> It was easy to talk tough about banning TikTok, and, it turns out, much harder to personally shut down its 170 million US users.
Very true, and it has been frustrating me to no end for the last year
All of my friends discussing "should we ban TikTok" while I'm here saying "_can_ we ban it?"
I was always saying, TikTok is a website. You can't ban a website, like, the US government doesn't (or at least shouldn't, and says it doesn't) have the ability to stop US citizens from going to whatever website they want. It's also an app, on my phone. _My_ phone. Unless the government comes to my house and takes that phone, they can't remove it from my phone (or, again, at least shouldn't be able to)
The other day I finally find out what it means: It will be de-listed from the app stores, and US cloud service providers will be barred from providing cloud services to them. So, as an engineer, I hear this and say
"Ok so just redeploy it to servers in Canada, and put a notice in the app telling everyone to install a new version directly from their website. The only real world effect of this is that TikTok will be laggy for American users because they can't leverage CDNs".
I believe, very strongly, that if the entire US Government was unified in a desire to implement a TikTok ban, TikTok could _just ignore it_ and continue on with almost no disruption in service.
I suppose the only other consequence is that a ban would probably prevent US-based TikTok creators from getting paid, which probably is a big deal. But the fact remains: if you are a person in the US and you want to browse TikTok, it is outside of the government's power to stop you.
Good call. The flip of the formerly somewhat libertarian states of Washington and Colorado is something we haven't really talked about yet but should. Also interesting that they haven't restricted carry at all even as they've been going for gun/mag bans.
> It was easy to talk tough about banning TikTok, and, it turns out, much harder to personally shut down its 170 million US users.
Very true, and it has been frustrating me to no end for the last year
All of my friends discussing "should we ban TikTok" while I'm here saying "_can_ we ban it?"
I was always saying, TikTok is a website. You can't ban a website, like, the US government doesn't (or at least shouldn't, and says it doesn't) have the ability to stop US citizens from going to whatever website they want. It's also an app, on my phone. _My_ phone. Unless the government comes to my house and takes that phone, they can't remove it from my phone (or, again, at least shouldn't be able to)
The other day I finally find out what it means: It will be de-listed from the app stores, and US cloud service providers will be barred from providing cloud services to them. So, as an engineer, I hear this and say
"Ok so just redeploy it to servers in Canada, and put a notice in the app telling everyone to install a new version directly from their website. The only real world effect of this is that TikTok will be laggy for American users because they can't leverage CDNs".
I believe, very strongly, that if the entire US Government was unified in a desire to implement a TikTok ban, TikTok could _just ignore it_ and continue on with almost no disruption in service.
I suppose the only other consequence is that a ban would probably prevent US-based TikTok creators from getting paid, which probably is a big deal. But the fact remains: if you are a person in the US and you want to browse TikTok, it is outside of the government's power to stop you.
TikTok could ignore it but Apple and Google couldn’t.
For some reason ByteDance is very interested in complying
Honestly, that is the most surprising thing to me, and I have no explanation for it. I guess that's why I don't run companies
The government must have some legal leverage we don’t know about.
Appreciate the big picture optimism but Colorado entered the chat:
https://wethesecondcolorado.com/sweeping-assault-weapons-ban-facts-about-colorado-sb25-003/
It's likely going to fly through the Senate and if it makes it through the House and onto the Governor's desk, he just might sign it.
Good call. The flip of the formerly somewhat libertarian states of Washington and Colorado is something we haven't really talked about yet but should. Also interesting that they haven't restricted carry at all even as they've been going for gun/mag bans.
Last year’s legislature passed restrictions on concealed carry including “sensitive spaces” which cities are able to opt out of but few have.
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-131
They also passed additional restrictions and requirements for those obtaining or renewing their CHG permits.
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1174
I can’t speak for WA’s changes but Colorado’s transformation is covered well (and fair) in this book:
https://www.fulcrumbooks.com/product-page/the-blueprint-how-the-democrats-won-colorado
Oof TIL