Staff Reports
Donald Trump Jr. is spearheading efforts to safeguard the personal information of American citizens from the Chinese Communist Party. He is urging Congress to enact "hardcore" legislation that would prohibit the China-controlled social media platform TikTok from operating in the United States and prevent any American data from being transmitted through China for any social media company. This initiative follows Facebook's disclosure of its "data-sharing alliances with four Chinese electronics companies" dating back to 2010. These collaborations granted Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications company prohibited in the United States due to national security concerns, access to certain user data.
While we’re going hardcore on TikTok regulations, how about NO American data flowing through China for ANY social media company?! No letting Facebook, IG, Twitter or anyone else off the hook for data security and privacy in whatever ends up happening. pic.twitter.com/Tppke4NrhO
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 7, 2023
A group of bipartisan senators has introduced the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, which the White House has supported, to authorize the U.S. to prohibit the use of TikTok. This legislation also grants the Department of Commerce the authority to hinder and manage information and communications technology (ICT) transactions that threaten the national security of the United States.
Trump Jr. Pushes Congress To Pass Anti-China Restrictions To Protect U.S. Citizens Datahttps://t.co/RcI3CseRQo
— The Daily Fetched (@DailyFetched) March 9, 2023
Trump Jr. has expressed his position on safeguarding American citizens' data from the Chinese Communist Party and shared his thoughts on Twitter, advocating for strict regulations on TikTok. He suggested that all social media companies should be prohibited from allowing American data to pass through China, and emphasized that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media platform should be held accountable for maintaining the security and privacy of user data, regardless of the outcome of future regulations.
In a New York Times article, Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Feith cautioned about the ambitions of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. They warned that Xi is striving to establish the Chinese Communist Party as the leading global data broker.
According to The Washington Post, China utilizes a highly advanced internal internet-based surveillance system to collect information from social media platforms. The program's goal is to provide the Chinese government agencies, military, and police with intelligence on foreign targets.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has received a letter from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) and Ranking Member Marco Rubio (R-FL) requesting information regarding the four data-sharing partnerships with China. The senators are seeking answers about the nature of these partnerships.
President Donald Trump attempted to ban TikTok from the U.S., but his efforts were stopped by Joe Biden when he came into power. This is yet another example of Biden’s willingness to put the interests of China ahead of those of the American people.
Congress must act now and enact legislation that safeguards American citizens' data from the Chinese Communist Party and prohibits any social media company from routing American data through China. It is imperative that President Biden does not prioritize China's interests over those of American citizens and expose our private data to them. It is incumbent on Congress to take a resolute stance and pass laws that will prevent our data from being vulnerable to exploitation by an adversarial foreign power.
