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by jazzyjackson 493 days ago
Government contractors have been banned from having Tik-Tok installed on any device they use since June 2023, legislation to force divestment was introduced in January prior, so I was tempted to dismiss this article front the first sentence, of course it did not start with oct 7, but fine, the matter became more urgent with the swell of content that’s, let’s say, critical of Israel.

But the article is reaching by asserting that pro Israeli lobbyists have outsized sway and we banned Tik-Tok as a favor to an ally. There are other factors that freak out American politicians and their constituents (I just wish they were equally freaked out by American corporations doing the same things wrt surveillance and behavior modification)

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.204-27

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/85

2 comments

Isn't what you're saying fitting to the narrative presented by Gallagher? Also why are you focusing on what the article is portraying and not what the politician who pushed for the bill is literally stating exactly what happened?
> the article is reaching by asserting that pro Israeli lobbyists have outsized sway

Given that 38 US states have laws against boycotting Israel, Texas required hurricane aid recipients to promise not to boycott Israel as a condition of receiving aid, and Texas will fire teachers for not pledging not to boycott Israel, I wouldn't say it's reaching at all.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-BDS_laws#Anti-BDS_laws_in...

[2] Did a City in Texas Require Harvey Aid Recipients to Promise Not to Boycott Israel? [yes] - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/texas-harvey-israel/

[3] Teacher Sues Texas After Being Fired For Refusing to Sign Pro-Israel Contract - https://www.newsweek.com/teacher-fired-refusing-sign-pro-isr...