If videos are served from international locations, for example, load times may be slower for users, and it may be harder to upload videos. Using TikTok’s website isn’t the same experience as what the app provides, either. And that all depends on such a setup being possible at all.

“I do think that the number of companies that can do that, that are not headquartered in the US, is going to be small, especially considering how hard it is to switch from one cloud provider to another,” Hall says. “It’s really difficult depending on a number of factors.” Aside from technical challenges, international companies may not be willing to risk flying in the face of US restrictions, particularly under an aggressive Trump administration that has already threatened Greenland and economic penalties on other countries.

A TikTok ban would almost guarantee a spike in searches and downloads of virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow people to appear as if they are in a different geographic location to get around restrictions on content—for instance, trying to watch Netflix while abroad. Using a VPN within the US may allow the TikTok app to keep working, although it is unclear whether the company will place any restrictions on users it can determine are in the US by other means. The company’s support pages say SIM card registration details and other information can be used to pinpoint someone’s location.

Alternatively, it is likely Android users could download versions of TikTok outside of Google’s Play Store and install them on their devices. However, sideloading like this can come with security risks if the apps are not verified, and doing the same on an iPhone, via jailbreaking the device, is more technically complex.

Equally, moves such as changing locations of app stores to be outside of the US may come with unforeseen consequences and prove harder to maintain for general users in the long term. For instance, if you are changing an iCloud account’s location, Apple advises that you may need to cancel subscriptions and have a valid payment method for the location you are changing it to.

Prateek Waghre, a technology policy researcher based in India, where TikTok has been banned for four years and, despite an influx of some homegrown competitors, largely saw people move to Instagram Reels or YouTube’s Shorts, says overall restrictions on apps and websites weakens people’s experiences online and damages the internet as a whole.

“For many of us, [it is] the realization of one of our fears of a ‘splinternet,’” Waghre says. “You will have different kinds of access based on different geography, which is not what the experience of the internet was.”

[utilitymonstermash]

On the Matter of the TikTok Ban

There's a lot of motte-and-bailey stuff going around about the TikTok ban. (And I probably have some out-group homogeneity bias too.) For the record I'm mostly against the ban but am more sympathetic to some arguments than others. I thought I'd break down some of the reasons and why I think they are weak.

Probably the biggest umbrella reason for supporting a TikTok ban is espionage. Senator Cotton called it a "spy app."

The biggest, baddest version of the espionage argument I've heard is the app itself is hacking our phones. "Hacking" in that the app is going outside of its sandbox and collecting data not normally available to it. This would be a huge bombshell if true. However, I've seen no real evidence backing this claim. It seems like criminal law would be a great vector for tackling this. As far as I can tell we haven't seen a warrant served against ByteDance US offices. Even if criminal justice is too slow and we need more immediate relief over such a threat, making some evidence public would bolster that argument.

The weaker form of the espionage act is TikTok engages in surveillance capitalism and sells or gives the results to folks we don't like (Chinese Intelligence). This one feels like a nothing burger. I guess it is possible TikTok lacks the strong moral fiber of folks like Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Evan Spiegel. It seems like the data is already out there. It transits a wide network of entities via multiple real time market places. I guess it would be marginally better if Chinese Intelligence would have to spend more to place ads and get data that way. It seems like the real solution to data privacy is a combination of technical safeguards to make less data available and strong legal protections (where again one can build a legal case) and not just naming and banning unpopular actors.

After espionage, the next most common justification I hear for TikTok is that it boosts Chinese soft power by spreading anti-American memes and/or social contagions that make American children unwell. I'll deal specifically with mental wellness in the next section and focus on Anti-American memes here.

As far as I can tell, the USG is a big booster of anti-America memes at home via how domestic status games and politics intersect into the arts world and into NEA funding. I suspect that the content NEA has funded over the past 50 years has a net negative valence on American history. I'd suggest the USG stop doing that if they are concerned about Anti-America memes.

I'm sure part of this must be my filter bubble, but very little I've seen on TikTok is overtly Anti-America. NYT's The 1619 Project sends much more of an America is a nation founded on sin and needs to atone message than anything I've ever seen on TikTok.

