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Republicans China Social Networks

Republican Presidential Candidates Criticize TikTok as 'Dangerous', 'Controlled by Communist China' 167

Posted by EditorDavid from the social-media-campaign dept.
Wednesday seven U.S. Republican candidates for President held their second debate before the 2024 primary — during which TikTok led to some surprisingly heated attacks against entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy:

Moderator: Mr. Ramaswamy, TikTok is banned on government-issed devices because of its ties to the Chinese government. Yet you joined TikTok at the dinner with boxer and influencer Jake Paul. Should the commander in chief be so easily persuaded by an influencer?

Vivek Ramaswamy: So the answer is, I have a radical idea for the Republican party: we need to win elections. And part of how we win elections is reaching the next generation of young Americans where they are. So when I get into office, I've been very clear. Kids under the age of 16 should not be using addictive social media. We're only going to ever get to declaring independence from China, which I favor, if we actually win. So while the Democrats are running rampant reaching the next generation three-to-one, there's exactly one person in the Republican party — which talks a big game about reaching young people — and that's me.... [Scattered applause]
Donald Trump declined to participate in the debate. But his former vice president Mike Pence immediately interrupted to say that "TikTok is controlled by the Chinese communist party." Continuing criticisms he'd made in an earlier interview, Pence said that TikTok "compromises the privacy of Americans every day."

Ramaswamy responded "And that is why we will end it once we win this election."

This immediately drew a strong response from from South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (also a former US ambassador to the UN): Nikki Haley: This is infuriating, because TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps —

Ramaswamy: Yes it is.

Haley: — that we could have. And once you've got — honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say. Because I can't believe that — here you've got a TikTok situation. What they're doing is these — 150 million people are on TikTok. That means they can get your contacts, they can get your financial information, they can get your emails, they can get —

Ramaswamy: Let me just say —

Haley: — your text messages, they can get all of these things.

Ramaswamy: Hurling — this is important. This is very important for our party —

Haley: China knows exactly what they're doing.

Ramaswamy: This is very important for our party, and I'm going to say it —

Haley: And what we've seen is you've gone and you've helped China go make medicines in China, not America.

Ramaswamy: Excuse me, excuse me —

Haley: You're now wanting kids to go and get on this social media that's dangerous for all of us. You went and you were in business with the Chinese... We can't trust you. We can't trust you. We can't have TikTok in our kids' lives. We need to ban it. [Loud applause]

Moderator: You have 15 seconds, Mr. Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy: I think we would be better served as a Republican party if we're not sitting here hurling personal insults, and actually have a legitimate debate.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Republican Presidential Candidates Criticize TikTok as 'Dangerous', 'Controlled by Communist China' More

Republican Presidential Candidates Criticize TikTok as 'Dangerous', 'Controlled by Communist China'

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  • The sun gets quite hot.

  • Yay First Amendment (Score:4, Insightful)

    by MightyMartian ( 840721 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @11:38AM (#63889605) Journal

    "We believe in freedom of speech, providing we're the only ones allowed to talk!"

    • "We believe in freedom of speech, providing we're the only ones allowed to talk!"

      I imagine Vivek Ramaswamy would agree, especially as he can't seem to shut up for even a minute.
      And Nikki Haley is right, people do get dumber when he speaks -- though their party leader gives him a run on that ... :-)

    • This has nothing to do with First Amendment rights. At all.

      The question is this: Should an app created and owned by a company controlled by a hostile, foreign entity be allowed on devices containing potentially sensitive government information? "No" seems a reasonable answer.

      China does exactly the same, and with good reason. They ban Teslas from driving in certain locations, due to the vehicles being equipped with cameras that can be remotely accessed by an American company and by extension, American three-

  • Pointless (Score:4, Insightful)

    by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @11:42AM (#63889621) Journal
    These people are all so far behind Trump in the polls [fivethirtyeight.com], that unless they say something that will push Trump out of the race, they are just going to fall like flies. Complaining about Tiktok is not going to get the job done. Skipping the debate and spending the evening working in a soup kitchen actually would have given them better results. Creating a simple plan to make America better would have given them better results. Instead, they are engaged in the most pointless debate since Dukakis vs Mondale.

    • Trump is not only far ahead, but his lead is widening after each of these debates by the seven dwarfs.

      Biden is slightly ahead of Trump in national polls, but Trump is leading in several critical swing states, including Arizona and Georgia.

