The freakout over TikTok is a moral panic—but it’s not just that
Plus: Entertainment creep, 'the wonder rug,' and more
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the rest of the first item
a long piece I’ve been reading on American politics as entertainment
my favorite lentil soup recipe
a list of recent work
“the wonder rug,” and the antique looms that made it
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1. A take I haven’t written elsewhere
The freakout over TikTok is a moral panic—but it’s not just that
Texas became the latest state to ban TikTok on state-issued devices this week. Texan Gov. Greg Abbott (R) tweeted an announcement of the plan, which has been in the works since December, and cast it as a matter of security and ideology alike:
Similar bans are already in place in Alabama, Maryland, Ohio, South Dakota, and Utah, as well as for federal employee devices, and Texas is unlikely to be the last government entity to take this route. It’s an obvious choice for Republican governors as the GOP increasingly seems inclined to recenter its foreign policy on conflict with China, and the practical rationale is strong. The security debate aside—and I think there’s good reason to be skeptical of allegations of Beijing’s involvement here—why would most government employees need entertainment apps on their work phones?
So, beyond my impatience with Abbott’s “statewide” language, which misleadingly suggests a far more expansive prohibition, the basic idea here seems fine. The same cannot be said of other ideas for TikTok bans. Too many amount to something something communist brainwashing spies and do nothing to grapple with the constraints of the First Amendment (and other laws on the books).
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