Thread by @SenMikeLee

I have always been concerned by big tech companies, whether American or otherwise, collecting the data of American citizens. 

I’m also against the current bill to ban TikTok.

As written, the bill gives the president the authority to unilaterally determine which foreign-owned companies present a “national security threat,” and can unilaterally order these companies to be divested from their foreign owners.

We already have the CFIUS process in law to require divestment when national security risks arise with the foreign ownership of a company. It has been used 558 times to make declarations related to potential divestitures since 2018.

The current bill does not impose new restrictions on social media and tech companies from harvesting and selling our data. Nothing in it prevents an American company that buys TikTok from selling user data to the Chinese Government, for example.

This TikTok ban would, however, give broad new powers to the Executive Branch at the expense of the Legislative Branch—and one can only imagine how Joe Biden or future presidents like him could abuse them.

Why do all the domestic spying hawks—politicians fighting against FISA reform who want to continue unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens—support forcing the sale of TikTok?

Simple: they want your data for themselves.

I’m open to legislation preventing the CCP from using TikTok to collect our data. But not this bill.

Always be suspicious when anyone in Washington declares they need special powers because of an emergency—especially if both parties are cheerleading it.

Let’s not forget that one of the most egregious perpetrators of the misuse of our data is our own government.