      General election polls [fivethirtyeight.com].

    • These people are all so far behind Trump in the polls, that unless they say something that will push Trump out of the race

      Perhaps, but what they say can spark a conversation on a topic. A topic that Trump can be drawn into.

      Besides, many of them are competing for VP. So their compatible idea may be incorporated into the Trump campaign. Ramaswamy's argument that you have to reach the youth before you can persuade the youth seems compatible. Trump will go anywhere for a vote.

      • It will be interesting to see if Trump chooses any of them. I don't see why he would. I'd expect him to choose his daughter before choosing them.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by drnb ( 2434720 )

          It will be interesting to see if Trump chooses any of them. I don't see why he would. I'd expect him to choose his daughter before choosing them.

          I think Ramaswamy is using the campaign to enlarge his audience and improve brand recognition in order to sell more books. I don't think he is delusional enough to imagine actually winning the Presidency today. He seems to be carefully positioning himself in the line of succession for MAGA leadership. Embrace the ideology while arguing that MAGA is not limited to one person. Which makes the VP slot realistic, unlike the Presidential slot. The anointed successor for both the Presidency and MAGA.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Well, the whole thing basically follows a play-book for an enterprise falling: Selecting utterly dumb leaders, because the a bit smarter candidates squabble and cannot agree on anything. And so it continues.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jd ( 1658 )

      They're not racing for the nomination, they're racing for the VP ticket.

    • ... a simple plan to make America better ...

      But they are! Oh, you mean better for the multitude: Silly multitude of people, Republicans don't want to discuss the usefulness of their policies. Their "state's rights, fiscal responsibility, tough on crime, isolationist/imperialism" policies are war with Eastasia and have always been, a war with Eastasia. I mean, are valued and have always been valued by the US's corporate masters.

      "Republican Presidential Candidates Criticize TikTok" is not news and should not be on slashdot. But since it is, I'll

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by linuxguy ( 98493 )

      > These people are all so far behind Trump in the polls [fivethirtyeight.com], that unless they say something that will push Trump out of the race, they are just going to fall like flies.

      Some, maybe most, of these candidates are hoping that one of the many criminal case proceedings against Trump knocks him out of the running. At this point, I am not sure how he survives all of them.

  • Other Chinese companies (Score:4, Insightful)

    by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @11:45AM (#63889627) Homepage Journal

    The Hoover Company (Haier), GE Appliances (Haier), Dirt Devil (owned by Techtronic Industries), Club Med, AMC Theaters, Smithfield Foods (owned by WH Group), and the Waldorf Astoria New York Hotel (Dajia Insurance Group Co).

    It's sad how the same people who pushed for globalization and offshoring now act like this is an existential threat that came out of nowhere. Either they are idiots, or more likely they think YOU are an idiot.

  • We need Ranked Choice voting NOW (Score:5, Insightful)

    by oumuamua ( 6173784 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @11:49AM (#63889639)
    Here we are heading to an election where we are voting for the same candidates as the last election. Candidates few want to vote for again but will because otherwise they are 'throwing their vote away'.
    Ranked choice voting removes this 'throw your vote away' effect. You make a first choice vote and if they fail to win, you vote is not wasted but goes toward your 2nd choice.
    Holy sh*t we need that for this upcoming election!
    • Ranked voting won't solve the problem, which is that the two major parties use every capability within their means to keep third party candidates out (Ross Perot was too much, institutionally they took steps to avoid that problem in the future).

      • Ranked voting won't solve the problem, which is that the two major parties use every capability within their means to keep third party candidates out

        That's exactly the problem that RCV solves.

        People don't vote for 3rd parties because they end up helping the major party candidate they like the least. Nadar voters caused Gore to lose Florida and put GWB into the Whitehouse. That wouldn't have happened with RCV.

        • They actually ran the math on this and most serious political scientists of campaigns and elections believe that Ralph Nader voters would NOT have caused Florida to swing to Gore. [reason.com]

          But, the mistaken belief this happened (by doing simple math and assuming all Nader voters would have turned out to vote AND voted for Gore, which has been shown not to be true) has been repeated again and again by members of both parties when they are running against a third party candidate who might be a "spoiler." This all

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by hawk ( 1151 )

            in addition, they consistently fail to consider how many votes Buchanan siphoned from Bush.

