TikTok, the alleged national security risk and dancing app, isn’t just getting attacked at the federal level. Most of the heat has come from the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that Donald Trump keeps deterring until some American billionaires can turn it into a proper American propaganda machine, but the states want in on kicking TikTok while they’re down too. Virginia just make a sizeable inroad to to being able to sue the company. 29 News has coverage:
A Virginia judge ruled Friday that Attorney General Jason Miyares’ lawsuit against TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance Ltd., will proceed in Richmond City Circuit Court…the court stated Miyares’ complaint contained sufficient allegations of multiple violations of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
The suit makes a couple of claims worth mentioning. One claim is that TikTok is intentionally designed to be addictive to adolescents. That should just be taken as a given. In the social media market, websites and applications are known for using gamification tactics to arrest as much attention as possible: if you didn’t read former Facebook president Sean Parker’s assessment of social media addictiveness back in 2017, read it and then factor in another eight years of apps perfecting the process. They also claimed that TikTok was deceptive for presenting itself as being appropriate for children over the age of 12; I’ve definitely seen some content on the app that should have an “Over 18” or “BET Uncut” disclaimer. Third, they say that the app obscured its connection to and potential to be manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party. Bit of potential fear mongering there, but whatever. You’d think any actual ties would have been made clear now by the federal investigation a while ago. Even if there were potential for manipulation because of the app, no psyop could compare to the wave of people realizing America is a third-world country with iPhone access after people rage flocked to Xiaohongshu. Believe me — the CCP won’t have to do much propagandizing if things continue the way they are slated to be. SNAP’s expiration is about to threaten 40M Americans with not knowing where there next meals will be coming from. That’ll do more to radicalize the average person than TikTok dance challenges ever could. If you thought theory turned people into lefties, wait until you see what mass hunger does.
For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t be surprised if things were better if TikTok had a stronger age verification system. The teenagers and 20-somethings would still be subject to time-sinking algorithms and compulsions to mindlessly yell “6,7” whenever the opportunity presents itself:
But at least the mindless users will be susceptible adults instead of susceptible children.
Judge Allows Virginia’s Lawsuit Against TikTok To Move Forward [29 News]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
