TikTok Ban Violates First Amendment Rights Of 170 Million Users, Thousands Of Creators, Influencers Whose Livelihood Is Jeopardized
Dr. Rand Paul, Rep. Ro Khanna Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Repeal the TikTok Ban Act
Editor’s note: We’ve covered the TikTok ban in detail on several occasions. The CATO Institute’s amicus brief and description of the case, along with the initial denouncement by Senator Paul of the ban.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Repeal the TikTok Ban Act. The bill would repeal the TikTok divestiture law as well as ensure that any existing designation has no force or effect.
“They tell you this is about China. About security. About safety. That’s a lie. This is about control. About fear. About silencing you. A government that can ban an app, can ban a book. A government that can silence a platform, can silence a person. Today, it’s TikTok. Tomorrow, it’s your news. Next week, it’s your voice. Some politicians think the First Amendment has fine print. It doesn’t. The right to free speech doesn’t come with exceptions. Not for apps. Not for ideas. Not for politicians who think they know better than you. They don’t ban speech to protect you. They ban speech to control you,” said Dr. Rand Paul. “That’s why today, I’m introducing a bipartisan, bicameral bill to repeal the TikTok ban. If we don’t stop this now, where does it end? To every American who believes in liberty — stand up. Speak out. Fight back. Because freedom isn’t given. It’s taken.”
“The TikTok ban violates the free speech of 170 million Americans and threatens the livelihoods of creators and small business owners. When the app went down temporarily because of the ban, I heard from a small business owner in Mississippi who saw their sales dramatically decline. It’s hurting ordinary people. Repealing the ban will help ensure that TikTok does not go dark again. I thank Senator Paul for his leadership,” said Rep. Ro Khanna.
Other support for the Repeal the TikTok Ban Act:
“The government does not get to control how Americans express themselves—on or offline—based on vague and hypothetical harms. We hope the Senate will defend the freedoms at the heart of our democracy by voting yes on this important bill,” said Jenna Leventoff, Senior Policy Counsel at ACLU.
You can read the Repeal the TikTok Ban Act HERE.
Background:
Dr. Paul and Rep. Khanna, along with Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), earlier this month submitted a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision in TikTok Inc. v. Garland, which upheld a TikTok ban established under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
Dr. Paul has been outspoken against the TikTok ban from the beginning, as it sets a dangerous precedent in silencing and undermining the First Amendment rights of over 170 million [individuals] . Dr. Paul’s objections to this ban come from a commitment to defend our Constitutional rights and prevent government censorship.
Banner Image: TikTok. Image Credit – olbergeron
TikTok is the least of our problems. I hope Pres. Trump reinstates it.
Just seems weird to take away an income source (as I understand?) for many people in the US. And the world.
I’m for letting the platform stay. And the issues we have aren’t with China but the platforms themselves! Spying and selling data. Bigger issue and banning TikTok isn’t solving it.
Big data from bigger platforms!
I think it looks to me like they go after anything that is making money and is a loophole. Like the CBD shops. People made money. What do they do? get rid of the shops. The big deal these days is tiktok. Don’t ask me why. But lots of people were making tons of money and that’s a fact. Capitalism doesn’t hurt people.
I am sick and tired of the elites deciding that we are too dumb to decide for ourselves. TikTok is worldwide. The freest country in the world and we can’t visit a website the rest of the world even China can visit?