Beyond content that makes people overtly hate America, TikTok has been accused of promoting content that makes Americans unwell: social contagion, lionizing bad behavior, etc. The classic version of this is anorexia/bulimia content and pro-shoplifting content (looking at you Tumblr). A more modern right-wing take on this is pro-trans content being a social contagion (for the purposes of this post I will assume it is, sorry Trans friends and readers).

It's hard to say TikTok promotes this content any more than Instagram. It's possible that being owned by Evil Chinese Corporation boosts these categories beyond market demand for it, but has anyone actually proved that out. Up until about a week ago (long after the TikTok ban process started), Meta (Instagram) was one of the most pro-LGBTQ (and specifically pro-trans) big businesses on Earth. Or maybe TikTok's sin is being insufficiently pro-queer (a la Red Book).

I saw quite a bit of pro-trans and pro-queer content on TikTok, a tiny bit of pro-shoplifting content, and quite a bit of anti-cop content peaking in 2021 and declining from there. On the flip side, I saw a ton of pro-natalist content (beautiful moms, beautiful babies, heartwarming parenting videos). I also saw a ton of fitness content. I didn't see any eating disorder content but probably am not in the right demos for that.

Outside of a few banned content categories, it doesn't seem like TikTok is putting its thumb on the scale to make Americans unwell by showing them maladaptive strategies.

Aside from the content itself, some argue that the app’s design creates dopamine-driven addiction for both adults and children. It has been called Digital Fentanyl somewhat hyperbolically. (I've never seen someone passed out on the street at midday scrolling TikTok, but maybe their phones get scooped up too quickly). I’m somewhat sympathetic to this concern, but divestment (the USG’s preferred remedy) doesn’t really address it. It also doesn't seem like TikTok is the sole offender here, Instagram is a huge app with similar patterns. I'm not sure why Mark Zuckerberg profiting off this addiction is substantially better than ByteDance. It seems like a better remedy to scrolling addiction are things exclusion lists, age limits, parental controls, and if it really has to come down to it, rules about interfaces and content, rather than rules about ownership.

Outside of any app content, sometimes I see banning TikTok promoted as retaliation for China providing insufficient market access to its country by western companies. I am actually pretty sympathetic to this argument. China puts up big barriers to the access to its markets by outside companies, often requiring the use of joint-ventures with Chinese companies with Chinese staff which act as defacto technology transfer programs.

I think this is a bit ham-fisted towards that approach but ultimately not unreasonable. Instagram has a product not unlike TikTok, that ultimately degrades into a video scroller. YouTube Shorts is also awfully similar to TikTok. These apps seem to struggle with GTM and network access and not technology though. There's hardly any technology TikTok has that they lack. In terms of stealing technology, robbing part of a drone company, or part of Hauwei would give a bigger boon. In terms of local apps vs foreign apps, I think better localization and a sense of Chinese patriotism have given Chinese companies a leg up in their domestic markets, while an off putting censorship regime has caused foreign companies to stumble (only in the past decade have we really been able to begin to catch up on political taboos).

It's pretty clear that China is for the Chinese people. It doesn't reflect this perfectly, but a supermajority of Chinese seem to believe this. But “Who is America for?” is much less clear; it sometimes feels like it’s just for USD holders. I don't think it's really clear to Americans why Instagram winning is in their best interest. In fact Instagram's owners and staff weigh in on a lot of domestic disputes that ByteDance seems disinterested in.

I think in a healthier country, the local good-enough product would win. When was the last time "buy American" was anything but a punchline for rubes? We've dissolved the ties that bind us and are playing too many zero sum games at home.

As Sam Hyde puts it: "Wouldn't that be interesting if China makes it to Mars first. It would be great for Humanity why don't we do it. Let's do it. China makes it to Mars before America does that sound like fun? It's just humans; they're just interchangeable economic units. Why wouldn't we want that? I think we do do."

Lastly, resistance to divestment (choosing to dissolve rather than sell) has been used as a cudgel to "prove" that TikTok is up to something nefarious. I don't really buy it. This is an iterated game and there are a lot of players with their own agendas. If TikTok sells, it's open season to start swallowing-up Chinese foreign subsidiaries left and right. Making the US shut it down, makes US lawmakers pay a heavy price in terms of popularity for killing such a popular app. Meanwhile there are a bunch of staff at ByteDance Corporate (in China) who will likely circulate through a number of Chinese companies, who may be better off being viewed as standing up to America than capitulating. Sometimes it’s better not to pay the Danegeld.

