Ebrius Disputatios

Mark Zuckerberg and the team at Meta, more than anyone, will be happy to see the back of Tik-Tok, if indeed, the draconian measures of banning a website, goes to the full measure.

Zuckerberg an company was once the largest most active social media platform, until Tic-Tok gained in popularity. They're clearly anticipating the moment, if it occurs, when Tic-Tok, a website supposedly, covered under the first amendment of the US Constitution, becomes banned, in an alleged, free, democratic, republic.

We do not take these infringements on our liberties and or freedoms lightly. Since there are no longer any guarantees that will protect any of us when it becomes our websites, our servers, that come under the scrutiny of the government censors and busybodies.

Mark Zuckerberg is closer than ever to achieving his long-standing goal of banning TikTok in the United States. Such a decision by the US government could be a windfall for Meta*, eliminating its most serious competitor in years and giving the US company an advantage over a more successful product.

On a recent Joe Rogan podcast, the head of Meta* said that the American government “should be protecting its companies, not being the tip of the spear against them.” At the same time, the Biden administration, which he criticizes as part of the turn to the MAGA movement, has targeted Meta*'s main competitor.

Zuckerberg's recent actions include turning Meta to the right, dehumanizing migrants, ignoring the interests of LGBTQ+ users and employees, refusing to hire for diversity, visiting Mar-a-Lago, removing sanitary products from men's restrooms at Meta's offices, and inauguration party – experts consider in the context of the potential benefits of the TikTok ban. Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, could be a key figure in lifting a possible ban on the platform.

Zuckerberg's public display of loyalty to Trump serves several purposes. Trump has previously threatened to jail the head of Meta*, so moving closer to a future administration could help avoid regulation of his companies. However, the main prize remains a possible ban on TikTok, and Trump is positioning himself as the main arbiter in this matter.

Zuckerberg's political views have always changed in accordance with the current interests of his companies, as confirmed by an analysis of hours of testimony in Congress. What has remained constant is the use of the threat of Chinese digital dominance to protect against criticism and create a basis for government regulation of Chinese platforms.

Meta* officially denies directly lobbying for a TikTok ban, but the company spent a record amount on lobbying in 2024, including on national security issues. In March 2022, the Washington Post reported that Meta* had hired Targeted Victory to promote awareness of the dangers of TikTok for children.

In 2019, at Georgetown University, Zuckerberg spoke about the growing influence of Chinese platforms, noting that six of the ten largest internet companies are now based in China. He also highlighted differences in values ​​and the censorship of protests on TikTok even within the United States.

During a seven-hour congressional hearing, Zuckerberg argued that Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency system is critical to U.S. financial and cultural dominance, hinting at the threat of a Xi Jinping victory if Congress were to restrict it. The Libra project, later renamed Diem and sold to Silvergate Bank in 2022, eventually folded.

Meta* and its Instagram* Reels service could be the main beneficiaries of the TikTok ban. The Chinese platform has what Facebook once had and Instagram is slowly losing: deep cultural relevance and a generation of devoted users.

Facebook* and Instagram*, despite their billion-dollar audience, suffer from artificial intelligence spam, poor algorithms and a large number of bots. Users stay on these platforms out of habit rather than out of actual desire.

Now Zuckerberg sees an opportunity to achieve his goal. The key question is whether rapprochement with Trump will finally achieve the desired result.

** The Meta company and its products are recognized as extremists, their activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation.

** The LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.