American Influencers Prefer Surveillance by China Over the CIA, Say "They're Right"
Due to platform restrictions in their home country, TikTok creators are exploring opportunities abroad, turning to apps that operate outside the reach of Washington's control. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
**Facing platform restrictions at home, creators find freedom abroad, migrating to apps beyond Washington’s sphere of influence**
Ni hao, American censorship refugees!
As the US Supreme Court contemplates a potential TikTok ban, American users are making a bold move by migrating en masse to China and out of the reach of their own government.
A decision is expected imminently, which could lead to the popular app being unavailable for new downloads in the US. Without alternative options, this would signify Washington’s success in censoring an online platform over which it holds no control. For some time now, lawmakers have been pressuring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US operations, effectively relinquishing control of user data to avoid a ban—a request that the company has thus far resisted.
Are we really meant to trust that data managed by an American company is safer, as lawmakers suggest? A straightforward question reveals the reality: Would you prefer to entrust your personal information to your own government, which has jurisdiction over your life, or to a distant government overseas?
Regardless, American TikTok users have made their choice. Many are now posting videos of their preparations for a “digital migration” to the Chinese platform RedNote. Identifying themselves as “TikTok refugees,” they are bidding farewell with humorous tributes to their “personal Chinese spies” featured in artificial intelligence-enhanced videos that depict lighthearted moments shared on TikTok. These scenes include interactions with their “spies” who tag along as they film themselves hanging out with friends, dining out, or enjoying the beach.
RedNote users in China have welcomed these newcomers, reportedly numbering at least 700,000, and are assisting them in learning Mandarin and navigating the platform. In return, TikTokers are helping their new friends by improving their English skills to adapt to the influx. Some RedNote users are already mentioning that it has become impolite to post videos without AI-generated captions in the language spoken.
Additionally, TikTok users are urging their networks to delete US-owned platforms like Instagram and Facebook. They view the timing of Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement about relaxing certain censorship protocols as suspicious, interpreting it as a strategy to lure them back to those platforms linked to Washington—and they are not convinced.
It’s easy to understand their skepticism; users can personally verify that contentious or previously banned content remains shadowbanned or demoted on Facebook, prompting TikTokers to give Zuckerberg the figurative finger and migrate to China in defense of American free speech values, which they believe the Supreme Court and lawmakers are failing to uphold.
Indeed, they argue that to escape online censorship influenced by Washington, they would rather trust Chinese platforms. “RedNote’s algorithms do more than recommend content – they shape perceptions,” a Forbes contributor observed, highlighting the migration and the “quiet removal” of discussions around topics such as “the Chinese government’s role in internet regulation.”
Moreover, what might the Chinese government choose not to censor? Criticism of Washington and its actions. Imagine if the FBI were to reach out to RedNote, akin to instances with Facebook where pressure was placed to suppress “Russian disinformation” like the Hunter Biden laptop story, which ultimately proved to be authentic. As Zuckerberg stated, the Biden administration's team would “call up our team and scream at them,” trying to control narrative and information online.
In contrast, the Chinese would likely refuse such demands, creating an environment for free dissent in the same way that Russian media platforms have attracted Westerners seeking to discuss controversial subjects that might face censorship domestically.
However, the US Supreme Court appears to have a different perspective, predominantly leaning toward national security concerns over free speech rights in the TikTok situation. Justice Brett Kavanaugh remarked during recent arguments that US lawmakers have been wary of China potentially accessing the data of “tens of millions of Americans,” including young people and using it for blackmail against future government officials.
What compelling evidence exists to support the notion that China is more invested in gathering American data than the CIA? Any nation would naturally prioritize the data of its own citizens for securing its domestic order and power structures. It's rather naïve to assume that the US is exempt from such logic.
The [US Intelligence Community] has been known to acquire substantial amounts of [commercially available information] for mission-related operations, which includes social media data, according to a partially released report prepared for the Director of National Intelligence in January 2022. The report claims this data can be misused, invading privacy, damaging reputations, and creating serious emotional distress, thus enhancing the government’s capacity to scrutinize private lives beyond acceptable bounds.
Not that any abuse of power would ever occur—after all, the intelligence community strictly adheres to the rules. “What’s the cadet motto at West Point? You will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. I was the CIA director,” Mike Pompeo once stated. “We lied, we cheated, we stole. It was like training courses.”