[bisluthq]

https://www.tumblr.com/bisluthq/768944837460377600/httpswwwtumblrcombisluthq768929573796790272

Resident music history nerd again.

So yeah, those contracts usually suck and it goes back to what I said earlier with using the artist as a cash cow and then once they earn their spots, they can negotiate a better second deal. A lot of the tv talent show contracts suck, the very first winner of project runway, Jay Mccaroll caused quite a stir because he turned down the grand prize of a $100,000 mentorship program & spot at NYFW, because the show (or whatever entity was behind the prize) would be granted 10% of all future earnings as a designer.

Idol and those other shows are a bit of a blessing and a curse. Idol was an absolute sensation though, so they had a huge audience when they launched (at least in the countries’ versions I’m familiar with) and many had a good career, some have truly lasted like Kelly Clarkson. I believe it varied country to country, the winner in New Zealand wasn’t being signed to the big American team even if it was the same label, but contracts for the first few seasons were treated like other game show prizes - have it be a prize, but the budget is based on the predicted profits for the advertising the show would make. It was great for the record labels because they didn’t need to invest in developing the artists, and it was a popularity contest so there was significant less risk signing then over a new artist no one has heard of and wondering if they’ll have fans. They also had the next season of the show to promote the last winner/s. Kelly Clarkson notoriously had to fight the label though to get songs she wanted (she was getting the Disney star treatment of them saying what to record and she pushed back because it wasn’t her style) she also had to fight to be able to cowrite her songs and shape her message, both with the label and then dr Luke later on when she rewrote lyrics to one of his songs to make it fit her.

Anyway, idol was new and exciting and because it was a family show, the contestants often launched with a diverse audience and then shaped their audience later which for some was a blessing, others a curse - Adam lambert for example toned himself down and presented more as an emo adjacent glam rocker, which was a smart move to get a foot in the door. But the audience of dads who liked this guy who was meant to be the modern day answer to classic Bon jovi, kiss and poison, etc, were not all on board when he wanted to make dance pop with rock elements, and I can’t think of a sensitive way to say it but when he was more outwardly expressive of his sexuality, a lot of people turned on him. At the same time though, there was an audience who saw him on tv and knew and were waiting and so ready for him to do his thing. And now he’s the lead singer for Queen, so he has the audience of dads again going to see him live but not touching his new music - he’s a fascinating case study on society more than the music industry though.

Social media and streaming killed the talent show phenomenon though. It likely would’ve become boring on its own, but Sandi Thom was launched via MySpace - Taylor got a lot out of MySpace but it wasn’t her discovery method, Justin was found on YouTube all within 6 years of idol launching. This became direct competition for the talent shows, but wasn’t a huge issue until around 2013 when quite a few artists were discovered on YouTube. Now it’s a totally different landscape with TikTok and families not watching tv together in the same way - it’s more common for everyone to watch something different on their iPads than to gather around the tv and enjoy something together which was part of the magic of idol.

The americas got talent and the voice winners though, they were always at a disadvantage compared to X factor and idol because the shows are significantly shorter and never let people feel like they knew the singers. By the time they crowned a winner most of them hadn’t performed a full 30 minutes and only had their intro video and then short interviews before and after a performance. And the AGT people were competing with comedians, dancers, fire breathers… it wasn’t a good metric to see how they’d fair in the music industry and the prize was a performing contract, not a recording one. Idol was so big for a while they had a spin off show that was like big brother, showing what they got up to during the week in the share house!

I personally think the singers on the voice would’ve been better winning a money prize instead of a recording contract, because the contract just needed to be less than the advertising profit for the show. Of course the label wanted the next superstar, but they usually rushed an album out within a few months of winning and only seemed to support the artist in kind to how much the public rallied behind the album, instead of really giving them a chance.

Sorry, I’ve gone on a lot of tangents and can’t remember where I wanted to end up lol 😂

I guess the TLDR would be: tv show contracts were a game show prize. Some did really well, but if they didn’t do really well they were dropped and not given a chance. They could get away with shittiest contracts too because the artists usually had no industry experience or knowledge, and the contract was a three way between the label, tv show and artist.

