The Enemy of the People is Stopping Facebook from Using TikTok: A Comment on the Post by Amber Estenson

In January, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign joined TikTok, despite the app’s alleged risks to national security. Still, Biden has said that he’ll sign the bill if it makes it through the Senate. On the other hand, former president Donald Trump is pushing lawmakers against the bill even though his administration tried to ban the app several times. “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump posted to Truth Social last week. “I do not want Facebook, who cheated in the election, doing better.” They are the Enemy of the People.

Two years ago, “That Midwestern Mom,” also known asAmber Estenson, uploaded a video of her “salad” concoctions on TikTok. She was a viral sensation because of the ingredients.

The TikTok project – a platform for preserving the fundamental right to freedom of expression in the 21st century: a statement by William McCoy

Other TikTokers use their platform as a means of giving back. William McCoy, who goes by Izzy White, is a former drug dealer and ex-felon from Baltimore. He said he uses his platform to help homeless people in his community.

TikTok declined an interview with NPR. In a statement a spokesperson said “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will have a huge impact on many businesses, artists, and creators in the country.

Krishnamoorthi says the company’s claims about their safeguards weren’t true. “Whether it was Tiktok saying that ‘oh American user data is not going to be accessible to anyone in China.’ Again, wrong. That was also proven false. And then they said that American user data is not going to be used to target anybody again. Wrong. That was false.”

Sensitivity to a Social Media Platform “Project Texas”: A Viewpoint from U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi

The bill is expected to pass but its fate is unclear in the Senate where some lawmakers have said they would like to hold hearings and consider it further.

The legislation was introduced by a congressman but could not have been used against American social media companies. He said that the content of speech was only foreign adversary control and that no position was taken on it.

The app is used to interfere in elections, that it’s a threat to user privacy, that it has been used to target journalists and that it’s classified. Intelligence and national security agencies briefed members of the House on their analysis on Tuesday.

Prominent TikTok creators question the bill. The bill may not be able to protect Americans, but I don’t think that’s really the goal, says Charlotte Palermino, the CEO and founder of skin-care brand Dieux. “I find it to be very silly, but I think that it’s a nice encapsulation of American politics today, where we have people that do not understand technology trying to regulate it.”

He said member offices were being deluged with calls, with teenagers crying and one threatening suicide and one mimicking a colleague’s son. “That, to me demonstrates how the platform could be weaponized in the future.”

The president can address any future threats from foreign owned apps if they are deemed to be a national security risk. In addition, it creates a system for users to download and switch to another platform.

Illinois Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi, is the ranking Democrat on the House Select committee on China and helped write the bill. He toldNPR that there’s no first amendment right to harm our national security.

The company invested its own money to set up a Firewall in the effort known as “Project Texas” to address data Privacy Concerns and keep users’ data in the US.

Facebook, Facebook, and the 2020 Senate Appropriate Resolution: Rand Paul’s No-SelfSaving Promise to the First Amendment

During his time as President Donald Trump proposed a ban in 2020. But he does not support the House bill.

He vowed to ban the social media app when he was president. Trump explained his new opposition in an interview with CNBC on Monday, saying that despite his the possible security risk, he opposed a ban because it meant users would move to another platform that he considered more dangerous.

There is lots of good and lots of bad with TikTok. But the thing I don’t like is that without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people along with a lot of the media,” he said.

If both chambers approve the bill, President Joe Biden will sign it.

But even though the bill sailed through the House only about a week after it was first introduced, the Senate will present a whole different set of challenges.

Legislation is barely at the start line in the chamber, as there is no companion bill yet. And even if one is introduced, Senate rules could make it tricky to maintain enough support (60 out of 100 members) to clear it. Legislation can be put into a hold by a single senator.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has indicated he could be willing to do just that. He told The Washington Post prior to the House vote that he would block any bill he believed to violate the Constitution and said Congress shouldn’t “be trying to take away the First Amendment rights of [170] million Americans.”

What Do Opponents of the TikTok Data Protection Laws Need to Know Before They Tell Them: Rep. Hawley, Schumer, and Massie

A long legal process could leave room for doubts — and lobbying money — to seep in. The Senate introduced the RestRICT Act a year ago, just before TikTok’s CEO testified in the House. Despite early excitement about the measure, it slowly fell off the radar as opponents lodged their critiques. Ultimately, it failed to move through the chamber.

But Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) maintained his longtime support for taking action on TikTok’s China ties, saying on X after the House vote that “the Senate should take up this bill immediately.”

The senate intel committee chair and vice chair said in a statement that they were encouraged by the strong bipartisan vote in congress and would be working together to get the bill passed

Warner is willing to get behind the House bill because he was the lead sponsor of the RESTRICT Act. Warner supports the new House legislation, which he thinks will allow him to deal with the threats he sees from TikTok.

Sigourney Norman, an artist and former lawyer who uses TikTok to discuss politics, race, gender, and sexuality, says she doesn’t buy lawmakers’ arguments that the bill will help protect the data of American users.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has so far been noncommittal about the path the bill could take. Schumer said simply in a statement after the House passed the bill that “The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House.”

Several supporters emphasized that the bill is not an all-out ban, but instead an incentive to force divestment so TikTok can separate its ties to China.

But opponents of the bill on both sides of the aisle echoed each others’ concerns. Protesters fear the bill will be an ineffectual solution to real national security concerns, while coming with unacceptable limits on free speech and government power.

The president has the power to decide what Americans can see on their phones and computers, said Rep. Thomas Massie.

Although Chew faced bipartisan grilling, some Democrats in particular expressed reservations about an all-out ban. The RESTRICT Act was pushed by a group of powerful lawmakers, but it was later scuttled due to a strong lobbying campaign by TikTok.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said she worried the bill could be used to force the sale of other social media platforms, particularly mentioning X, which is now owned by Elon Musk.

But Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove noted that Chinese influence operations are not restricted to TikTok. The Chinese influence operation on the Meta platforms had been removed in November of 2023. Some smaller networks had also targeted users in India and Tibet.

shuttering TikTok would have a negative short-term effect on Dieux, says Palermino, as he sees it as a valuable tool for small businesses. Losing that would be difficult, she says. While she’s confident Dieux could pivot to focus on other platforms, she suspects a TikTok ban could seriously impact other independent and up-and-coming brands within the United States in a big way. “It will hurt their business.”