More people than ever before rely on social media for the news.
As a result, countless news sites and pages have emerged, catering to people’s diverse interests and political inclinations.
And Joe Biden is taking notes as France takes this shocking move.
France’s latest censorship move demonstrates why so many oppose an American TikTok ban
Billions of people across the globe use social media for entertainment and communicating with loved ones.
These people also rely on social media to get instant news updates around the clock.
TikTok has emerged as one of the most popular social media apps among younger people.
Just as on other platforms with a large user base, the people and entities who control TikTok potentially wield immense power to control public discourse when they decide to put their thumb on the scales.
That’s why government elites are hell-bent on controlling such platforms.
If they can’t, you can be damn sure they’ll use any excuse to clamp down on individuals who might develop a large audience and use them effectively to push unapproved views or counter government narratives.
With this in mind, banning TikTok was one of the first things the French government did at the onset of the recent riots in its overseas territory of New Caledonia.
Riots and violent demonstrations have engulfed the small Pacific island with a population of about 270,000 people in recent weeks.
Rioters, many of whom identify as Kanak indigenous people, have demanded independence from France.
France has controlled this island since 1853 and does not appear ready to relinquish control anytime soon.
The riots started after French lawmakers passed a measure allowing people to vote in local elections after living on the island for at least ten years.
British Redcoats effectively did the same in colonial America
Locals fear that this measure will effectively take political power away from native-born citizens in favor of French and other nationals’ interests.
Following the passage of this controversial measure, some New Caledonians took to the streets, burning vehicles and destroying property.
So far, four people have died in the riots, with hundreds more reporting injuries.
The decision to ban TikTok came after lawmakers caught wind of anti-French content spreading like wildfire across the island on the platform.
France’s ban of TikTok in the overseas territory comes on the heels of the United States Congress voting to force TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell its U.S. operations or face effectively a ban of the application.
President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation into law in late April.
Although lawmakers from both sides of the aisle maintain the legislation was warranted over concerns about ByteDance’s privacy policies and ties to Communist China, critics say the legislation gives a U.S. President unprecedented power to ban or force the sale of other outlets he deems necessary.
Much like the new TikTok ban in New Caledonia, it could be used to crack down on political dissent.
The New Caledonian protests reveal the dangers of banning social media
As the New Caledonia protests exemplify, many modern protest movements are fueled by access to social media platforms.
Banning TikTok might help the government get a hold on protests, directly limiting these people’s freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Many fear that authorities in the United States could similarly pull the trigger on further censorship actions, the means for which they’ve already slipped into place.
Stay tuned to Unmuzzled News for any updates to this ongoing story.
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Author: rg_jb
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