As always, @superwuster has a powerfully written piece--this one arguing for Trump's #TikTokBan. Here's why I disagree. 1/ nytimes.com/2020/08/18/opi…
He argues that China has played us for the sucker, banning our internet companies while their companies are freely operating in our markets. 2/
But this is only partially true: first, some US internet companies were banned (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), but others like Amazon and Uber were allowed to operate. 3/
Furthermore, many American tech companies are making enormous profits in China. Apple just reported $9 billion in the last quarter alone in revenues in China. Yahoo's part ownership of Alibaba was its crown jewel. 4/
Chinese internet giants are typically not earning enormous profits in the U.S.--but are subsidizing their ventures here with their profits at home, buying lots of ads in the U.S. 5/
The Great Firewall of China has been in place for decades--and Trump chooses to strike 90 days before the next election--targeting the one social media platform that he hasn't yet mastered, TikTok. 6/
CFIUS gave Kunlun a year to divest itself of Grindr--which poses far more serious potentially "compromising" information because its about private dating, not public dancing. Trump has ordered a ban in 45 days for an app devoted to 15 second often-fun, mostly public videos. 7/
Most importantly, by this tit for tat exercise, the U.S. cedes its moral authority to support an open & free internet--one that countries regulate, but yet keep open to each other. (On that see my book--available here for free: The Electronic Silk Road) 8/ scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2297/
We should not borrow from the Chinese playbook to create a "Great Firewall of America." 9/end
Finally, (and I'm sure Tim has a good answer) what does net neutrality mean if we discriminate based on the nationality of the speaker? 10/