            So they consider the alleged spoiler on one side, while leaving the other in, in determining what "should" have happened.

            hawk

        • You seem more worried that your chosen lizard will lose than you do about third party candidates. You don't even seem to understand the point, that the two major parties have stacked against third party candidates, in ways that are far beyond ranked voting.

      • That's exactly what I would say if I were a politician trying to ensure as little competition as possible. The current system of elections (including things like gerrymandering and the Electoral College) has consistently, invariably, produced the results we see in evidence. Doubtless, they pursue other "means to keep third party candidates out", but none are as deep, effective, or legally entrenched, as the method used to determine an election's outcome.

        If you want a fundamental change in results, that will

        • Ok, well then come up with a solution that shows you've thought deeply about the problem and understand it. Don't say that stacked voting (or the electoral college) will fix the problem of multiple parties, because that makes you sound ignorant. Largely because you are ignorant, but that's the whole point.

          Educate yourself before emotionally jumping on a solution. That is a message for America, not you.

          • I listed the Electoral College as one of the broken pieces in a broken system, of which the two-party duopoly is also a part. Removing it would have benefits on its own, but that step alone would not provide more viable candidates.

            I'm not completely sure what "stacked voting" is, but it sounds real scary and unfair, so I'm guessing it's a synonym for ranked-choice invented by those who are threatened by it.

            You seem quick to point out peoples' "ignorance" and tell people they need to be "educated". Odd that

    • I live in a safe state, that means whichever party I vote for my state will not merely throw away my vote, but instead tell the elector assigned to me which way to vote.

    • But if you had ranked choice voting, establishment Dems wouldn't be able to blame a Trump win on RFK Jr. and Cornell West.

  • They can get all your stuff? (Score:3)

    by GrahamJ ( 241784 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @12:02PM (#63889661)

    "50 million people are on TikTok. That means they can get your contacts, they can get your financial information, they can get your emails"

    umm what? I am no fan of TikTok - it's blocked at the firewall in my house - but there's no way an app magically gives anyone all this information simply by using it.

    TikTok is an addictive, manipulative waste of time but I don't see what information a government could glean from it that could be of much use. Tracking watching habits is great for advertising profiling I'm sure but you don't need to run a social network to get that, just buy it (thank you very much advertising and data brokering industries)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by GrahamJ ( 241784 )

      I'll bet dollars to donuts the Chinese government's biggest source of information on Americans is the advertising and data brokering industries. How about Republicans ban those? I'd actually agree with them for a change if they did that.

  • Irony (Score:3)

    by hey! ( 33014 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @12:10PM (#63889685) Homepage Journal

    In order to address US concerns about US citizens' data, ByteDance decided to put American data on a trusted US firm's servers, and chose as that trusted third party ... wait for it ... Oracle.

  • > honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say. Because I can't believe that — here you've got a TikTok situation. What they're doing is these — 150 million people are on TikTok. That means they can get your contacts, they can get your financial information, they can get your emails, they can get —

    Imagine going on an attack like this, calling someone dumb, and then being just completely and utterly wrong yourself, and not just wrong, but wrong in a way th

    • >Imagine going on an attack like this, calling someone dumb, and then being just completely and utterly wrong yourself, and not just wrong, but wrong in a way that betrays you have not even the slightest idea what you're talking about.

      It's not about facts, it's about fear and feelings. If the argument convinces you to support them, they're not concerned with whether or not it's correct or not, and they're not concerned about any negative effects getting a mob to believe something wrong might have in the

  • Evidently the people and youth are so small-minded that we need the gov't to make decisions for us.

    • Evidently the people and youth are so small-minded that we need the gov't to make decisions for us.

      What I find so amusing about Republicans is the hypocrisy of them supposedly being against any form of government interference in people's lives .... right up until the moment it's about forcibly shoving their beliefs and values down the throat of the general public and cancelling anybody they don't like or disagree with. Then, alluvasudden, there just can't be enough government interference in people's lives.

  • Not possible (Score:3)

    by Bahbus ( 1180627 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @12:20PM (#63889707) Homepage

    Republicans are literally incapable of having a half-way decent debate. Too corrupt, too stupid, or both.