Oh and then there are the sunset clauses and non compete clauses too, so even if you’re dropped from your label you might not be able to sign another deal for a few years even if someone wants you - just look at Kesha, Cher, and “the artist formerly known as Prince”.

I’m gonna stop writing now 🫣

see, I also think there are just too many of these shows and there have been too many for a long time. Like you say, people were into Idol and it did start a few great careers (and yes I think a lot of the early winners got suckered into shitty deals because they didn’t know better but also here was enough interest and good will for it to mostly work) but now there are just too many winners on too many shows for people to give a fuck (even if they do watch). Like you might enjoy watching The Voice because you like the coaches and the concept and the performances but not be invested to the point of streaming music. I also think your point on not knowing the artists long enough on most of these shows is a good point and imo (aside from the fact that a lot of the acts are shitty) why Eurovision doesn’t launch that many careers. It might be fun to watch but people don’t necessarily have the time or energy to get invested. Which also brings me to the news cycle being so fickle as a whole because the other thing is these days even blowing up on TikTok and having a trending sound for half a second really doesn’t equate to longevity or people actually giving a fuck. There’s just too much content. And I guess there was always a risk of blowing up with one or two songs and not really having the support or the know how to make that into a career and not getting label support and even being sabotaged by the label as you said to make you keep touring and keep churning shit out but these days because content is so accessible, one or two songs people like doesn’t even necessarily equate to people going to watch live shows. It’s tricky. You also obviously can monetize your own original content in a way that’s MORE empowering for artists these days because you can own all your TikToks and YouTube videos and shit and get paid by those and do pretty well but that also makes labels I think even less likely to spend money on promoting you unless they’re confident in your brand and that’s… tough.

[pink-strawberry-kissess]

It's honestly sad that a story can't be told without having to literally spell everything out for the audience nowadays. People are either unable to or refuse to see any subtle messages. We've regressed to a child's reading level.

Capcom removed Leon holding Ashley's hand because they didn't want people to interpret their relationship as romantic. People still ship it. Luis was part of the team that created Nemesis (you know, that thing that almost killed Jill Valentine!? but that's okay we forgive him because he tried to make up for it and is hot) and people ship that because Leon held his hand while HE WAS DYING so obviously Capcom must ship them because if they didn't, they would've removed that too! There could be no other explanation for holding a dying person's hand. Like ship what you want, so long as you're not shoving down others' throats or proclaiming it to be canon when its not.

I think I get it now when you said that the fandom ruined Claire for you. Because now the fandom has ruined Luis for me. No one wants to acknowledge the bad things he did or how he's an interesting combination of contradictions that define him as a grey character. No one wants to question if he actually did enough to redeem himself or not, he's just instantly forgiven. Sorry to rant, I'm just finally fed up with (the majority of) this fandom.

yeaaah...

let me be PAINFULLY CLEAR with what i'm gonna say

I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHO YOU SHIP WITH WHO

i have my own opinions and facts that are based on the CANON of the games/movies (not the anderson ones, those are a separate entity) and those FACTS have lead me to the storyline/outcome that capcom has been working on for +25 years. YOU are free to ship whoever you want, and I am allowed to dislike them/and think whatever i want about them. [read here for my in-depth analysis]

People are either unable to or refuse to see any subtle messages. We've regressed to a child's reading level.

I think that we've really dumbed down stories. Particularly with how a lot of East Asian (Japanese, anime, manga, games) have been specifically dumbing them down for "american audiences." (I'm not american so I don't fall under that category hehe) even things from back in the 90s with games, they made games EVEN dumber because they thought american audiences could not understand J RPGs.

A lot of media that is made for (and also american audiences) will say clearly what and HOW they (THE CREATORS) want their story to be interpreted and understood. It's one thing to leave things up for interpretation; especially for things that do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

but when capcom is CLEAR about their intentions, and you BLATANTLY IGNORE THEM, that's just being ignorant and misread. If you take in media and actively choose to go against what is intended and misconstrue it to fit with your narrative; you fundamentally do not understand storytelling or have some sort of comprehension problem.

Like ship what you want, so long as you're not shoving down others' throats or proclaiming it to be canon when its not.

