There are plans to BAN TikTok due to fears of the Chinese spying on Americans.
The bill received bi-partisan and public support
Most people don't see the darker side of the bill, one that should concern EVERY citizen of a democracy
(a thread)
There are concerns about TikTok. Its parent company, ByteDance, is Chinese.
The CCP has a 1% stake in ByteDance, but because they have golden shares, it gives the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a seat on the board where they can impact "business strategy and investment plans." /2
TikTok was used to spy on reporters and track their sources. They were tracking IP information and this was used to monitor journalists in the US.
The unethical nature of this intrusion led to calls for the banning of TikTok. /3
On 27 February, the US government gave employees 30 days to ensure that they do not have TikTok on Federal devices and systems. /4
The main concern was that TikTok had given the CCP direct and intrusive access to Americans.
Representative Mike McCaul said "Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the (CCP) a backdoor to all their personal information. It’s a spy balloon into your phone." /5
The governmental ban was not only implemented by the US, but other countries such as the UK followed their lead.
“The ban on government devices applies to government corporate devices within all government departments.” /6
Forbes reported that TikTok planned to monitor the physical location of American citizens.
TikTok’s Maureen Shanahan said “TikTok collects approximate location information based on users’ IP addresses to “among other things, help show relevant content and ads to users." /7
TikTok denied this allegation and claimed that TikTok was not being used to track the ‘precise’ location of US citizens.
It denied the claim purported by Forbes. /8
But then TikTok’s own privacy policy states they collect their users’ ‘approximate’ location and with permission they collect the ‘exact’ location. /9
Another concern was that TikTok was being used to corrupt American youth.
The issue was that the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, was providing an educational platform for young users, whereas the US version was essentially corrupting society and promoting degeneracy. /10
society. It is used more than Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
This has caused a further need to ensure that TikTok is not being used to spy on the US. /11
The White House urged Congress to quickly pass a Bill which gives the Secretary of Commerce power to ban TikTok.
There was hope that there would be bi-partisan support for the Bill and this hope was fulfilled. /12
Social Media companies have been mining data of Americans and even impacting elections.
“Cambridge Analytica mined over fifty million Facebook profiles. This data was not used to market products to Facebook users, but instead to market political ideologies.” /13
So why the focus on TikTok?
There were weak arguments that TikTok is more 'aggressive' in its data collection, but in reality, the issue goes full circle back to TikTok being a Chinese company that is controlled by the CCP. /14
Chew Shou Zi is the Singaporean chief executive of TikTok. He interned at Facebook before it went public.
He has worked out of Singapore TikTok offices for 3 years and has been the chief executive for 2 years. /15
TikTok developed ‘Project Texas’ to address the concerns of the US.
Content related to national security concerns would be governed by an independent board of directors chosen by TikTok but reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) in the United States. /16
In order to ensure that TikTok was not banned from the US, there were reports that they were considering separating from their parent company ByteDance.
They also considered selling TikTok to a US company. /17
This was around the same time that the Biden administration had threatened to ban TikTok unless they sold their stake to a US company.
If this sale went ahead, would China do the same with US companies? /18
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was brought before Congress, over a 5 hour stretch, where he received relentless questions from both Republicans and Democrats.
The bipartisan stance would later result in unified Bills that we would come to know as the Restrict Act and the Data Act. /19
Shou Zi Chew argued that TikTok put measures in place to protect teenagers. He said the algorithms make young users watch STEM videos (science, technology, engineering and math), and these had been viewed 116 billion times.
But then in the cross-examination, it was established that key individuals such as the ByteDance CEO, Douyin CEO, and ByteDance editor-in-chief all worked or are affiliated with the CCP. /21
Rand Paul argued TikTok should not be banned based on two reasons:
1. The First Amendment protects speech
2. The Constitution prohibits a specific Bill against a person or company.
He said fear was being used by regulators, and the same argument can be made against other… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The bipartisan support along with trepidation about the CCP and concerns about the invasive nature of social media resulted in significant support for the ban of TikTok.
