Unfortunately, grandstanding appears to be the preferred approach to the issue. Tucker was noticeably quiet four years ago when a Republican White House advanced the exact same policy. It’s based on a 2019 Trump administration Executive Order that instructed the Department of Commerce to address problematic technological threats from bad actors like China under existing law. In a recent monologue, Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson criticized the “RESTRICT Act” as “part of a strategy to make America much more like China, with the government in charge of what you read and see and with terrifying punitive power at their fingertips.” What Tucker failed to mention was the legislation’s origin. Unfortunately, political opposition to banning TikTok isn’t confined to just one side of the political aisle. What better way to divide Americans and spread false narratives and outright lies than on a popular app with addictive tendencies? Thanks to the app, Beijing has a highway to the phones of 150 million Americans, many of whom spend over five hours a day on TikTok. But TikTok isn’t just about privacy it’s about disinformation. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have parroted TikTok talking points about “data privacy” and equate the app to other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. That’s a risky gamble, particularly in light of pleading from Democratic political operatives to keep the app online through the 2024 election.Įven so, Raimondo at least recognizes TikTok as a security threat. The piece of legislation the Biden administration has endorsed, the “RESTRICT Act,” would leave a TikTok ban up to the Commerce Secretary’s discretion. Look no further than the Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo: “The politician in me thinks you’re gonna literally lose every voter under 35, forever.” Her candor was outmatched only by her authority. To their credit, some members of the Biden administration have been more honest about their reservations.
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