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  • If you're like many Americans, you're on TikTok.

  • In fact, you're probably on it right now while this show plays in the background.

  • Hey!

  • Hey, I'm on TV over here!

  • Pay attention!

  • Unless you're watching me on TikTok, in which case, nice, thank you.

  • Anyway, TikTok is huge, but if Congress has its way, that's about to change.

  • We begin this hour with breaking news up on Capitol Hill.

  • Just minutes ago, House lawmakers passed a bill that could lead to a ban of the very popular social media platform TikTok here in the United States.

  • The measure would give the company less than six months to sell to a non-Chinese owner.

  • If that doesn't happen, TikTok could be shut down here in the United States.

  • Lawmakers from both parties warning that China could manipulate the algorithm to spread its own propaganda, or data like your browser history and location could be shared with the Chinese government.

  • This is not an attempt to ban TikTok.

  • It's an attempt to make TikTok better.

  • Tic-tac-toe.

  • A winner. A winner.

  • That's right. That's right.

  • Congress might be banning TikTok or banning Tic-tac-toe.

  • I'm not sure Nancy Pelosi knows.

  • Also...

  • Tic-tac-toe winner?

  • Tic-tac-toe is always a tie.

  • Unless you're playing with your three-year-old.

  • Then I'm winning three out of five times.

  • But, yes, obviously, there's a problem with a Chinese app spying on Americans and feeding us propaganda.

  • You want American apps doing that.

  • But is this app really a Chinese propaganda tool?

  • The most viral TikTok right now is just this.

  • Chocolate strawberries.

  • That has more than 710 million views.

  • And there's nothing political about it.

  • I mean, yes, it-it does make you want to invade Taiwan a little, but aside from that, it's harmless.

  • What's interesting here is how unpredictable the breakdown of the vote was.

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene and AOC voted together against the bill.

  • Nancy Pelosi and Lauren Boebert voted for it.

  • Both nightmare blunt rotations, by the way.

  • Meanwhile, Biden s...

  • Biden says he'd sign the bill, and Trump has come out against it.

  • The only thing you can really count on is that young people hate it, and TikTok is doing everything it can to mobilize them.

  • The company has launched an all-out lobbying effort both on the app and here on Capitol Hill.

  • If you are on TikTok, there's a good chance you've got an alert to say, call your member of Congress.

  • Phones are ringing off the hook in many offices here in Washington.

  • We had little children calling into our office and others basically saying questions like, what is Congress?

  • What is a congressman?

  • Can I have my TikTok back?

  • -♪

  • That's how you know this issue is important.

  • In addition, it forced Gen Z to make their very first phone call.

  • And you know, you know congressmen must have been pissed at teenagers blowing up their phones all day.

  • I mean, well, Matt Gaetz didn't mind, but...

  • -$&%!

  • The rest of them were pissed.

  • Doug, I have to say, as an American, it's great that these kids are getting involved in the civic process.

  • But you're too young to start getting ignored by your congressperson.

  • For more on the TikTok ban, we go live to Washington, D.C., with Ronny Chieng.

  • -♪ ♪ -$&%!

  • Ronny, what's the feeling up on Capitol Hill?

  • Uh, I'll tell you what the feeling should be.

  • America should be feeling humiliated right now.

  • China made an app so popular that the government has to ban it?

  • That means communist China beat free-market America at capitalism, all right?

  • That's, like, a whole thing, America, and you lost.

  • This-this is... this is as bad as that time that Asian dude won the hot dog eating contest six times in a row.

  • China beat us so bad at mindless entertainment, we need the government to save us?

  • Oh, no, TikTok's too popular.

  • Now we're addicted to our phones that are also made in China.

  • Ronny, hold-hold on a minute.

  • What choice do our leaders have here?

  • China's using TikTok to influence people.

  • Oh, trust me, I know.

  • Before I used TikTok, I was a white guy in Iowa named Mike Sullivan, okay?

  • Look at me now. I'm serious.

  • Wait, are you... is that true?

  • Is that true?

  • No! No, you idiots!

If you're like many Americans, you're on TikTok.

