Americans should be skeptical when Democrats and Republicans work in tandem at breakneck speed.
Many of the worst bills are passed with “bipartisan consensus.”
And the establishment in Congress is coming together for one agenda that will make the hair on your neck stand up.
Last year, the D.C. Swamp attempted to ram through the RESTRICT Act.
It was sold as a bulwark against CCP-controlled TikTok stealing American users’ data.
However, the RESTRICT Act was a Trojan horse that would’ve given the executive branch broad powers to surveil anyone in America deemed a “foreign threat.”
After intense backlash, the bill was effectively killed.
The Trojan horse returns
But now a similarly odious bill that purportedly protects Americans from TikTok is getting fast-tracked through Congress.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act passed through the House of Representatives at breakneck speed with a 352-64 vote.
If the bill gets through the Senate as is, President Joe Biden would have the authority to ban websites deemed to be under the control of a “foreign adversary.”
But the language is intentionally vague.
The bill states that “(A) a foreign person that is domiciled in, is headquartered in, has its principal place of business in, or is organized under the laws of a foreign adversary country; (B) an entity with respect to which a foreign person or combination of foreign persons described in subparagraph (A) directly or indirectly own at least a 20 percent stake; or (C) a person subject to the direction or control of a foreign person or entity described in subparagraph (A) or (B).”
The language is slippery enough to justify any actions taken by a president bold enough.
The same expansion of powers took place with the Patriot Act, which has been used to spy on American citizens.”
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) is one of the few principled members of the House who sees the piece of legislation for what it is.
Massie wrote on Twitter, “The so-called TikTok ban is a trojan horse. The President will be given the power to ban WEB SITES, not just Apps. The person breaking the new law is deemed to be the U.S. (or offshore) INTERNET HOSTING SERVICE or App Store, not the ‘foreign adversary.’”
The so-called TikTok ban is a trojan horse.
The President will be given the power to ban WEB SITES, not just Apps.
The person breaking the new law is deemed to be the U.S. (or offshore) INTERNET HOSTING SERVICE or App Store, not the “foreign adversary.”https://t.co/iKtAQFGeQH pic.twitter.com/P26hEbzQrf
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 12, 2024
TikTok’s real threat
While TikTok poses serious problems, the security concerns are overblown.
The app is already banned on government devices, and American users’ data are stored on Oracle servers.
Also, tragically, Americans’ data can be easily purchased cheaply—and legally—without the TikTok app serving as a trawl.
TikTok’s true harm is that it allows for socially ruinous content to go viral.
The Chinese version of TikTok is filled with educational videos, but the American version is replete with radical gender ideology and dangerous trends like the Tide Pod Challenge, where people literally consumed laundry detergent.
However, the remedy for social decay is not allowing the government to have sweeping censorship powers.
If CCP-backed corporation ByteDance is forced to divest from TikTok, it will assuredly be purchased by an American company that is held by several members of Congress.
Now would be a prudent time to track Nancy Pelosi’s stock purchases.
Stay tuned to Unmuzzled News for any updates to this ongoing story.
