Governments are increasingly skilled in harnessing the power of the internet to suppress protest movements, including cyber warfare and surveillance. However, activists are pushing back and using VPNs to access restricted services and document human rights abuses, although the fight for a free internet remains ongoing.
Coordinated protests are spreading across cities in China, with footage and other media going viral despite attempts to censor them. The protests are overtly political and widespread, with participation from people across all economic classes.
The Chinese Communist Party's ability to use TikTok's surveillance capabilities to trend certain videos that would steer the United States in a certain direction is concerning. The discrepancy between the types of videos shown to kids in China versus the U.S. highlight the dangers of this platform's potential influence.
The idea of bringing free speech to social media platforms like Twitter is not as simple as it sounds. Buying a platform like Gab is not the solution since it goes beyond censorship and faces issues with technology giants like Apple and Google who do not allow free speech.
As social media becomes more centralized, new social media companies and decentralized options will emerge, making crypto phones with local private keys increasingly important.