June 10, 2026

Social Media Watch

Netanyahu Hopes TikTok Deal will help Israel combat Hamas agitprop

pgnewser October 1, 2025 0

TikTok: The Complete History and Strategy

Netanyahu hails TikTok takeover as Israel’s new ‘weapon’ in information war– www.lifesitenews.com
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NEW YORK (LifeSiteNews) — Benjamin Netanyahu described the expected purchase of the social media platform TikTok by allies of Israel as the acquisition of a “weapon” that is “most important” to “fight the fight.” And he believes this development “could be extremely consequential.”

The Israeli prime minister was speaking to a group of “pro-Israel influencers” in a meeting after his address at the United Nations General Assembly last Friday were an overwhelming majority of national delegations walked out in apparent protest to what is widely considered a genocidal war he and his nation are inflicting against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

A media release from Netanyahu’s office reported the prime minister spoke with this group of “pro-Israel American influencers” about “challenges in the new era, as well as the public diplomacy efforts and the influence of the social networks on the discourse for and against Israel.”

Asked about how to combat dangers to the Zionist cause due to a potential loss of Evangelical support in the United States, which is also impacted by popular Israel-critics Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, Netanyahu directed his listeners to considering social media as “tools for battle” and then emphasized the expected purchase of TikTok to be “most important” in serving Israel’s interests in this regard.

“What we have to do is we have to secure that part of the base of our support in the United States, that is being challenged systematically… How do we fight back? Our influencers, I think you should also talk to them if you have a chance,” the prime minister said. “And secondly, we’re going to have to use the tools of battle. The weapons change over time… we have to fight with the weapons that apply to the battlefields within which we’re engaged. And the most important ones are on social media.”

Venezuelan president’s YouTube account offline as tensions with US escalate– abcnews.go.com

pgnewser September 22, 2025 0

Venezuelan president’s YouTube account offline as tensions with US escalate– abcnews.go.com
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Excerpt:

BOGOTA, Colombia — The YouTube account of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was offline Saturday, with Venezuelan state-run channel Telesur claiming in a message on X that it was “eliminated” late the previous night without justification.

YouTube’s parent company Google did not immediately respond to questions on the apparent termination of the Venezuelan president’s account. It comes amid rising tensions between Venezuela and the United States over the deployment of American warships and fighter jets in the southern Caribbean.

Maduro’s YouTube account had more than 200,000 followers before it became unavailable Friday and was used to publish the Venezuelan president’s speeches, as well as clips from his weekly show on Venezuelan state TV.

On its website, YouTube says it eliminates accounts that commit “repeated violations of community guidelines” that include publishing misinformation, hate speech and content that “interferes with democratic processes.”

Maduro has been widely accused of stealing last year’s presidential election in Venezuela, which he lost by a landslide according to tally sheets gathered by hundreds of Venezuelan opposition activists. Venezuela’s elections agency, which is controlled by the ruling socialist party, never published tally sheets to support its claim that Maduro won the vote.

TikTok’s Algorithm Will Soon Be “Controlled By America” – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser September 22, 2025 0

TikTok’s Algorithm Will Soon Be “Controlled By America” – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com
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Excerpt:

After years of bipartisan warnings about TikTok’s potential national security risks, users may soon confront a different kind of threat, perhaps even worse: an algorithm “controlled by America.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the detail on Saturday, a key aspect of the emerging agreement announced by the Trump administration last week between the United States and China. The deal could finally settle TikTok’s fate in the US following months of uncertainty with a brief ban, reversal by the Trump administration, and shifting, self-imposed deadlines for an agreement.

“There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the US, and six of those seats will be Americans,” Leavitt told Fox News. “The data and privacy will be led by one of America’s greatest tech companies, Oracle, and the algorithm will also be controlled by America.”

It’s unclear what exactly a US-controlled algorithm will involve. Right-wing conspiracy theories? Charlie Kirk memorials? Coupons for MAGA swag? Nor did Leavitt specify which American individuals would be involved in determining an algorithm. We also have little details on how Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a Trump loyalist, intends to approach the responsibility for managing TikTok’s data and security while the Trump administration weaponizes everything from voting data to confidential Social Security records.

Colorado Government Forcing Social Media Warning Messages to Minors

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

Colorado - Government, Society, Politics | Britannica

Sending Government-Mandated Messages to Minors on Social Media Platforms: Colorado’s Unconstitutional Experiment | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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Excerpt:

“Attention youth: We interrupt your social media experience to bring you this government-compelled, state-sanctioned message to help you ‘understand the impact of social media on the developing brain and the mental and physical health of youth users.’ This message will be repeated.’”

That sounds like a far-fetched way to educate minors about alleged and vehemently contested problems with using social media, but something similar might soon become reality in Colorado unless a judge issues an injunction in NetChoice v. Weiser. Compelling private entities to host disputed messages they disagree with––NetChoice calls Colorado’s statements “state-compelled opinions”––raises profound First Amendment problems, but that’s what the statute in Weiser seemingly does.

