By American Civil Liberties Union WASHINGTON — The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced it would be voting on a bill this Thursday that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States. T…
If this is about banning a platform that can ban you, then it isn’t about banning free speech. Just because speech exists on TikTok does not make it a platform for free speech.
The 1st Amendment recognizes the right to free speech in the USA. It does not recognize the right for a foreign entity to operate a restricted speech platform. The government is not stifling your speech here.
And, this bill isn’t even all about the “speech” aspects of TikTok. The other aspect of it is that this gives the government the ability to block the app by declaring that TikTok is straight up malware, collecting all the data it can on you and sending it to servers outside the regulatory power of the US. Apple and Google won’t ban TikTok because it’s too profitable, but the app is malware.
that’s not the point… any private company can ban you, but the government shouldn’t be able to stifle your speech.
If this is about banning a platform that can ban you, then it isn’t about banning free speech. Just because speech exists on TikTok does not make it a platform for free speech.
The 1st Amendment recognizes the right to free speech in the USA. It does not recognize the right for a foreign entity to operate a restricted speech platform. The government is not stifling your speech here.
And, this bill isn’t even all about the “speech” aspects of TikTok. The other aspect of it is that this gives the government the ability to block the app by declaring that TikTok is straight up malware, collecting all the data it can on you and sending it to servers outside the regulatory power of the US. Apple and Google won’t ban TikTok because it’s too profitable, but the app is malware.