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B1 tiktok tic tic tac tac china propaganda

China Could Use TikTok To Spread Propaganda | The Daily Show

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    林宜悉 posted on 2024/03/01
Video vocabulary

Keywords

attempt

US /əˈtɛmpt/

UK /ə'tempt/

  • noun
  • Effort made to try to do or accomplish something
  • verb
  • To try to do something challenging or difficult
force

US /fɔrs, fors/

UK /fɔ:s/

  • other
  • To break open (something) using force.
  • To compel (someone) to do something.
  • To cause (a plant or crop) to develop or mature prematurely in a greenhouse or under artificial conditions.
  • To cause (a plant or flower) to grow or develop at an increased rate.
  • To use physical strength to break open or move (something).
  • other
  • Coercion or compulsion; strength or power exerted to cause motion or change.
  • Strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.
  • other
  • Coercion or compulsion; strength or power exerted to cause or affect.
  • An influence or effect.
  • Physical strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.
  • Strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.
  • noun
  • Coercion or compulsion, especially with the use or threat of violence.
  • Group of persons trained for military action; army
  • A body of people employed and trained for a particular task or purpose.
  • An influence or effect.
  • A body of people employed and trained for law enforcement.
  • A body of soldiers or police.
  • An influence that can cause a body to accelerate.
  • Pressure; attraction
  • Strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.
  • The use of physical strength/violence to persuade
  • Strength or power of expression or argument.
  • verb
  • To use physical strength or violence to persuade
manipulate

US /məˈnɪpjəˌlet/

UK /mə'nɪpjʊleɪt/

  • verb
  • To try to control others to gain an advantage
  • To handle or work in a skillful manner
  • other
  • To control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.
  • To falsify or change (data or statistics).
  • To handle or control (a tool or mechanism) in a skillful manner.
measure

US /ˈmɛʒɚ/

UK /ˈmeʒə(r)/

  • noun
  • Plan to achieve a desired result
  • A plan or course of action taken to achieve a particular purpose.
  • A certain amount or degree of something.
  • A division of time in music, usually consisting of a fixed number of beats.
  • Tool used to calculate the size of something
  • A standard unit or system used for measuring.
  • other
  • To assess or estimate the extent, quantity, or effect of something.
  • To determine the size, amount, or degree of an object or substance by comparison with a standard unit.
  • verb
  • To determine the value or importance of something
  • To calculate size, weight or temperature of
  • other
  • To take actions to achieve a particular purpose.
spread

US /sprɛd/

UK /spred/

  • noun
  • A big meal, often laid out as a buffet
  • The distance between two things
  • Soft food thinly applied, e.g. on bread
  • When a disease is passed to more people
  • Range or wide variety of something
  • verb
  • To place over a large area; to cover a large area
  • To apply something thinly, usually onto food
  • To give or be given to other people, as a disease
  • (Of ideas, gossip) to pass to and affect others
  • To move something apart, or to put space between
  • To become known by a greater number of people
influence

US / ˈɪnfluəns/

UK /'ɪnflʊəns/

  • noun
  • The power to affect what happens, to persuade etc.
  • A person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.
  • verb
  • To affect or change something indirectly
  • other
  • To have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.
  • To persuade someone to do something.
  • other
  • The ability to control or affect what happens
  • The power to have an effect on someone or something.
viral

US /ˈvaɪrəl/

UK /ˈvaɪrəl/

  • adjective
  • Of or caused by a virus
  • Becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially through the Internet.
  • Becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially through the Internet.
  • Relating to or caused by a virus.
algorithm

US /ˈælɡəˌrɪðəm/

UK /'ælɡərɪðəm/

  • noun
  • A step-by-step problem-solving feature
alert

US /əˈlɚt/

UK /ə'lɜ:t/

  • adjective
  • Being aware and able to respond quickly
  • verb
  • To warn someone so they can respond to it
political

US /pəˈlɪtɪkəl/

UK /pəˈlɪtɪkl/

  • adjective
  • Involved in or relating to activities aimed at achieving or maintaining power.
  • Relating to government or public affairs of a country.
  • Relating to or concerned with the state or government.
  • Relating to or concerned with ideas about power and government.
  • Motivated by or having to do with politics rather than other concerns.
  • Motivated by political considerations rather than genuine concern.
  • Relating to different organizations or groups involved in politics
  • Relating to government, politics, and public affairs.
  • Relating to the study of politics.
  • Likely to cause public debate or disagreement.
  • Shrewd or diplomatic in dealing with people.
  • Being active or interested in government matters
  • Diplomatic
  • Of the system of elections and government
  • Concerning government or public affairs
  • Involved in getting of power/influence in a group