The point being that there are no "free speech" social media platforms, at least not on the open web, because true free speech on the internet would require allowing felonious content. The only difference between Chinese social media and American social media is where the arbitrary line between allowed and disallowed speech is drawn, and by whom (governments or corporations.)

I'm not arguing that this is a bad thing, personally I prefer private platforms having the option to choose what to moderate and what not, and for the government not to get involved more than necessary, but the premise that an American familiar with Facebook or Twitter or even HN (where you can be negged for just about anything) should be shocked by the lack of "free speech" on a Chinese app is absurd.

US govt is also trying to ban an entire social media platform. The law itself just mentions national security, but some lawmakers supported the ban explicitly because of the anti-Israel content on TikTok.