by Benjamin Yount
A Wisconsin Republican congressman is amping-up the war of words against TikTok.
Congressman Mike Gallagher was on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures over the weekend, and talked about China and its influence over TikTok.
“TikTok should be banned. Senator Marco Rubio and I have legislation that does exactly that. TikTok is digital fentanyl addicting our kids, and just like actual fentanyl, it ultimately goes back to the Chinese Communist Party,” Gallagher said.
TikTok is owned by a Chinese tech firm called ByteDance. The company says more than a billion people use TikTok each month.
Gallagher says that means China is essentially spying on a billion people each month, including a lot of young people in America.
“TikTok is owned by ByteDance. ByteDance is controlled by the CCP. That means the CCP can track your location. It can track your keystrokes. It can censor your news. Why would we give our foremost adversary that amount of power?” Gallagher asked.
Gallagher’s criticism wasn’t just limited to TikTok. He labeled the entire Chinese Communist Party a “repressive regime.”
“The CCP is using the pretense of public health to institute a system of total techno-totalitarian control. And that’s not just for domestic use, that’s a model of repression they want to export around the world…As the CCP doubles down on oppression, we need to double down on freedom,” Gallagher added. “We have too many people bashing America, we have too many useful idiots in the American media. We need to embrace American values as a self-evident contrast to the Orwellian oppression of the CCP. That’s how we win the ideological fight over the long term, by remembering that we’re the good guys.”
Gallagher, along with Texas Senator Marco Rubio have written legislation that would ban TikTok in the United States.
There’s been no movement on the legislation, which was introduced just a few weeks ago. There is a sense that something may happen when Republicans take over Congress next year.
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Benjamin Yount is a regular contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Mike Gallagher” by Mike Gallagher. Background Photo “TikTok” by antonbe.
