Both TikTok and Twitter are currently being criticized. US politicians complain that the Chinese video app TikTok collects data about US citizens and is therefore dangerous. After Musk's takeover, the Federal Chancellery in Germany is currently examining whether Prime Minister Olaf Scholz should continue to be active on Twitter.
Twitter takeover by Elon Musk
US billionaire Elon Musk took over the social network Twitter at the end of October for $44 billion. He then fired not only management, but also around half of the 7,500 employees. The Tesla founder also caused confusion with new announcements - for example about the approval of users and the verification of accounts. This is one of the reasons why critics currently fear that Musk could drastically limit the fight against the spread of hate messages and fake news on Twitter.
The Federal Chancellery is skeptical
In view of the unclear developments on Twitter, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is currently examining whether he would prefer to withdraw from the online platform. “The Chancellor and the Federal Press Office are looking very closely at the development of Twitter since it was taken over by Elon Musk. “We are currently weighing up the development of the platform on the one hand and possible alternatives that can be used instead,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit explained to the Germany editorial network.
In the RND podcast “Geyer & Niesmann” published on Friday (December 9, 2022), Hebestreit also said: “We have the task of providing broad information about the work of the federal government and want to use as many channels as possible to inform users reach where they get information anyway.” Until recently, Twitter was a very good choice for the government to spread information, with Scholz reaching around 600,000 followers and the government spokesman around 100,000 followers.
Hebestreit remarked: “It would have been “very short” to give up this information route immediately without having an alternative. Nevertheless, we cannot turn a blind eye to problematic developments on this network becoming increasingly widespread.”
Prime Minister Weil has already turned his back on Twitter
As a result of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, more and more users are questioning whether they should continue to use the social network. For example, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) also deleted his account on the short message service over a week ago. “A lack of controls and a lack of verification on Twitter is increasingly leading to the mass spread of hate and incitement, misinformation and conspiracy stories,” he said as a reason.
It is interesting that Olaf Scholz is the first tweeting Chancellor who, in addition to the spokesman and government profile, also has a personal account. However, according to Hebestreit, the news is not written by him himself, but by a team in the Federal Press Office. It remains to be seen how long this account will still exist.
completely dispensed with TikTok
As T-Online reports , no channel will be set up for the Chancellor on the video clip platform TikTok. According to Steffen Hebestreit, the decision has already been made. According to the government spokesman, among other things, there was an audit note from the Federal Press Office, “which clearly said: We should think carefully about whether we as the German federal government want to be present on a Chinese platform.” That convinced him to refrain from having accounts on TikTok, he said the government spokesman.
US MPs also have doubts about TikTok
Security authorities and politicians in the USA have been keeping an eye on the video platform for years. A warning last month from Chris Wray, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said that the Chinese government was able to use TikTok to gain control of the personal data of countless US citizens. Furthermore, the government is able to change the platform's recommendation algorithms so that the desired influence can be easily achieved. Several states – including Texas – have subsequently banned TikTok from being installed on devices in their jurisdiction.
New draft laws
US MPs have now even introduced bills to ban the app TikTok. All social media transactions that are influenced by China or Russia should be stopped, according to an announcement by Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
“This is not about creative videos, but about an app that collects the data of tens of millions of American children and adults every day,” he explained. His party colleague Mike Gallagher also made an interesting comparison: He is of the opinion that tolerating TikTok is comparable to allowing the Soviet Union to buy up the newspapers “New York Times” and “Washington Post” as well as major TV channels during the Cold War is.
So far all draft laws have been rejected
China has denied the allegations of espionage; However, there is no official statement from the platform or the region in Beijing yet.
It should be said, however, that Digital Minister Volker Wissing rejected a special law to regulate TikTok in Germany in June. Former US President Donald Trump also failed to ban Americans from downloading the app in 2020.
Sources:
T-Online
T-Online
news agency afp
news agency Reuters
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )