GOP rams through TikTok ban bill over Dem objections

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee forced through a bill that could effectively ban TikTok from all mobile devices in the U.S. despite united opposition from Democrats — a rare breakdown of congressional bipartisanship on the alleged threat posed by Chinese tech.

“Everybody knows what TikTok is,” committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on Tuesday as the panel debated the fate of the popular Chinese-owned video app. “It’s too dangerous to be on our phones as members of Congress. In my judgment, it’s too dangerous to be on our children’s phones. That’s the whole point of this bill.”


The committee ultimately advanced McCaul’s DATA Act, H.R. 1153, on Wednesday morning by a vote of 24 to 16, with all Democrats voting no. The legislation would grant the president new authorities to ban foreign-owned applications, and would require the imposition of sanctions on companies with ties to TikTok or other Chinese-owned apps.

The vote came after a lengthy back-and-forth on Tuesday, with Republicans repeatedly shooting down Democratic amendments meant to rein in different parts of the legislation. In a brief interview with POLITICO on the sidelines of Tuesday’s markup, McCaul said he hoped the split wasn’t the start of a broader collapse of bipartisanship on issues related to Chinese tech.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/01/house-republicans-tiktok-ban-00084951

[ancianita]

1. I don't understand the party's thinking on this. They saw what Biden did re TikTok in govt., right?

[Raven123]

2. I wonder if the issue is the scope of power created by the proposal

Clearly not just about Tik Tok.

[quaint]

3. Bingo!

[ancianita]

4. If it's about something else, then why aren't they interviewed, or more detailed reports made?

We don't need to be underinformed and/or indulge in knee-jerk trust here. We have a right to know what the party's position is on this.

[underpants]

5. CCP! CCP!

Chinese Communist Party - it’s the big boogie man on the right. EVERYTHING links back to the CCP to them.

[ancianita]

10. But Biden banned TikTok in govt because it IS the CCP. It's not a RW boogie man. It's real, and

to treat it as a joke is how we get into crises before we realize what's happening.

[underpants]

11. I'm not dismissing it I just don't see how it's so different from other social media

They all have tons of info on you - if it’s free YOU are the product - and can direct what you see. That’s the key isn’t it? Interest and eyeballs.

[ancianita]

13. It's different because of Chinese ownership. Other social media is American owned.

I've linked info on how the Chinese are investing ten times more than the U.S. in General AI, and TikTok is how they help develop it.

It looks like a capitalist type "market and eyeballs" incentive, but trust Biden -- it's way more than that.

TikTok, also known[2] in China as Douyin (Chinese: 抖音; pinyin: Dǒuyīn), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.[3] It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 3 seconds to 10 minutes.[4]

TikTok is an entirely separate,[2] internationalized version of Douyin, which was released in the Chinese market in September 2016.[5] It launched in 2017 for iOS and Android in most markets outside of mainland China; however, it became available worldwide only after merging with another Chinese social media service, Musical.ly, on 2 August 2018...

In June 2022, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr called for Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores, citing national security concerns, saying TikTok "harvests swaths of sensitive data that new reports show are being accessed in Beijing."[169][162]

In October 2022, a Forbes report claimed that the ByteDance team planned to surveil individual American citizens for undisclosed reasons. TikTok denied these claims in a series of tweets, saying that this report lacked "both rigor and journalistic integrity."[170][171]

In November 2022, Christopher A. Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told U.S. lawmakers that "the Chinese government could use [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations."[172]

In December 2022, Senator Marco Rubio and representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act), which would prohibit Chinese- and Russian-owned social networks from doing business in the United States.[173][174] That month, Senator Josh Hawley also introduced a separate measure, the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, to ban federal employees from using TikTok on all government devices.[175] On December 15, Hawley's measure was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate.[176] On December 27, the Chief Administrative Officer of the United States House of Representatives banned TikTok from all devices managed by the House of Representatives.[177]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok#/media/File:Banning_of_TikTok_on_state_devices_in_the_United_States.svg


Sometimes the broken clock of Republican thinking is right, and this is one of those times. Our party should look into the national security threats that the CCP's data draw brings. If Biden banned it in govt -- which affects over 4 million federal employees -- he knows intel that we don't, and it's reasonable that it be banned at state govt levels, even out of an abundance of caution.

