Friends,
Last week, I voted against a bill that would functionally ban TikTok in the United States. Data privacy is a major focus of mine, so let me explain a little more about my vote:
I’m keenly aware of the potential threat posed by the People’s Republic of China’s information operations – propaganda, censorship, general digital authoritarianism, and deceptive attempts to influence information – particularly regarding our elections.
But I’ve reviewed the intelligence, and I don’t believe banning TikTok will protect Americans from disinformation or misuse of their personal data (which I’d remind my colleagues in the House is regularly sold and shared by American companies and data brokers!).
As a Member of the House Armed Services and House Foreign Affairs Committees, I take our national security very, very seriously. The bill that the House passed would not only fail to solve the problem at hand – potential information interference from a foreign nation – it would also mark a huge expansion of government power, a restriction of freedom of speech, and hypocritical censorship of our own.
Here’s what I’d like to see instead: Comprehensive data privacy legislation for all Americans, and thoughtful guardrails for social media platforms – no matter how or where they’re funded.
The fact is that our privacy laws are way behind the times, and as our world evolves, our government and laws need to evolve with it.
More than 170 million Americans use TikTok for news, communication, creative expression, and entertainment – so I want to hear from you:
What do you think about TikTok? Whether you use it all the time, have never once used it, or just have some thoughts – I hope you’ll share them with me.
Ultimately, whether we’re talking about TikTok or anything else, all Americans should have the freedom to decide for themselves what information they want to consume and how and where they express themselves. That’s one of our core values as a nation, and I’ll keep fighting for it here in Congress.
Thanks for taking the time to read this update.
-Sara