The Bills produced to ban TikTok were the Restrict Act and Data Act. But these Bills are far more intrusive… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The Restrict Act
The Act begins by giving power to “enforce any mitigation measure” to cover “transactions by ANY PERSON” or property in the US.
This Act imposes controls, not on TikTok, but instead on Americans.
They can establish any rules and procedures they want to carry out these draconian measures.
Complete authority to spy on all aspects of your life. /37
It isn't just limited to surveillance, but when the government spies on you and requires more information, it has complete authority to make you turn in all information they deem ‘necessary’.
They’re essentially telling us: ‘we will spy on you, and then you will spy on yourself… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
It doesn't just stop there, but after you have spied on yourself for them, they can then search, detain and seize any data they consider necessary.
It is ironic that through banning TikTok, a Bill was created for surveillance that makes the Patriot Act seem like child's play.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Now let us move onto the penalties for violating this Act.
Firstly, not only you, but also anyone who has knowledge of your actions is also responsible.
So, if my friend uses a VPN and I am aware of it then I have also violated the Act. /40
A 'criminal' breach under the Act, such as using TikTok through a VPN, could levy a fine of $1 million, imprisonment for 20 years and your property seized.
Extreme measures for watching ‘cat videos’. /41
But it does not end there.
If they can’t meet the criminal threshold, they can go down the civil route.
Based on the balance of probabilities threshold, you can be fined $250,000 and your property can be seized. /42
The Data Act
The Data Act is more specific to TikTok but even in this Bill, they included several issues that raise concern.
Once again the Bill references election interference.
What do you think the chances will be that this argument is used against a political opponent to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The banning of any software linked to China creates a new precedent.
From a National Security point of view it makes sense, but if China were to follow suit, both countries would essentially be cutting each other off from the global market.
The Data Act does mention TikTok and ByteDance, but only after they imposed much wider measures that allow restrictions on any app they deem a threat.
This bait and switch almost worked, but fortunately some people realized the attempt to dupe the public. /45
These Bills spit in the face of the constitution.
The measures proposed by Congress, which had bi-partisan support, are taking away privacy enjoyed by Americans. /46
This isn’t something new but it's much more draconian.
We had the Patriot Act and Section 702 before this, which was implemented retroactively by Bush after they engaged in warrantless spying of Americans. /47
Only recently the Biden Administration asked for the renewal of section 702, which continues warrantless surveillance of Americans.
This was once again met with Bi-Partisan support from lawmakers.
When they want to take away your freedoms and rights, they coalesce. /48
I would like to thank @ShaykhSulaiman who wrote this thread as a part of the Roundtable. There will also be a twitter space on the Restrict and Data Act. /49
Another important question is what does the bill mean by the term ‘digital economy’?
This seems like a clear and direct plan to usher in Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) into society through the backdoor whilst destroying cryptocurrency based on it being a ‘foreign… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Once again, an e-commerce business that has some form of connection with a ‘foreign adversary’ or uses it, would fall under these parameters to either be tracked or divested.
So if one imports products from China then you can be divested. /55
The concern is that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allows for the banning of cryptocurrency transactions.
The Restrict Act allows them to ban an entire chain. /56
🚨🇪🇺PATRIOT FILES LEAK: THE LEFT’S PLAN TO CANCEL EU CONSERVATIVES AND DESTROY DEMOCRACY
New documents EXPOSE a secret EU plot to fracture and destroy the rising right-wing movement in Europe, specifically targeting @PatriotsEP - the fastest-growing conservative party in the EU, led by Orban, Le Pen, and Vox.
With the MEGA movement surging and a global shift fueled by Trump’s second term & @elonmusk’s fight for free speech, the elites are PANICKING.
They know their days of unchecked power are numbered.
