Thread by @codepink

Why is the government banning TikTok? It’s not about privacy.

The US, Canada, & European Commission banned TikTok on govt devices. There’s mounting pressure on Biden to ban the app. Former FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr expressed concern over data sharing w/ China, but advocates for closer ties w/ Taiwan
npr.org/2022/12/23/114…

Senators Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio have proposed bills to ban TikTok, in what the ACLU has called “a serious violation of our First Amendment rights."
aclu.org/press-releases…

It’s no coincidence that these recent bans have come shortly after the US shot down a Chinese weather balloon. Privacy concerns are being used to wage war on China. The US should focus on passing federal data privacy laws instead of targeting one app. codepink.org/balloon

Only last year, the post-9/11 NSA phone surveillance program was reported to have shut down. Major telecom companies like Verizon gave the government access to hundreds of millions of calls and texts.
theintercept.com/2020/10/21/dat… theintercept.com/2020/07/09/twi…

Meta's subsidiary WhatsApp was reportedly used by the Saudi government to hack journalist Jamal Khashoggi's phone. Meanwhile, Meta itself used a VPN to spy on users' smartphones for market research in exchange for bribes. Yet WhatsApp is not banned on government devices.

Attempts have been made already, such as when more than one million people ‘checked in’ on Facebook to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in 2016 to interrupt police ID’ing of those physically preventing the Dakota Access Pipeline
brennancenter.org/our-work/resea…

The DHS has surveilled BLM since 2014. This included collecting information like location data & surveilling social media accounts. Information was gathered from events like silent vigils, a funk music parade, & a walk to end breast cancer.
theintercept.com/2015/07/24/doc…

The DHS surveilled BLM organizer Deray McKesson, who they labeled a “professional protestor” who is “known to law enforcement.” His tweets were shared among DHS officials. vice.com/en/article/qv5…

Many countries have laws that attempt to legislate on data privacy. EU’s GPDR applies to companies in all countries that operate in the EU, requires explicit consent for data collection & use, gives individuals rights to their data, & imposes strict penalties for violations.

China has a similar framework with its Shangai and Beijing Data Security Regulations, as well as laws on cybersecurity to personal information.

The US is projecting its invasive policies onto another government. Warmongers are using this to create paranoia & justify even more aggression towards China.

Instead, our leaders should be cooperating with their counterparts in different govts to protect people’s privacy.

#ChinaIsNotOurEnemy
codepink.org/tiktok