• henfredemars@infosec.pub
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    6 months ago

    Can’t say I’m surprised, but I will reiterate what others have already written. This bill targeting one specific social media company does little more than affirm the government’s ability to single-handedly legislate a business out of existence and maybe provide some short term benefit against foreign influences, which can simply turn their efforts to other platforms.

    If we really cared about protecting Americans, we’d pass consumer protection laws. But we don’t do that. In fact, we have worked to erode these laws for decades.

    This smells more like an excuse to brutally murder the competition for the benefit of homegrown social media. Can’t we call a spade a spade, where there’s money to be made?

    • Plastic_Ramses@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Question: Do you think china would allow an adverserial nation to control a portion of their social media?

      • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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        6 months ago

        No. But I would also hope we’re better than China. There are tools other than a sledgehammer to get social media companies to take action against these bot farms and fake news articles.

        This is certainly an option, but I don’t think it’s a very good one.

        For example, if the algorithm is the problem, let’s require transparency or place restrictions on how algorithms can select content for users.

        • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          Tiktok offered to do everything people are suggesting with project Texas. It would have made them the most transparent social media company in the US…

          So of course Congress goes pfft… nah. We still want you to sell, we don’t want transparency, we want to control the narrative.