SE Texas Times

Washington, D.C. - The United States House of Representatives has approved the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a bipartisan legislation aimed at safeguarding national security. The bill, known as H.R 7521, prohibits the distribution and maintenance of applications controlled by foreign adversaries that pose a threat to national security.

In light of the passage of the bill, Rep. Weber highlighted the concerns surrounding TikTok, stating, “TikTok has been a vessel used by the Chinese Communist Party to collect data and spy on millions of Americans. China is not our friend and doesn’t have the interest of any American in mind or action.” Rep. Weber emphasized that the legislation does not aim to shut down TikTok but rather compel its parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app, thereby cutting off the flow of data between American users and Beijing.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act requires the owner of such applications to either cease operations or divest its U.S.-based operations. In the case of TikTok, which is operated by ByteDance, a company closely associated with the Communist Chinese Party, this legislation seeks to eliminate the influence of foreign adversaries on American data and privacy.

Furthermore, the bill establishes a framework for the President to designate other social media applications under the control of foreign adversaries. These designated applications would face similar restrictions on app stores and web hosting services within the U.S. unless they sever ties with threatening entities through divestment.