***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[Cashflow]

 

[rexanglorum]

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod...-understand-the-current-crisis_6671770_8.html

As far as Tiktok goes, if it were Twitter (back when it was used for mass coordination), it would also be banned. The issue with Tiktok has a lot more to do with the data the app collects and who gets access to it.

Cambridge Analytica demonstrated how to use personal information to give external actors the ability to sway the internal politics of another country in their favor. You can't expect any government to tolerate this level of information weaponization. I think we're not far from watching the West implement their version of a regionalized internet (just like the Great Firewall), and folks may just have to get used to this.

Isn’t that just digital advertising and PR?

We probably will see more censorship and it will likely escalate over time.

Western leaders really have convinced themselves that their foreign and domestic policies are beyond reproach and that they are unpopular entirely is the result of Russian and Chinese online tricknogy.

After they do set up their Western firewall, Western leaders will still be unpopular and I would not be surprised if they keep censoring pretty much everything aside from celebrity gossip and Tom Friedman articles.

 

[IATT]

 

[rexanglorum]

MAGA ghouls LOVE paying more for groceries because it vindicates their belief that economic problem all stem from their perceived social inferiors’ actions.

They’d hate to see robust anti trust enforcement. Sure, they’d save some money but they’d have fewer occasions to blame “crime” and “DEI” for the country’s economic problems.

 

[gry60]

Western leaders really have convinced themselves that their foreign and domestic policies are beyond reproach and that they are unpopular entirely is the result of Russian and Chinese online tricknogy.

I don't think this is true.

The talks of banning Tiktok (and not other social media platforms) started long before the protests.

Feb 2023:

Canada bans TikTok on government devices

The federal government says the video app is an "unacceptable" risk to privacy and security.

www.bbc.com

The decision follows a review by Canada's chief information officer, and the app "presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security", a government spokesperson said in a statement.

The primary issue with Tiktok has been the level of personal data it allows China to access. That's a security issue that even popular governments would examine and try to respond to.

We can argue that the protests have accelerated the passage of anti-tiktok policies, but they're not the cause. It's a convenient talking point adopted to claim that the current Western governments are authoritarian.

 

[IATT]

 

[gry60]

U.S. Citizens Arrested After Alleged Coup Attempt In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Here’s What We Know So Far

The attack was reportedly led by Christian Malanga, a political leader who once lived in the U.S., Congolese authorities said.

www.forbes.com

The alleged coup attempt was thwarted at the residence of the Congolese president, where Malanga was killed—national armed forces spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge told the Associated Press on Sunday.



Before the alleged coup attempt, Malanga posted a video on Facebook apparently from the Democratic Republic of the Congo threatening Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, in which a person can be heard speaking with an American accent before Malanga starts his speech.



At least three people were killed, including two police officers and an attacker, during an assault on the residence of Deputy Prime Minister Vital Kamerhe, his press secretary said in a statement.



One of the arrested U.S. citizens was Malanga’s son, Ekenge told Reuters, but few other details have been released so far about the Americans.

Lucy Tamlyn, the U.S. ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said she in a statement she was “very concerned” about the reports Sunday, and said the U.S. embassy was “cooperating with DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizens involved in criminal acts.”

 

[IATT]

RFK Jr. lists voting address at Westchester home — that’s in foreclosure and neighbors have never seen him

The independent candidate claims his voting address is in Katonah, though he is not the owner of the million-dollar property-in-arrears and some longtime neighbors were shocked at the notion it&#82…

nypost.com