  • So Ramaswamy wants to reach the youth (Score:3, Informative)

    by Meekrobe ( 1194217 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @12:25PM (#63889711)
    So Ramaswamy wants to reach the youth and also ban anybody under 25 from voting. MAGA logic strikes again.
  • Donald Trump is absolutely dominating the Republican primary. He's pushing 60% in the polls and he's the number two for plenty of voters flirting with the other candidates. Short of him dropping dead he's going to be the candidate. Even if he has to run from jail. Moreover if he's not the candidate he has to do a third party run because he needs to raise money to pay his lawyers. There's a bunch of Republicans trying to use the 14th amendment to get him removed from the ballots but that's an extreme long sh

    • Senator Lindsey Graham said it best, if we nominate Donald Trump he will destroy us and we'll deserve it.

      Nah. He'll be annoying, and we'll wish he would go away, but unless he starts three wars, he won't be the worst president of the century.

    • "Senator Lindsey Graham said it best, if we nominate Donald Trump he will destroy us and we'll deserve it." Yeah ofcourse Trump's opposition says that. But why aren't there any better candidates as that moron Trump? On both sides. Look at Biden, the man can hardly walk, talk or whatever, he should never have been in the office at all, due to his health/age. Trump should also not be in the office due to his mental state. But apparently none of the big parties can provide a decent healthy candidate. But then

  • "Vivek bad because... CHINA!"

    Such a sad field. On both sides.

    • It's really kind of surprising we can't find better candidates. It seems unlikely that this crop is the best America, or even the Republican party, has to offer.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Well, sure. But these are the best left (feeble as they are), because anybody better has gotten utterly disgusted with politics and concentrated voter stupidity and has no interest in playing that game. Also anybody smart has no chance to get to the top in politics anyways. As they may expose how utterly dumb the rest is, the few that try get sabotaged as early as possible.

  • "you've helped China go make medicines in China, not America." Yep, because the same medicine in the US has a 1000+% profit margin on it, whereas the exact same ones made in China only 10% or not even at all. You've got to be a big moron if you allow pharmaceutical companies to make so much profit on something that is human basic needs and should really be sold at cost or with a max of 10% profit. And TikTok already stores US citizens data in US datacenters, accordingly to previous outcry. TikTok isn't mor

  • ...but it has nothing whatsoever to do with who "controls" it. Have you seen the trash people are posting to Tiktok, without the slightest concern for whether or not they're spreading misinformation or merely setting a terrible example of behavior? It's a fountain of sewage that's stomping a foot on the gas pedal of accelerating societal decay.That would be the reason to ban it, but only if we're going to start banning sites based on quality (in which case, "Truth" Social is in far more danger).

    (Before so

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      So you want that trash being spread via other channels? At least on TikTok anybody with some mental maturity (a minority to be sure) knows not to trust anything posted there. "Keep your enemies closer" and all that.

    • Have you seen the trash people are posting to Tiktok, without the slightest concern for whether or not they're spreading misinformation or merely setting a terrible example of behavior?

      Such as cutting down [express.co.uk] a 300 year old tree?

  • That means they can get your contacts, they can get your financial information, they can get your emails

    These (plus the Dems) are only showing us how dumb the are. OMG, they can get my email, finance... End of the world is neigh.

    I guess they never heard of the multiple Expierian Breaches over the years. Hint, due to letting these big Corp. getting away with using Security practices a 5 year old could design, all that information is everywhere out there. You just need to look.

  • Seeing all the stuff made in china i would think China was a manufacturing center for capitalists, -- how to make politicians sweat

  • Meanwhile... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by newslash.formatblows ( 2011678 ) on Saturday September 30, 2023 @01:19PM (#63889887)
    The Republicans are dangerous and controlled by Russia.

  • Yes, TikTok just might be under the control of the Chinese government. If not, the company is certainly under its thumb, as are all tech companies based there. Unfortunately, the First Amendment of the US Constitution stands in the way of anything these hypocrites want to do. Republicans, allegedly the party of the freedom of speech, back bans on content moderation, the distribution of information on abortion, and attempts left and right to ban books in schools and libraries. Fuck the Republicans! It i

    • Unfortunately, the First Amendment of the US Constitution stands in the way of anything these hypocrites want to do.

      No that's not unfortunate, that's a good thing.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        A good thing, but is it actually a permanent thing? Seems to me they want to do away with this limitation if they can. Authoritarians cannot stand if people have freedoms.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mendax ( 114116 )

        I should have written "Unfortunately for them".

  • So the dude who wants to raise the voting age by 7 years thinks he's reaching out to young people?

  • You can tell that China is a dictatorship of the working class because the police bust unions, right?

    I wonder if it would be productive to analyze China in terms of mercantilism.

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