I've seen so many people on twitter/tiktok etc with just the WORST takes. The the hand holding removal for Ashley, and then the subsequent "hand holding" for Luis was meant for it to be interpreted as romantic. Now half the time, I wonder if people are just trolling. There's no way in hell that Leon "holding" Luis' hand while he was DYING is meant to be interpreted as romantic. furthermore, it was also "debunked" that Leon only held his hand to wrap the lighter around his (Luis) fingers as more symbolic of letting Luis have his choices. Leon telling him earlier, "you know those things will kill ya," was not only code for Luis to figure out if Leon was helping him or not, it was also Leon being genuine that he didn't condone his smoking.

Leon taking the lighter and lighting Luis' cigarette for him and holding the lighter in his hand is giving back his choice. Letting Luis die with dignity and with how Luis would've wanted to die.

Sometimes, when the writer says the curtains are blue. THAT'S IT. They're just blue. Leon was just helping Luis with his final moments. THAT'S IT. It was never romantic, and it was never supposed to be interpreted as romantic.

I think I get it now when you said that the fandom ruined Claire for you. Because now the fandom has ruined Luis for me. No one wants to acknowledge the bad things he did or how he's an interesting combination of contradictions that define him as a grey character. No one wants to question if he actually did enough to redeem himself or not, he's just instantly forgiven. Sorry to rant, I'm just finally fed up with (the majority of) this fandom.

now you are FREE to interpret whatever headcanons you have!!

i think they're FINE AND FUN. i also love to write headcanons. but when you take canon and interpret it in a completely wrong way, and try to use that as evidence, you just seem foolish. especially when you double down on that. will chreon ever happen? NO PROBABLY NOT. I don't care! have fun with it! Serrenndy? Well I mean he's dead so whatever. Cleon? Nope, they already killed that and yall should even be mad at the VA for Claire for even bothering to tease that considering the "Fall scene" was never planned and she specifically put that in as "fan service" for the cleon fans because she knew the ship was dead. You really want someone who teases you like that? I dunno, what's the word you all like to use so often.. toxic?

i don't care about the other ships! i think everyone is free to enjoy whatever! except for you leon x sherry fans. yall need jail. people are who into lashley and also in their +30s also you need to be on some sort of list.

i've never hated these ships. UNTIL THE FANS TOOK OVER. they are aggressive, they frankly will use every single racist, misogynistic thing they can think of to hate Ada. They will victim blame, and prop Leon up to this perfect man who can't do anything wrong, and had been SO WRONGED by Ada. They want to baby him and "never let anything bad" happen to him ever again.

i have RARELY seen a take about serrenndy, lashley, cleon, etc. that hasn't spent a LARGE MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME HATING ADA.

Chreon, metaltango and a few other of the Leon x Male C ones I've seen either also enjoy Ada or just don't talk about her in general.

tl;dr i don't care what you ship, but the shippers have fundamentally misunderstood the games and use "canon" as their backing for their own fanon ships and generally tend to be the aggressors online to the point where aeon places are no longer safe.

Shippers have RUINED their own ships and characters for me to the point where I do not enjoy them anymore.

[newengen]

To Ban, or Not to Ban: Our Take on How Marketers Should Be Thinking About TikTok

The Latest TikTok News

Tensions between TikTok and the U.S. government came to a head this month after the Biden administration threatened to ban the app should the company refuse to divest from its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance. The escalation comes amidst warnings from U.S. lawmakers that China’s investment in TikTok poses a threat to national security and opens the door for the Chinese government to influence content moderation on the platform.

To top it all off, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced Congress last Thursday and attempted to reassure U.S. lawmakers that the company has implemented measures to address their concerns. Central to Chew’s defense was TikTok’s plan to roll out what it calls “Project Texas” - a $1.5 billion project to migrate American user data to Texas-based Oracle. In another key moment, Chew rebutted accusations that TikTok’s algorithm has adverse effects on kids by pointing to steps the company has taken to protect its younger users.

A Marketing Perspective

Apart from the political drama, TikTok also made headlines this month after its announcement that 150 million American users are on the platform. The app’s popularity and influence are undeniable, and marketers are uniquely aware of this: there’s an appetite for short-form video that won’t be curbed by a TikTok ban. An eMarketer survey from November 2022 found that 63% of TikTok users would move to another platform, with Instagram being the favored alternative. And these platforms are already evolving their video capabilities to meet consumer demand - Instagram introduced 90-second videos last year, and Meta recently followed suit.

