Allow me to be bold for a few seconds. I feel that I have read more about US foreign policy and other countries’ socio-economic structures more that the people making our laws. Now that can be a huge inaccurate claim depending on who we think is actually responsible for making US law. But let’s assume its the actual congresspeople and not the staff or lobbyist who I do feel are more intelligent than them, you, and me. The people who get to sit and make speeches about who America’s enemies are in the age of the internet can barely use the internet. It’s why it makes sense that they are afraid of TikTok and why they’re trying to ban it again.
It’s been a while since anyone really talked about it, but the US Congress is ready to open up a recently closed wound. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party leaders, chair Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) have introduced a new bill. The bill is called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. With 19 congresspeople on board, this bill would make distributing apps from ByteDance, like TikTok, illegal unless the app no longer is a part of the company.
Once this goes into effect, app stores and hosting services that distribute such apps will incur a civil penalty. This will continue to happen until the app again severs ties from its Chinese ownership. The cost of the fine will be determined by multiplying the amount of US users that “accessed, maintained, or updated” the app by $5,000.
Included is a process that will allow the president to say other apps should be covered under this law that originate from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
While the bill names ByteDance specifically, it was crafted to make sure it wasn’t specifically targeting the company. For instance, there is a part in the bill that let’s ByteDance avoid a ban if it divests within 165 days. There is also a process that can be applied to other apps if needed.
It is necessary to remind people that TikTok has stated that US data is not stored in China and have been working to make sure it stays as far away from China as it can. That’s not helped lawmakers as they are afraid that data can be accessed by ByteDance employees under the influence of Chinese National Security laws.
I would like to pose another way of looking at this if we strip the capitalist nonsens from it. It was made clear to me by the names of the countries that would possibly have apps removed. Keep in mind that the countries named were or still are Communist run. While Iran was never really a Communist state, there were strong ties between it and the USSR and now between it and Russia.
As the current US government continues to operate under the boot of Capitalism, naturally states that oppose it along with Western Imperialism would but heads. The longer these nations keep the US out, they are our mortal enemies here in the West.
Also, TikTok isn’t really helping the West win an important PR war. While it is interesting to see that TikTok is an app to keep foreign meddling from happening here in the US, foreign meddling is indeed happening in the pockets of our politicians. With products like Pegasus from The NSO Group making child’s play to get access to our devices, why isn’t Israel a part of that list.
Oh, wait! It’s because the US needs Israel and its technology to oppress people with its brand of freedom and democracy.
Source: The Verge