[Quanto Magnus]

30. And yet even American social media companies

are behaving badly regarding American citizens.... Cambridge Analytica anyone???

I don't use Tik-Tok, so I really don't have a horse in this race.

[ancianita]

32. Seriously? Yeah, well, that's been dealt with, hasn't it. Yes, it has. And it will be again.

If you "don't have a horse in this race," why distract from the national security v marketing focus of the thread.

Think that China gets equal legal consideration over this? Think again.

[TheRealNorth]

45. How is having Tik Tok on my personal phone....

A matter of National Security?

[ancianita]

47. Ask President Biden, whom you second guess and I don't.

Or you're free to do some reading on why governments are banning TikTok. Or not. Here's a source you can start with.

https://apnews.com/article/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-7d2de01d3ac5ab2b8ec2239dc7f2b20d

Here are results of a 5 second google search.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Why+does+Biden+say+banning+TikTok+is+a+matter+of+national+security%3F%3F&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[BComplex]

6. I agree. I'm sure Biden was acting on good intelligence.

I don't understand why the democrats weren't behind this.

[womanofthehills]

41. The kids would lose it - young kids are making a living off of Tic Toc

Have you been on TicToc? Half of it is people dancing, doing gymnastics, putting on makeup - esp popular are couples dancing in their kitchen.

A good/sad thing onTicToc that is growing big time - kids are documenting their cancer stories, zipping around in wheel chairs - showing themselves in rehab trying to walk, some with severe deformities (burned in fires , born without arms or legs, moms showing off severely deformed babies. It’s very sad but it’s a place where all these severely disabledkids are connecting. People send gifts to each other. A woman wrote about being pregnant with triplets and then she shows off all the baby furniture her TicToc followers sent her. I don’t think you can take it away. Actually, people post more private info on Facebook. I cannot believe all the people who have no problem on Facebook putting in their birthdate, where they work etc

[Raven123]

9. Yes, we do, but don't expect the media to tell you. They might have to ask intelligent questions

[cos dem]

25. I agree with you, although I can't say I know all the details.

But, it does seem like something should be done about TikTok. Get it separated from Chinese ownership, or something. It is wildly popular, so outlawing it outright is a good way to make yourself unpopular with the younger crowd. But, somehow, the Chinese influence needs to be addressed. It's also a chance for leadership to act like leaders. Not all decisions have to be popular.

I won't put TikTok on my phone.

[ancianita]

26. Well, then,

you should also know that it can't legally get separated from Chinese ownership. Microsoft tried to buy it, and its Chinese corp owner refused to sell.

Too bad if it's outlawed. That's exactly right -- not all decisions have to be popular. It's a good lesson that Biden and the law will be willing and able to give the younger crowd and stupid celebrities.

If we have to address Chinese "influence" through its data draw, then banning its widespread existence is how we do it. There's no reason there can't be a reverse engineered version by an American company. It would be hilariously ironic after all this time that China's done it to our tech, right? Time to cut the siphoning tentacles of this self proclaimed hostile power out of our nation.

[underpants]

7. Boy that'll bring young voters to the GOP.

I don’t see how Tik Tok is that different from any other social media other than the Right’s media obsession with the CCP.

[IronLionZion]

15. The depth and scope of data that it takes from your phone is the problem.

It's significantly more than the American social media apps which is why our government is suspicious of nefarious motives. There is no reason for a short video sharing platform to know that much about you.

[underpants]

16. Okay. That's what I'm hearing.

[ancianita]

17. +1

[TheRealNorth]

8. They are trying to have complete control or social media...

They already have friendly billionaires controlling Fakebook and Twitter, I'd they can't control Tik Tok then they will out law it. Basically they are operating off the Putin playbook.

If they can do this to Tok Tok, they can do it to Mastadon or any other challenger to Fakebook/Twitter/TS that isn't controlled by the Right.

[Initech]

18. And with Ron Desantis' hostile takeover of Disney World...

They are showing just how fascist they can get. No private enterprise is safe anymore. I can't help but wonder if other countries are watching in horror with what's going on here in the US. Truly scary shit.