So, What Does TikTok Have to Say About All of This?

In response to last Thursday’s hearing, TikTok circulated a Myth vs. Fact Sheet, which counters what the company calls inaccuracies surrounding its ownership, content moderation, and data security. A few notable examples, transcribed directly from the document, include:

“Myth: TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd., is Chinese-owned.*

Fact: TikTok’s parent company ByteDance Ltd. was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs, but today, roughly sixty percent of the company is beneficially owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group. An additional twenty percent of the company is owned by ByteDance employees around the world, including nearly seven thousand Americans. The remaining twenty percent is owned by the company's founder, who is a private individual and is not part of any state or government entity.”

*Despite TikTok’s attempt at myth-busting ByteDance’s association with the Chinese government, it has been reported that "golden shares" give the Chinese government the ability to appoint a seat on the company's board.

“Myth: TikTok manipulates content in a way that benefits the Chinese government or harms American interests.

Fact: TikTok is an entertainment app. The content on TikTok is generated by our community. TikTok does not permit any government to influence or change its recommendation model.

Myth: TikTok collects a significant amount of sensitive data on its users.

Fact: TikTok's privacy policy fully describes the data the company collects. There have been many inaccurate claims about our policies and practices that have gone unaddressed by the media. To be clear, the current versions of the TikTok app do NOT:

*Monitor keystrokes or content of what people type when they use our in-app browser on third-party websites;

Collect precise or approximate GPS location in the U.S.;

Use face or voice prints to identify individuals.

In line with industry practices and as explained in our privacy policy, we collect information to help the app function, operate securely, and improve the user experience. We constantly update our app and encourage users to download the most current version of TikTok.”

*This talking point conveniently omits what happens off the app via TikTok browser trackers, or “pixels.” But more on that in a minute.

Formalities aside, TikTok knows that the best way to reach an audience is, well, through TikTok. Ahead of his testimony on March 23rd, Chew appeared on TikTok’s verified account to address his upcoming congressional hearing and remind users of what’s at stake - that a ban could “take TikTok away” from 150 million users, 5 million business accounts, and 7,000 U.S.-based TikTok employees.

Creators Sounding the Alarm

TikTok has found support from its creators, who have taken to the platform to sound the alarm about what a ban, in the form of the S. 686 RESTRICT Act, would mean. One example comes from creator @sayheyjames, who recently published a video that generated 12.2 million video views and 2 million likes in the span of a week. In this video, he calls out elements of the bill that he says will “fundamentally change” how we use the internet, like the proposed legal consequences of using VPNs to access banned apps and the ban on hardware manufactured by “foreign adversaries” (including China, Russia, and Iran).

There are countless examples of this type of content, with trending hashtags like #tiktokban accumulating 2 billion views. Given how much creators have to lose in this debate, it’s no surprise that they’re leveraging the platform to create a sense of urgency around the issue.

Making Sense of it All

It’s near impossible to predict what happens next because there’s no playbook on how to best navigate the aftermath of a ban on a platform like TikTok. Kevin Goodwin, VP of Performance Marketing at New Engen, offers some perspective:

“Precedent matters. We have zero precedent for a nationwide ban of such a popular technology and entertainment platform. Since we’ve never seen it happen before, all marketers are skeptical that TikTok will be the first to pay the price. Take Meta and Google for example - they consistently face legislative pressure for specific products and ways of working (albeit on a smaller scale), yet have never been materially impacted in their ability to provide products to users and advertisers.”

On top of the legal and political complexities of a theoretical TikTok ban, the cultural and economic implications are massive. New Engen VP of Performance Marketing, Adam Telian, puts it plainly,

TikTok has done an amazing job of creating demand for a specific type of content which, it seems, a good portion of the world can’t get enough of. Our position is that, even if TikTok gets banned, the format and the attention it demands isn’t going anywhere.

Another key piece of the equation is TikTok creators, who help differentiate the platform from other major social media players. This is why New Engen leaders are asking, “what will happen with creators?” Many creators are already operating cross-platform, but those with an outsized presence on TikTok are at risk of losing potency in their existing brand partnerships. It will be incumbent on brands to diversify their influencer partnerships and plan accordingly for a creator migration to Reels, Shorts, and Triller (or maybe a resurrected Vine) in the wake of a TikTok ban.