Via Adobe Stock.

The US Supreme Court has “held time and again that freedom of speech ‘includes both the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from speaking at all.’” It recently added that the government generally “may not compel a person to speak its own preferred messages.” Given this principle against government-compelled expression, the better––and constitutional––method for addressing Colorado’s frets about minors’ social media usage is for the state to run its own educational and advertising campaigns––ones that don’t co-opt platforms to do the hard work for it.

Oracle, Among Others, Prepares to take over TikTok

Oracle, Among Others, Prepares to take over TikTok

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

TikTok restoring US service as Trump promises executive order to ...

TikTok to be controlled by US-led group including Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz: report – New York Post
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Excerpt:

President Trump’s potential deal to avoid a TikTok ban is taking shape – with several prominent US tech and investor firms set to take majority control of the China-owned app.

Under the proposed terms, a group including billionaire Larry Ellison’s Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz would form a new entity overseeing TikTok’s US operations, The Wall Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The US group will reportedly own a combined stake of approximately 80%, with Chinese investors holding the rest. Under the TikTok divestment law passed by Congress last year, Chinese ownership can’t exceed 20%.

YouTube’s paid creators $100 billion in four years– mashable.com

pgnewser September 17, 2025 0

YouTube’s paid creators $100 billion in four years– mashable.com
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There’s a reason creators often try to migrate their audience to YouTube: It pays.

The Google-owned streaming giant said it has paid out more than $100 billion in the last four years to creators, artists, and media companies. YouTube announced the figure at the Made on YouTube event on Tuesday.

“We didn’t just create a platform. We built an economy,” said YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.

As Mashable reported earlier this year, creator jobs have grown 7.5 times in recent years. In surveys, young people also consistently identify being a creator as a popular career goal. And YouTube has played an outsized role in building the modern creator economy.

It pays to be a popular creator and/or influencer on any platform, but YouTube’s widely regarded as the most lucrative social media site when it comes to direct view-to-payment value. And creators are making more money off of folks watching YouTube on traditional TV sets, rather than mobile devices. The company reported that the number of YouTube channels making more than $100,000 from TV screens rose 45 percent year over year.

Clearly, YouTube isn’t just for streamers anymore. Heck, the platform is broadcasting NFL games — arguably the single biggest product in American culture — with great success. But if you want to make it big as a creator, YouTube remains the place where you can carve out a highly lucrative living.

TikTok ‘framework’ deal overshadows U.S.-China trade talks– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

TikTok ‘framework’ deal overshadows U.S.-China trade talks– www.cnbc.com
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Excerpt:

U.S. and Chinese trade negotiations concluded in Spain Monday, after two days of talks on several sticking points ranging from tariff rates, export controls and the imminent deadline for a divestment of Chinese-owned TikTok.

Talks on trade were overshadowed by a “framework” deal regarding the social media platform, announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Monday.

“It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon,” he said from U.S.-China talks in Madrid. Both President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak on Friday to discuss the terms.

The news comes ahead of a Wednesday deadline to either divest TikTok’s U.S. business or shut down the social media app in the country.

Bessent led negotiations alongside Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the U.S. side, with the Chinese represented by Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang.

Trump Teases China-TikTok Deal

Trump Teases China-TikTok Deal

pgnewser September 15, 2025 0

TikTok restoring US service as Trump promises executive order to ...

Trump signals deal on trade and TikTok made with China– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Excerpt:

President Donald Trump teased on Monday that a deal has been made with China regarding trade and the future of TikTok.

“The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluding shortly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save,” he said, referring to TikTok. “They will be very happy!”

TikTok was set to be inaccessible to American users in January, but Trump delayed the start date of the ban’s enactment to find an American buyer for the social media platform. China’s ByteDance owns the app, which poses national security concerns for the United States.

After months of negotiations and setbacks, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. and China are “very close” to finalizing a deal on TikTok.

“We made very good progress on the technical details of the agreement. In terms of the overall agreement itself, our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask,” he told reporters in Madrid, Spain, on the second day of talks. “We will see if we can get there. At present, we are not willing to sacrifice our national security for a social media app.”

TikTok removes video honoring Charlie Kirk: violates ‘community guidelines’– www.thecollegefix.com

pgnewser September 15, 2025 0

TikTok removes video honoring Charlie Kirk: violates ‘community guidelines’– www.thecollegefix.com
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Excerpt:

A video by The College Fix honoring TPUSA leader Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination has been removed by TikTok, which states the video violates “community guidelines.”

The five-minute video, posted to all The College Fix’s media platforms on Saturday, features Assistant Editor Gabrielle Temaat expressing heartbreak over Kirk’s assassination. It then showcases three clips of Kirk debating students on various hot-button topic, and ends by quoting reactions to his murder.

The video was accepted on X, YouTube and Facebook with no problems….