The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1:

• On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—a bill that would force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest its ownership in the social media application, citing its ties to the Chinese government. If they did not divest, the application would be banned in the United States. The legislation passed with bipartisan support 352 to 65, with those in support expressing fear that the Chinese government may be able to access American user data. But notable politicians in opposition—like former President Donald Trump, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), and House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA)—have all cited fears that the bill could be used as tool for government officials to interfere with speech on all social media companies. The bill will now head to the Senate—though, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has not committed to putting it up for a vote. President Joe Biden has vowed to sign the bill into law if it ultimately arrives at his desk. Shouldn’t individuals be allowed to choose which products they use? Or is the risk of the Chinese government gaining access to American user data too great to respect individual autonomy and free markets in this instance? Senator Elizabeth Warren has suggested that the bill doesn’t go far enough to prevent social media’s influence, explaining that she wants “curbs in place on social media across the board,” according to Politico.
• Matthew Petti of Reason writes: “The Biden administration has used the specter of ‘disinformation’ to push social media moderation in line with their policies. Meta has censored Middle Eastern content that opposes U.S. foreign policy, while Twitter has created loopholes for the U.S. military to run its own propaganda accounts. Of course, American law (unlike Chinese or Iranian law) limits how much the government can censor social media. Last year, courts banned and then unbanned the Biden administration from pressuring social media moderators. But the decision ultimately lies in Washington; it's not like European or Latin American voters have any say over the U.S. Supreme Court. Competition is the strongest force keeping the internet free. Whenever users find a topic banned on TikTok, they can escape to Twitter or Instagram to discuss the censored content. And when Twitter or Instagram enforce politically motivated censorship on a different topic, users can continue that discussion on TikTok. Forcing TikTok under American control is a way to block that escape route. Instead of protecting Americans from Chinese censorship, it would bring Chinese-style censorship home.” You can read more here: https://reason.com/2024/03/13/tiktoks-opponents-want-chinese-style-censorship-in-america/