“Once we figure out where the creators are moving,” Adam Telian says, “it will be up to the platform to prove they can retain user attention, and deliver the same results and consistent innovation we've seen from TikTok.”

Actions for Marketers (Whether You’re on TikTok Yet or Not)

For the time being, there are several actions marketers can take to leverage TikTok as it exists today.

New Engen Clients Operating on TikTok

These clients are embracing a business-as-usual approach to their TikTok strategy, but they’re also prepared to be agile and flexible as the situation unfolds. Kevin Goodwin explains, “We continue to recommend brands take a diversified channel strategy and approach to short-form video to hedge any extreme risk. We want to avoid the rare scenario where the government bans TikTok and one of our clients suddenly has 50%+ of their revenue at risk.”

In practice, this means incorporating Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts into short-form video strategies, and, as mentioned above, ensuring that content creator programs aren’t over-dependent on the TikTok app and its toolset.

New Engen Clients Not Yet on TikTok

We are advising clients who are not yet on TikTok to move forward with their investment. “Even if TikTok does get banned,” Adam Telian explains, “clients can be using this time to refine their creative approach and learn how to unlock meaningful performance that should translate to whichever platform fills the vacuum created by a ban. And if it doesn’t get banned, then they’re ahead of where they would be if they chose to wait for the dust to settle."

New Engen Clients Concerned About Data Privacy

Anna Otieno, Head of Research & Insights at New Engen, reminds us, “Privacy and security are the top concerns right now, particularly for companies and government institutions. As we head into a world of cookie-less advertising and first-party data, control is key.” She notes that, regarding TikTok, “It’s been confirmed that the app - like Google and Meta - gathers information about people as they move around the internet. TikTok partners with companies that embed tiny website trackers “pixels” to better measure and target ads - usually without user notification.”

With this in mind, some New Engen clients have chosen to refrain from implementing TikTok’s tracking pixel. This allows brands to maintain their presence on the platform without compromising their first-party data.

It’s important to note, however, that creators tend to have a difference of opinion on this front. Anna Otieno tells us that, "While privacy and security are important to TikTok users, content creators are less concerned given the tradeoff. In fact, most social media users know that their data is tracked and shared to make sure ‘the algorithm is working.’ TikTok’s remixed creator fund, known as the Creativity Program Beta, aims to help creators “generate higher revenue potential.” What’s the price of opportunity and revenue? Data."

[longwindedbore]

This proposed law allegedly directed at the foreign ownership of TikTok would be used by a President to unilaterally close down any social media platform including Tumblr.

It has bipartisan support in the Senate. Many of the proponents own stock in and have received campaign donations from US competitors of TikTok.

What wasn’t presented at the hearing re TokTok on March 23, 2023 was any National Security concerns regarding actual past current or potential future feasible cyber-threats.

What we did see:

Aging Legislators who acknowledged that they didn’t know that their phones connected to the WiFi.

Aging legislators who complained about prurient or pornographic images on their FYP while totally oblivious to the fact that EVERYONE ELSE ALL KNOW how the algorithm program directed those images to the legislators’ page in the first place

Questions fired at the CEO of TikTok without allowing him even 30 seconds to answer

Aging legislators angrily demanding ‘Yes or No Only’ answers to complex technical questions someone else obviously wrote out for them but the jargon for which they could barely pronounce.

Virtually no follow up questions. Which is normal unless the interlocutors have only superficial knowledge of the topic.

These legislators televised these revelations to a dumbfounded world watching on social media.

If you weren’t on social media and still ‘follow a news outlet’, the news entities praised the ‘righteous grilling’ of the ‘sinister’ Asian.

The six corporate news entities which own 90% of all outlets share the same hedge funds as major stock holders with each other as well as with Meta/FacebookGoogle, Twitter, etc. Meta alone spent a reported $20 million lobbying for a ban on TikTok.

Anything to reclaim the 150 million US users of TikTok lost to Major networks and other social media.

Corporate American doesn’t understand is that their 24 hour news cycle is built on getting constant viewership developing addiction to HATE and ANGER that has driven Americans away.

TikTok’s and Tumblr’s algorithms let you curate your own interests. As well as find like minded people who share your political or social issues. Or avoid them.