Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Controlled Applications Act, which is a bipartisan bill that will prevent our nation’s foreign adversaries from targeting and surveilling Americans through apps, like TikTok. This legislation comes after it has been discovered that the Chinese Communist Party is utilizing TikTok as a surveillance network, and has already distributed 150 million sensors across the United States.
“First, I want to be very clear – the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Controlled Applications Act does not necessarily ban TikTok or censure content. In fact, it actually gives TikTok the opportunity to continue operation in the United States if the app separates itself from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and ByteDance, its Chinese-owned parent company” said Congressman Cole.
“This is simply a matter of national security. We cannot allow the Chinese government, or any of our foreign adversaries, to target, surveille, spy on, manipulate, or steal the private information of the American people. This legislation gives TikTok a simple choice – divest from its parent company, which is bound to the CCP, and remain active in the U.S., or face consequences,” said Congressman Cole. “I will always vote to keep our nation safe from foreign adversaries, and I am hopeful that TikTok chooses to separate from the CCP so that it can continue to function in our nation.”