🧵A THREAD:
1. The EU’s “Democratic” Facade Is A Lie
The leaked strategy outlines a deliberate plan to shut conservatives out of power. Left-wing forces are determined to rig parliamentary votes, silence opposition, and weaponize institutions to protect their agenda.
2. "A Menace That Cannot Be Ignored"
The document describes @PatriotsEP as a threat that must be stopped at all costs. The left no longer sees conservatives as opponents—they see them as an enemy to be eradicated.
Administrative & Oversight (5 divisions): OMB, OPM, DOL, FTC, FDA
Let's dive into how each DOGE division can revolutionize federal operations.
Source: @DOGE
1. DOGE GSA: BRINGING INNOVATION TO GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
The General Services Administration manages government buildings, real estate, and procurement to support federal agencies efficiently.
DOGE GSA could transform the agency by:
Streamlining real estate and cutting costs by reducing federal leases.
Implementing AI-driven procurement and supply chain optimization.
Expanding shared services across agencies to eliminate redundancy.
Source: @DOGE_GSA
2. DOGE STATE: MODERNIZING DIPLOMACY AND GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
The State Department manages U.S. foreign policy, diplomatic relations, and international engagement.
Estimated annual budget: $58 billion
DOGE State could revolutionize the department by:
Implementing AI systems for rapid diplomatic analysis and intelligence.
Digitizing embassy operations for efficient remote negotiations.
Automating passport services to reduce processing times.
2. 🇮🇪THE $70,000 DEI MUSICAL YOUR TAXES FUNDED IN IRELAND
Biden’s State Department sent $70,000 to fund a "diversity, equity, and inclusion" musical in Ireland—because apparently, pushing woke ideology overseas was a priority.
The grant was meant to promote "shared U.S.-Irish values" through a live theater performance.
Meanwhile, Americans were dealing with record inflation and skyrocketing costs at home.
Why was the U.S. ever paying for a DEI musical in Ireland to begin with?
From groundbreaking research to powerful new AI models, the industry is moving at lightning speed.
Here’s everything you need to know: 🧵👇
1. France Unveils $112B AI Investment Plan
Macron has announced €109 billion ($112B) in private investments to boost France’s AI ecosystem—a move seen as France’s response to the US Stargate initiative.
This comes as Paris hosts the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, the third major global AI summit following events in the UK and South Korea.
2. Elon: Grok 3 Is “Scary Smart” & Launching Soon
Elon says Grok 3 will be released in a week or two and claims it has reasoning skills beyond any AI model so far.
If true, this could be a major leap in AI intelligence.
🇺🇸THE TARIFF TALES: A DECADE OF US TRADE WARFARE - WHO WON, WHO LOST, WHO GOT AWAY?
In the last decade, the US has wielded tariffs as both a shield and a sword in international trade negotiations, aiming to protect domestic industries and influence global policy.
Dive into the saga of US tariffs as its weapon of choice over the past 10 years, targeting key global players in an attempt to reshape trade dynamics.
Here’s how these chess games of tariffs unfolded:
Source: Tax Foundation, World Population Review, Pew Research Center
1. 🇨🇳CHINA: DIDN'T QUITE HIT THE MARK
The US imposed tariffs on billions in Chinese goods in 2018 to address trade imbalances and intellectual property issues.
While it did impact some sectors, China's economy continued to grow, and it retaliated with tariffs on US goods.
This escalation continued into 2019 and beyond as both countries adjusted their tariffs and trade policies in response to each other.
The result was increased costs for American consumers and businesses rather than a significant shift in trade balance.
2. 🇪🇺EUROPEAN UNION: A TARIFF TANGO
Back in 2018, the US decided to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, citing national security concerns.
This move shaked some trees across the Atlantic, leading the EU to respond with counter-tariffs on a range of US products, from bourbon to motorcycles, sparking a temporary but heated trade dispute.
Fast forward to negotiations, and a compromise was reached in the form of a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system.
Under this agreement, the EU was allowed to export a certain volume of steel and aluminum to the US duty-free, based on historical trade patterns.