House passes critical aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan along with a TikTok ban - eviltoast

The House on Saturday passed a $95 billion aid package that includes two long-awaited bills with $60.8 billion of Ukraine aid and $26 billion in aid to Israel.

The Ukraine bill, which passed with 311 votes in favor, 112 votes against, and one present, will now head to the Senate alongside the Israel aid bill and two others — one with aid for Taiwan and another that forces Tiktok’s parent company to sell it.

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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    8 months ago

    You’ve got many good points, and I’m not defending the Tiktok ban (or whatever technical thing it is), but counterpoint your last one:

    Look what Facebook did to the boomers. Do we want to go through that again but with Millennials and Tiktok? Our generation has more experience with social media, granted. Still, that’s part joke and part something I think about as an older, non-Tiktok millennial.

    • deranger@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Do we want to go through that again but with Millennials and Tiktok?

      No, but I don’t think banning an app will solve the problem, just like banning drugs doesn’t solve that issue. We need good education so people have critical thinking skills and can make good decisions for themselves. Even if a legal method was used to address the issue, banning a specific app will do little. I think you’d have to address the algorithmic delivery of content altogether to do this.

      • zigmus64@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Can I ask what the problem is? I was of the understanding that the problem with TikTok was that they basically lied under oath to congress and were actively sending personal user data to China. Not sure anything but an outright ban will achieve any sort of remedy.

        • jumjummy@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Yes, Tik Tok is as bad as any other social media PLUS it’s directly controlled by a hostile nation state to the US. It should absolutely be banned and/or completely divested from China.

          Anyone saying this is unfair, go to China and see what their blocks look like for Western companies.

          Tik Tok is a terrible platform allowing such direct access to US citizens to a foreign government.

      • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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        8 months ago

        Again, wasn’t defending the ban. Just addressing the other elephant in the room. :)

        But yes, agreed. Critical thinking and media literacy skills are key.