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haizhung | on: TikTok goes dark in the US
It seems you are being downvoted, but I see this similarly. Elon musk applying pressure in German elections or UK politics via X/Twitter is basically exactly the problem with foreign interests controlling your social media; so I kinda hope the ban does set an example for other countries.

Maybe, once the inflammatory platforms like X & Facebook are banned in the EU, then we can also get a social network that is not fueled by VC growth and engagement metrics; but can be run by a nonprofit or something. A man can dream.

jimkleiber | parent | next
I hope one day these platforms are governed by the people using them. "Users" are humans who have little voice in the decision making of their digital nations.
k3vinw | root | parent
What are you talking about? X introduced this fantastic feature called Community Notes that allows users to collaboratively add context and fact-checks to potentially misleading posts. It relies on a crowdsourced system where contributors can write notes that are displayed if they receive enough support from users with diverse perspectives. And Meta recently announced that it is planning on introducing a similar feature.
jimkleiber | root | parent
Yes i think thats great. Does it give users a way to make decisions on how algorithms are used? On what the platform is called? On when someone should be banned? What should be penalties for breaking the rules? For writing any of the rules?

Just because we can have fact-checking doesn't mean we get to participate in the decision making process. A news station in a country is not the same as voting or having representation in legislation.

hunglee2 | parent | next
I think EU will not ban these platforms but mired them down with never ending stream of lawsuits, and eventually force a withdrawal - similar to how some US companies don't serve EU due to GDPR etc. A proper firewall should create the space for domestic services to re-emerge - and yes, we have a chance that these could be democratic from ground up. Lets hope so.
9dev | root | parent
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos have been putting their heads so far up into Trump's rear they are probably looking out of his mouth by now. There is absolutely zero chance for actual democratic systems to emerge in a country where the top 1% own 35% of literally everything there is to own, cronies in the government, and apex corporations mended to the will of an 80 year old convicted felon
hunglee2 | root | parent
yes i think it kind of looks that way I am afraid. US literally has an oligarch duly elected and assuming office in a few hours. We are in the era of robber barons, maybe similar to late 19th Century America, where J P Morgan was obviously the only man who mattered, despite the performative democracy.
| root | parent
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sunaookami | parent
>Elon musk applying pressure in German elections

That doing an interview with a controversial politician is "applying pressure" and is seen as "a danger to democracy" (quoting German media) is all you need to know about the German media landscape and German politics.

>but can be run by a nonprofit or something

There are high profile celebs on German "state" television unironically being in favor of a state-run social network.