Whoever came up with these titles had some time to think about it.
Seriously speaking, these legislations bring a new wave of change, some positive and others negative. It's scary for me because these acts could restrict our digital freedom as Americans. These bills present us with a standard case of being caught between a rock and a hard place. Still, as you read on, you'll get to see which of these two presented inconveniences the government is leaning towards.
The Deterring America's Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act and the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act would supposedly give the president more authority to block transactions associated with importing or exporting Americans' "sensitive data" if there are national security risks. They would also allow the government to ban foreign apps and websites posing "actual" or "potential threat" to "national security," especially if they originate from countries on the foreign adversary list respectively.
I know this sounds like a mouthful, but it gets easier to understand.
As far as we can tell, these bills sound legit, but what exactly is there to be worried about?
The RESTRICT Act has received far more support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress, so more eyes will undoubtedly be on it. The subtle problems with these bills go beyond just banning TikTok. Subsequently, these bills will impact what online services you can access and even your data privacy or online presence.
The wording, especially for the RESTRICT bill, is extensive. Authorities could use it to justify what could essentially be dictatorial policies that serve to deter anything even mildly perceived as anti-American. So let's face it, people; TikTok is the least of our worries.
As it is, not many legislations or rules cover American citizens' data privacy when considering app reviews. We may all face serious surveillance issues regarding these laws, primarily through the RESTRICT bill.
Remember when Trump wanted to ban TikTok, and We chat? The government cited some pretty elaborate security risk reasons. Still, it was overturned by a court decision later finalized when President Biden withdrew the TikTok, and We chat orders in 2021. Situations like this are likely to become a mainstay under these bills. Affecting what you have access to and when you have access to it.
Regulations, at their best, hidden under layers and layers of hard-to-understand legal language.
However, there is no disputing the fact that some real security risks and issues are in play here. Primarily centered around exporting sensitive and even non-sensitive data of US citizens. The app TikTok is quite the recurring phenomenon on this issue. Because TikTok is a Chinese-owned company that could be ordered to release information (like yours and mine) to the Chinese government. And as we all know, China and America haven't been on the best terms. A lot of data is recorded by apps like TikTok daily. Some of us even give away our information or tidbits (large tidbits) about our lives, which can be sensitive data.
Nevertheless, there should be some compromise as to the scope and effect of these bills. Controlling our rights should not be a lesser evil for the government to pick. Americans should have the right to control their narrative and not have their privacy unnecessarily invaded and their internet freedom reduced. Limiting our internet freedom as American people is dangerous and should be prevented. In the land of the free, I would rather my rights be protected than fight for them from scratch.