While most of the attention this week was on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, after repeated threats the United States is much closer in banning the popular social media app TikTok.
A bipartisan House committee voted 50-0 this week to advance the bill, H.R.7521 – Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, and has received fast track status and will be deliberated on next week.
The opening text of the bill states: “To protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications, such as TikTok and any successor application or service and any other application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Ltd. or an entity under the control of ByteDance Ltd.”
PROHIBITION OF FOREIGN ADVERSARY CONTROLLED APPLICATIONS.—It shall be unlawful for an entity to distribute, maintain, or update (or enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating of) a foreign adversary controlled application by carrying out, within the land or maritime borders of the United States,
The bill goes on to state
The legislation would force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, headquartered in China, to sell TikTok to another third-party entity within six months of the bill’s passage, or the app will banned from all app stores and networks in the U.S.
A similar bill has also been introduced that is effectually similar. H.R. 7520 – Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, is designed to “prohibit data brokers from transferring sensitive data of United States individuals to foreign adversaries, and for other purposes.”
Reclaim The Net points out, ‘The proposed legislation grants the US President the authority to identify and take action against apps deemed security threats, specifically those with over one million annual users and under the control of a “foreign adversary entity.”’ So therefore, it’s not just TikTok but any other foreign apps the federal government deems to be a problem.
Interestingly enough, former President Trump actually came to the defense of TikTok. He wrote in a post on his platform Truth Social: “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business. I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!”, Trump wrote.
This is in stark contrast to what he did as sitting President when he signed an executive order in 2020 that sought to ban TikTok, claiming that the app was being used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to harvest American’s private data, and ultimately use it against the U.S. The order was ultimately shot down in court, however.
Specifically, the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok.
The executive order reads
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
The hysertia over TikTok and other foreign-owned applications always cracks me up. ‘How dare the Chinese steal American’s private data,’ the U.S. politicians and big-tech says, ‘only we are allowed to snoop and steal your information, for your safety of course. It’s a national security threat,’ they tell us.
The hypocrisy is immense.
[16] For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. [17] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:16-17
Of course, the bill allows for more than just banning TikTok. I’m no defender of TikTok, and I don’t have an account there. TikTok is of course a major hub of trash and brain rot also, and banning it would, on paper, be in a step in the right direction; but as I have facetiously pointed out, it is for the most hypocritical reasons.
This bill follows a similar path the RESTRICT Act follows, though has so far remained dormant. It too was introduced to ban TikTok, but also gave the U.S. government a sweeping ton more powers to control the flow information in and out of the national borders. It would see these current bills are watered down versions of RESTRICT.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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If they ban this, that’s good; BUT what else will be banned or blocked under this ban and that’s written in the small print that you won’t know about. Think about it and remember the ole saying” give em an inch, and they’ll take a mile”.
Just read this this morning; Psa 52:2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
It’s about the Son of Perdition, but fit well here
The chips in our cellphones are from China so is the authoritarian govt gonna ban cellphones too?
Careful now, you’re using your brain, and that might put you on a watchlist LOL.
The guvmints motto “Do as I say, not as I do” They are such hypocrites. I can’t say that I will miss tiktok cause I never use it, but I know millions of people do, so they will screech about it, but if the guvmint says it’s gonna happen, then it’s gonna happen, whether we like it or not.