[ancianita]

19. Nope, not Putin-like at all. For other AMERICAN social media there is always legal recourse

for silly "bans," because even Republicans know American social media have legal STANDING. This law wouldn't be applied to them without being legally challenged in courts, and of course they'd win every time.
TikTok is objectively a threat to national security in a way that the other social media are not.

You should know that Biden knows this; he's not cancelling or censoring.

[ananda]

12. It's the only legislation "percolating" out of Capitol Hill right now...

Geez

That's all they've got.

[underpants]

14. Well there was the National Gun thing the other day

This, as you know, is basically driven by airtime on Fox and other media. The Repubs echo what’s all the rage so they can get on air and brag about it …and wait for the next big talking point. None of it is going anywhere and these special committees are a disaster.

[republianmushroom]

20. Just a little censorship by that GOP, which wants to control you from cradle to grave.

[Srkdqltr]

21. My question is. How? How do you ban something that is online?

[SouthernDem4ever]

22. I agree with banning tik tok

also, ban fox news from calling themselves news - they are also a threat to our country.

[PortTack]

29. Why? Have you ever used TikTok? All kinds of good ppl use it. The #1 person pushing the ban is

Zuckerberg because it has so eaten into his sites

President Zelensky airs his nightly address to the Ukrainian ppl on TikTok
Adam Schiff announced his senate bid on TikTok
News from all over the world appears there….DWNEWS out of France and others
Mark Hamill and others use it to promote Ukraine24.org
Politics girl that has gained recognition here on DU

It’s now the most popular site world wide and millions use it to connect and share information. This is why the right hates it… because their fascist lies are exposed for all to see.

Just like FB and other social media sites it has its bots, it’s disinformation..should we ban all social media?

Thank god it will not get past the senate!

[SouthernDem4ever]

33. Just because everyone uses it doesn't mean it's safe

[PortTack]

37. And why is it unsafe? Seriously..I'm asking

[SouthernDem4ever]

43. Unless you or I have an inroad to the back end programming of Tik Tok

You'll never know if it's safe or not. So then all I have to go on is that a foreign power who can be a possible adversary has an app on my phone. So until you can tell me it's completely locked away from everything else, to me it's not safe. I now feel the same way about Twitter since it's controlled by someone who thinks fascism is ok, or at least appears to think that.

[MichMan]

39. If it is so benign and useful, why did the White House ban it from all government devices?

[hadEnuf]

23. More government BANS from the so-called party of freedom.

Funny how that works.

[aax]

24. GOP is too dangerous for children

And must be banned

[BumRushDaShow]

27. It'll probably not make it through the Senate

[PortTack]

28. ☝️☝️☝️☝️

[bluestarone]

31. I'm sure by them banning it, only the Democrats

Will stop using it. The RETHUGS will STILL use it. Who will be in charge of watching it?

[iluvtennis]

34. The bill would need to be passed by the full House and U.S. Senate - WON"T HAPPEN!

[LudwigPastorius]

35. Damn that Tik Tok for this country's scourge of mass shootings!

What? Oh...guns not a social media app are the reason?

Well, there's not a THING we can do about it then.

[catsudon]

36. good

i believe UK and Canada already banned it for government use.

[dembotoz]

38. after they run out of books i guess burn phones next

[ismnotwasm]

40. lol

It will be very Interesting to see how this plays out. Bans, in general, are shit ideas, lazy AF too,

However, We are in a brave new world of many global social media platforms. All more or less gathering, usually in the spirit of capitalism, no matter the guiding economics of the countries it operates in

[snot]

42. My understanding is that the bill gives the gov't the power to ban ANY app on Americans' phones.

I find this incredibly insidious.

I have no problem with the ban of foreign-owned apps on government phones.

I have a huge problem with the government telling me what apps I can have on my private phone – this is totally Big Brother.

[TheRealNorth]

44. Exactly

[JI7]

46. Banning Tiktok like this will hurt with young voters

I don't use tiktok but a total ban will hurt with young people because it's probably the main social media app among them right now.