the US can’t outright ban it because they also profit from domestic spying and companies profit from ads and sponsorships
They can. Considering tik-tok already gave the US a compromise and it's not exactly campaign season so Biden has no reason to posture -yet- over something like this, it seems they really want this.
They already have domestic spying covered. By removing it they funnel people into FB, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and every other American corporation with NSA/CIA/FBI "former" agent filled moderation teams and profits that entirely stay within the US as well as CEO's who can be blackmailed, dragged in front of congress and humiliated, subjected to investigations and harassment if they don't play ball in how they conduct business not just in the US, but abroad and that's what the US really wants. It isn't enough to control things within their borders, they must control global discourse, they must be able to control everyone everywhere with lopsided policies and exceptions for the US and no one else.
Recall that USAID (a CIA front) set up a social media site in Cuba for Cubans with the express intent of fomenting count-revolution. Keep in mind that other countries including Russia and China among others have expressed unease at the fact all the social media their citizens use is based in the US by companies who have CIA psyops on their teams, who white-list US bots while banning their own, who turn over data to the US but not other governments if the US doesn't wish it. That's the way the US expects things to be. They demand the right to control global discourse, to censor who they want, boost who they want, control the conversation, steer things for their benefit. And that's what this is really about. An alternative in China existing is a direct threat to that model of total global hegemonic control of online discourse, especially of smaller countries than Russia/China who have no way to field alternatives.
Those ad dollars aren't going to vanish as most people addicted to it will go to another platform or spend time on another platform with ads. That's not even mentioning the overarching metadata collection of the NSA bulk surveillance programs which can tell you a lot of things.
They already can do all those things, this is just cutting out any benefit to China.
The spying and manipulation of people by natsec psyops was already happening before tik-tok was ever a thing. If they removed it, it would still continue. The teenagers using it aren't going to go all unabomber and disconnect from the net and start collecting firearms and preparing for a revolution. They'll be angry, maybe protest a little but ultimately either go to other US controlled bubble social media or use less social media in which case their information, their views are still informed by the dominant superstructure and its propaganda. There is no lose for the US here by sabotaging a rival.
Most likely if it comes down to it the company in China will sell and take some money rather than refuse to sell and lose the entire US (plus probably domino effect on Europe which will ban it like good pawns, etc) and vassal states of same costing them a market of oh say more than half a billion people.
They can. Considering tik-tok already gave the US a compromise and it's not exactly campaign season so Biden has no reason to posture -yet- over something like this, it seems they really want this.
They already have domestic spying covered. By removing it they funnel people into FB, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and every other American corporation with NSA/CIA/FBI "former" agent filled moderation teams and profits that entirely stay within the US as well as CEO's who can be blackmailed, dragged in front of congress and humiliated, subjected to investigations and harassment if they don't play ball in how they conduct business not just in the US, but abroad and that's what the US really wants. It isn't enough to control things within their borders, they must control global discourse, they must be able to control everyone everywhere with lopsided policies and exceptions for the US and no one else.
Recall that USAID (a CIA front) set up a social media site in Cuba for Cubans with the express intent of fomenting count-revolution. Keep in mind that other countries including Russia and China among others have expressed unease at the fact all the social media their citizens use is based in the US by companies who have CIA psyops on their teams, who white-list US bots while banning their own, who turn over data to the US but not other governments if the US doesn't wish it. That's the way the US expects things to be. They demand the right to control global discourse, to censor who they want, boost who they want, control the conversation, steer things for their benefit. And that's what this is really about. An alternative in China existing is a direct threat to that model of total global hegemonic control of online discourse, especially of smaller countries than Russia/China who have no way to field alternatives.
Those ad dollars aren't going to vanish as most people addicted to it will go to another platform or spend time on another platform with ads. That's not even mentioning the overarching metadata collection of the NSA bulk surveillance programs which can tell you a lot of things.
They already can do all those things, this is just cutting out any benefit to China.
The spying and manipulation of people by natsec psyops was already happening before tik-tok was ever a thing. If they removed it, it would still continue. The teenagers using it aren't going to go all unabomber and disconnect from the net and start collecting firearms and preparing for a revolution. They'll be angry, maybe protest a little but ultimately either go to other US controlled bubble social media or use less social media in which case their information, their views are still informed by the dominant superstructure and its propaganda. There is no lose for the US here by sabotaging a rival.
Most likely if it comes down to it the company in China will sell and take some money rather than refuse to sell and lose the entire US (plus probably domino effect on Europe which will ban it like good pawns, etc) and vassal states of same costing them a market of oh say more than half a billion people.