Episode Details

A bill is quickly moving through Congress that supposedly would "ban TikTok." While it is clearly aimed at TikTok, this bill is really about creating a new Presidential power to remove Americans' access to apps, websites, games and other entire tech platforms. In this episode, using the text of the bill itself, we examine how exactly this new censorship power would work if the bill passes the Senate and becomes law. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd289-the-not-a-tiktok-ban-bill Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD271: RESTRICTing TikTok CD270: The Twitter Files CD224: Social Media Censorship The Not a TikTok Ban Bill "TikTok bill, racing toward House passage, faces a minefield in the Senate." Drew Harwell et al. March 13, 2024. The Washington Post. "TikTok's Security Threats Go Beyond the Scope of House Legislation." David E. Sanger. March 13, 2024. The New York Times. "Biden says he'll sign proposed legislation to ban TikTok if Congress passes it." Aamer Madhani. March 8, 2024. AP News. Opposition to the bill "ACLU Urges Senate to Reject TikTok Ban Bill Following House Passage." Jenna Leventoff. March 13, 2024. ACLU. "Coalition Letter to House of Representatives Opposing H.R. 7521." Access Now et al. March 12, 2024. ACLU. How we got here "Congress is cracking down on TikTok because CFIUS hasn't." Dan Primack. March 12, 2024. Axios. "Judge blocks Montana's TikTok ban from taking effect on January 1." Samantha Delouya and Brian Fung. November 30, 2023. CNN. "A Draft Of TikTok's Plan To Avoid A Ban Gives The U.S. Government Unprecedented Oversight Power." Emily Baker-White. August 21, 2023. Forbes. "Issues over TikTok still unresolved, US Treasury Secretary Yellen says." November 20, 2023. Reuters. "US House bans TikTok from official devices." Brian Fung. December 30, 2022. CNN. "The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)," [RL33388]. James K. Jackson. February 14, 2020. Congressional Research Service. Grindr "China's Kunlun Tech agrees to U.S. demand to sell Grindr gay dating app." Echo Wang. May 13, 2019. Reuters. "Another day, another US company forced to divest of Chinese investors." Jeff Farrah. April 15, 2019. TechCrunch. ByteDance "What to know about TikTok owner ByteDance as U.S. considers possible ban." Lily Kuo and Annabelle Timsit. March 13, 2024. The Washington Post. "The Truth About TikTok: Separating Fact from Fiction." April 16, 2023. TikTok. Censorship and Spying "Facebook made a major change after years of PR disasters, and news sites are paying the price." Jonathan Vanian. January 22, 2024. CNBC. "CIA Launches Telegram Channel." May 16, 2023. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Public Affairs. "Meet Pavel Durov, the tech billionaire who founded Telegram, fled from Moscow 15 years ago after defying the Kremlin, and has a penchant for posting half-naked selfies on Instagram." Marielle Descalsota. December 27, 2022. Business Insider. "The CIA Sets Up Shop on Tor, the Anonymous Internet." Lily Hay Newman. May 7, 2019. Wired. Israel and AIPAC "How Israel's Proposed Buffer Zone Reshapes the Gaza Strip." Camille Bressange. March 16, 2024. The Wall Street Journal. "Israel's religious right has a clear plan for Gaza: 'We are occupying, deporting and settling.'" Kate Linthicum. March 13, 2024. The Los Angeles Times. "Israeli road splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, sat