China is an authoritarian state, so it makes sense to be especially wary of how it leverages tech platforms for soft power and censorship. The way that danger operates goes far beyond unchecked capitalist manipulation plaguing our system -- it's rooted in state control. TikTok is ultimately tied to a government that bans press freedom, disappears dissidents, and criminalizes open discourse. People need to understand that when content about Uyghurs, Hong Kong, or Taiwan gets censored, that it's all about state-aligned narrative control.
Yes, US tech platforms are dangerous too -- they amplify disinformation, radicalize users, and prioritize profit over responsibility. We can (and should) critique US tech hegemony without pretending it's identical to China's model, because China already achieved its authoritarian goals years ago. There's no sliding scale there, it's a full on surveillance state, with state censorship, and zero tolerance for dissent. We're still fighting over whether or not we become that. Which makes it all the more dangerous to minimize the difference.
People need to stop being blinded by campism. And start understanding that rejecting US imperialism doesn't require apologizing for or downplaying authoritarianism in "foil" countries.
, it can't be people not stomaching dead children and women was CHINA