Law to Ban TikTok May Harm US Citizens’ Freedom: Experts.

Senate Bill to Ban TikTok Could Infringe on U.S. Citizens’ Freedoms

A Senate bill aimed at banning TikTok over security concerns has raised concerns among experts and a communication technology provider that it could potentially infringe on the freedoms of U.S. citizens. The bipartisan bill, known as the RESTRICT Act, seeks to regulate communication tools due to threats posed by technologies connected to foreign adversaries, such as Chinese-owned TikTok, which has 150 million users in America.

What is the RESTRICT Act?

The RESTRICT Act empowers the secretary of commerce to review foreign-linked communication technology products and services, including social media apps, and take necessary action if those technologies pose any risk to “U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons.” The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), does not mention TikTok by name but is intended to target the app.

Why is TikTok a Concern?

Experts have raised concerns that TikTok has been used by the Chinese communist regime to steal user data and send it to China, as well as being a propaganda tool for the regime. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army intelligence unit worked out of the Houston consulate—later closed by the Trump Administration—to identify Americans likely to participate in Black Lives Matter and Antifa protests in 2020 and sent them videos on TikTok regarding how to organize riots. TikTok has also been used to amplify Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine.

Concerns About the RESTRICT Act

While the RESTRICT Act aims to address the ongoing threat posed by technology from foreign adversaries, it has raised concerns that it could be used to fine people in the United States for using virtual private networks (VPNs). The legislation also lacks concrete rules regarding the digital privacy of U.S. citizens during app review and fails to adequately address content manipulation. The definition of the information and communications technology products and services that can pose a security threat under the RESTRICT Act is also considered to be “expansive and unspecific.”

Expert Opinions

The Mises Institute has raised concerns that the RESTRICT Act’s definition of the information and communications technology products and services that can pose a security threat is “expansive and unspecific.” Meanwhile, Bill Ottman, co-founder and CEO of the Minds social media network, has described TikTok as a “surveillance nightmare” that poses a national security threat.

• The RESTRICT Act empowers the secretary of commerce to review foreign-linked communication technology products and services, including social media apps, and take necessary action if those technologies pose any risk to “U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons.”
• Experts have raised concerns that TikTok has been used by the Chinese communist regime to steal user data and send it to China, as well as being a propaganda tool for the regime.
• The RESTRICT Act has raised concerns that it could be used to fine people in the United States for using virtual private networks (VPNs) and lacks concrete rules regarding the digital privacy of U.S. citizens during app review.
• The Mises Institute has raised concerns that the RESTRICT Act’s definition of the information and communications technology products and services that can pose a security threat is “expansive and unspecific.”