On: FCC commissioner wants TikTok removed from app stores over spying concerns

[bombcar]

> let an adversary control the information flow to a huge portion of the population is beyond me.

Because most of the possible responses are various forms of censorship.

[new_stranger → bombcar]

Wait, censorship or reduction in choices? They are different concepts with some overlap.

China has the most draconian censorship in the world: lethal censorship. Nothing like the "de-platformed" or "down-voted" censorship Americans face.

[fortuna86 → bombcar]

> Because most of the possible responses are various forms of censorship.

I have come across some deeply misguided interpretations of the word "censorship" - this might take the cake.

[hannasanarion → bombcar]

And what, you think the chinese government never censors anything in their black-box algorithmic-feed app?

Censorship is going to happen, on all platforms, no matter what. Call it "moderation" or "upvoting" or "algorithmic recommendation", doesn't matter, the censorship is there, like it or not.

Instead of knee-jerk opposition to anything that reminds you explicitly of the abstract idea of "censorship", consider instead what forms censorship can take on any particular platform and whether you trust the people with the ability to leverage those forms to use it responsibly.