This is the same conclusion Second Thought came to a while back in one of his youtube videos. While I don't disagree with the conclusion, I also wouldn't say it's mutually exclusive to reasoning promoted by the mainstream media of "foreign influence. " What's really wild is the idea that the ban is also being pushed by "foreign influence."

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 15 points 6 months ago

The concept that "foreign influence" can destabilize the system means the system itself is not transparent and fair enough.

It means local influence does not work in public interest, and the problem is not abroad, it's in your government.

[–] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 12 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Plausible deniability, 2 birds with 1 stone. There are hundreds of companies with foreign investors and influence. TikTok has tried to work with investigators and even spent $1.5 billion on a server framework for Project Texas. If TikTok was a crappy app and wasn’t the primary source of news for young adults, the government wouldn’t care.