Posted on 11/10/2023 10:06:51 AM PST by RandFan
In March, Senator Rand Paul blocked an attempt to ban TikTok from being used in the United States.
This week, he did it again.
Ten months ago it was Republican Senator Josh Hawley who wanted a ban. On Wednesday, it was Hawley again.
Hawley requested unanimous consent to pass his bill that would basically prevent TikTok from being used in the United States by imposing sanctions on TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Limited, citing alleged privacy violations he believes constitute a national security threat.
Paul objected, thinking the ban was a stupid idea. He pointed out that banning the app, which an estimated 76% of Americans age 18-24 use, would forever turn off a generation to the ideas of Republicans.
Paul also contrasted Hawley’s move with recent censorship efforts by the Left.
“The banning TikTok strategy… comes while the GOP simultaneously complains of liberal U.S. social media companies canceling and censoring conservatives. So without a hint of irony, many of these same, quote, conservatives now agitate to censor viewpoints they don’t like,” Paul said.
“The concern over TikTok seems to be over what the social media platform might do, propagating hysteria and fear of subtle communist subversion from the People’s Republic of China,” he added.
Paul asked why would America try to adopt laws similar to authoritarian China.
“Do we really want to emulate China’s speech bans?” he asked. “Do we want to intrude on the lives of Americans, deprive them of their First Amendment right to receive and consider information?”
Back in March, Reuters noted of the proposed TikTok and other app bans, “Senators Mark Warner, a Democrat, and John Thune, a Republican, have proposed the RESTRICT Act, which now has 22 Senate cosponsors, to give the Commerce Department power to impose restrictions up to and including banning TikTok and other technologies that pose national security risks. It would apply to foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.”
Paul said at the time that the bill “would basically be a limitless authority for the president to ban speech.”
If the National Security Lindsey Graham Republicans have their way the Constitutional Right of Americans will be in a casket six feet under.
“i thought the problem was data collection”
Yes, that is the problem. It’s much safer to send your data to San Francisco. Bezos, Zuck, Google, etc. Notice how the government doesn’t worry about you using THEIR sites?
100% correct
This should lose the little support we get from the young voters.
Allow Tik Tok, but ban Chinese ownership of sensitive properties, be they electronic or real property.
That's exactly right. Biden overturned it, and ordered the Dept. of Commerce to investigate the app. Joe's meeting with Xi soon, so he can get his marching orders on what he will be doing.
Yeah, the GOP strategy to win 2024 is to keep abortion in the forefront in the aftermath of our Roe victory. And then we make sure to work hard against any student loan relief, and make damned sure they cannot go to bankruptcy court. And last but not least, then we ban TikToc.
This may sound crazy, but sometimes, it’s almost like the GOP is trying to lose.
Trump never banned it for America. He only -correctly- said that US government and military personnel could not use it on their work equipment. That is wise.
They also shouldn’t be able to access Facebook or Instagram either.
Whack-a-mole. By the time congress bans Tik-Tok, it won’t be a big deal anymore. There will be a new platform for these gas bags to whinge about banning to “protect us”.
Yeah, but there's always AliExpress, Temu, WeChat...
Hawley trumps Paul in my view, but Paul is usually courageous.
Trump never banned TikTok.
Imagine the outcry and outrage against the idea that an ENEMY had even the slightest access to American airwaves, internet, whatever.
Where will we go to watch nurses dance during the next pandemic?
The only good thing about it is that Google doesn’t own it.
People should be more worried about Google, Facebook, Instagrahm, YouTube, X (Twitter).
All of those platforms have just as much info on users as anyone like TicToc.
A TikTok owner funds Paul, so there is a conflict of interest.
I hope Paul disclosed that.
“Rand is right - first thing they’ll do is use the precedent to ban Gab and other conservative social media outlets.”
Absolutely. First TicTok next the FR. When has government not abused the powers we allowed?
Besides, what kind of spying can they get from us they don’t already know? It is stupid to think spying on individuals is going to give them some kind of national secrets.
How to make your prostate shrink? lol
Agreed. But the user agrees to being spied on by those companies. As they do with TikTok. However, TikTok has the distinction of being run by the Chicoms, not American companies. IMHO that makes TikTok eligible for banning.
So you only want the GloboHomo Empire/CIA/DOJ/NSA/Mossad/Five Eyes to have all the dirt on you and your children?
You will feel safe as long as the CCP doesn’t have it?
LOL. Wake up.
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