Such charming sentiments. It appears TikTok users are opting for new online spaces in China rather than remaining in the clutches of the Western establishment’s digital censorship, regardless of Zuckerberg's newfound lenience.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Ni hao, American censorship refugees!
As the US Supreme Court contemplates a potential TikTok ban, American users are making a bold move by migrating en masse to China and out of the reach of their own government.
A decision is expected imminently, which could lead to the popular app being unavailable for new downloads in the US. Without alternative options, this would signify Washington’s success in censoring an online platform over which it holds no control. For some time now, lawmakers have been pressuring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its US operations, effectively relinquishing control of user data to avoid a ban—a request that the company has thus far resisted.
Are we really meant to trust that data managed by an American company is safer, as lawmakers suggest? A straightforward question reveals the reality: Would you prefer to entrust your personal information to your own government, which has jurisdiction over your life, or to a distant government overseas?
Regardless, American TikTok users have made their choice. Many are now posting videos of their preparations for a “digital migration” to the Chinese platform RedNote. Identifying themselves as “TikTok refugees,” they are bidding farewell with humorous tributes to their “personal Chinese spies” featured in artificial intelligence-enhanced videos that depict lighthearted moments shared on TikTok. These scenes include interactions with their “spies” who tag along as they film themselves hanging out with friends, dining out, or enjoying the beach.
RedNote users in China have welcomed these newcomers, reportedly numbering at least 700,000, and are assisting them in learning Mandarin and navigating the platform. In return, TikTokers are helping their new friends by improving their English skills to adapt to the influx. Some RedNote users are already mentioning that it has become impolite to post videos without AI-generated captions in the language spoken.
Additionally, TikTok users are urging their networks to delete US-owned platforms like Instagram and Facebook. They view the timing of Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement about relaxing certain censorship protocols as suspicious, interpreting it as a strategy to lure them back to those platforms linked to Washington—and they are not convinced.
It’s easy to understand their skepticism; users can personally verify that contentious or previously banned content remains shadowbanned or demoted on Facebook, prompting TikTokers to give Zuckerberg the figurative finger and migrate to China in defense of American free speech values, which they believe the Supreme Court and lawmakers are failing to uphold.
Indeed, they argue that to escape online censorship influenced by Washington, they would rather trust Chinese platforms. “RedNote’s algorithms do more than recommend content – they shape perceptions,” a Forbes contributor observed, highlighting the migration and the “quiet removal” of discussions around topics such as “the Chinese government’s role in internet regulation.”
Moreover, what might the Chinese government choose not to censor? Criticism of Washington and its actions. Imagine if the FBI were to reach out to RedNote, akin to instances with Facebook where pressure was placed to suppress “Russian disinformation” like the Hunter Biden laptop story, which ultimately proved to be authentic. As Zuckerberg stated, the Biden administration's team would “call up our team and scream at them,” trying to control narrative and information online.
In contrast, the Chinese would likely refuse such demands, creating an environment for free dissent in the same way that Russian media platforms have attracted Westerners seeking to discuss controversial subjects that might face censorship domestically.
However, the US Supreme Court appears to have a different perspective, predominantly leaning toward national security concerns over free speech rights in the TikTok situation. Justice Brett Kavanaugh remarked during recent arguments that US lawmakers have been wary of China potentially accessing the data of “tens of millions of Americans,” including young people and using it for blackmail against future government officials.
What compelling evidence exists to support the notion that China is more invested in gathering American data than the CIA? Any nation would naturally prioritize the data of its own citizens for securing its domestic order and power structures. It's rather naïve to assume that the US is exempt from such logic.
The [US Intelligence Community] has been known to acquire substantial amounts of [commercially available information] for mission-related operations, which includes social media data, according to a partially released report prepared for the Director of National Intelligence in January 2022. The report claims this data can be misused, invading privacy, damaging reputations, and creating serious emotional distress, thus enhancing the government’s capacity to scrutinize private lives beyond acceptable bounds.
Not that any abuse of power would ever occur—after all, the intelligence community strictly adheres to the rules. “What’s the cadet motto at West Point? You will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. I was the CIA director,” Mike Pompeo once stated. “We lied, we cheated, we stole. It was like training courses.”
Such charming sentiments. It appears TikTok users are opting for new online spaces in China rather than remaining in the clutches of the Western establishment’s digital censorship, regardless of Zuckerberg's newfound lenience.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
