On Wednesday, US Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked a potential ban on TikTok in the United States. According to Reuters, Senator Paul blocked the effort to hasten the ban on the Chinese-owned social media app, claiming concerns about free speech. He cautioned people to “beware” of entities that “use fear to coax Americans to relinquish our liberties,” and compared a ban on the app to “Chinese speech bans.” Inquiring whether the United States is “going to be just like China,” Paul claimed that such a bill would grant the US President “limitless authority” to restrict speech.
“If Republicans want to continuously lose elections for a generation they should pass this bill to ban TikTok”
“If Republicans want to continuously lose elections for a generation they should pass this bill to ban TikTok — a social media app used by 150 million people, primarily young Americans,” said Paul on the Senate floor. “Do we really want to emulate Chinese speech bans?… We’re going to be just like China and ban speech we’re afraid of?” he questioned.
Republican Senator Rand Paul is just one of many; a growing number of conservatives and Democrats have lately spoken out against or expressed concerns about the RESTRICT Act. The American Civil Liberties Union and other free expression advocates are also opposed to the TikTok ban. Opponents argue that the legislation targeting TikTok is too broad, citing free expression and other concerns. Former Republican Representative Justin Amash claims that the “RESTRICT Act isn’t about banning TikTok; it’s about controlling you. It gives broad powers to the executive branch, with few checks, and will be abused in every way you can imagine.”
The prohibition now has 22 senators on board
Similarly, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opposed a TikTok ban in a TikTok video released on Friday, calling it “unprecedented” and claiming that Congress has not seen secret TikTok briefings. “It just doesn’t feel right,” she continued. The RESTRICT Act was created by a Democrat and a Republican. The Act was introduced by Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator John Thune. The prohibition now has 22 senators on board. If passed, it will give the US Commerce Department the authority to impose restrictions and, if necessary, totally ban TikTok and other technologies that it believes pose a security risk. According to Reuters, the new regulation would apply to technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.