By Robert Haugh
The U.S. Congress is expected to uphold the Supreme Court’s ruling to ban the popular Chinese social media platform TikTok effective January 19, 2025.
The ban is cited due to concerns of national security as the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance uses tracking of consumers as part of the app.
Under the law, new TikTok downloads on app stores like Apple and Google would no longer be possible. While existing users could still access and use the app, they would be unable to update the app, which would likely degrade and stop working over time.
Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna is fighting for the free speech rights of millions of Americans.
Yesterday morning (January 15) he and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced the introduction of the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, legislation that would delay the January 19 deadline by which TikTok parent company ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban, by an additional 270 days.
“A ban on TikTok violates the free speech of 170 million Americans and hurts the livelihoods of creators and small business owners who use the app,” stated Khanna. “We need laws to protect Americans’ data, but banning TikTok is not the answer. I’m proud to join Senator Markey in introducing this legislation to pause the TikTok ban for 270 days.”
Khanna spoke on TikTok yesterday.
He also posted a fun video with Jolly Good Ginger.
“The TikTok ban was rushed through without sufficient consideration of the profound consequences it would have on the 170 million Americans who use the platform,” said Markey on the Senate floor on Monday, streamed live on TikTok.
“Today, TikTok is a space where users share critical resources during emergencies such as the Los Angeles wildfires, earn money to cover groceries and medical care, and build community in challenging times. The Extend the TikTok Deadline Act is a straightforward, one-sentence bill designed to give Congress the time needed to fully assess the implications of this ban. I urge my colleagues to act swiftly on this legislation.”
But the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act was blocked by the Senate yesterday evening, so barring any sudden sales agreements by TikTok to American companies, the ban will be effective on Sunday.
Markey and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), along with Khanna recently submitted a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision in TikTok Inc. v. Garland, which upheld the TikTok ban established under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
In the brief, Senators Markey and Paul and Representative Khanna argued that the TikTok ban lacks evidence and directly conflicts with the First Amendment, undermining the rights of over 170 million Americans who use the platform.
After the Senate rebuked the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, Khanna created an online campaign where Americans can sign a petition supporting the extension.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday morning, the petition had over 130,000 signatures. Khanna’s goal is 1 million signatures.
***as of 10:30 a.m., the petition is over 210,000 signatures … As of 11:30 a.m., it reached 275,000 signatures.***
Elsewhere, a change petition has amassed over 170,000 signatures in just over 72 hours since being launched.
The petition echoes the lawmakers’ proposal, stating that banning TikTok would cause economic harm as “more than 150 million Americans use TikTok to support their businesses, creativity, income, and entertainment. Banning the application in the United States will harm the American economy and disrupt the lives of its citizens in multiple ways.”
The petition also cites strained Global relationships and limits of free speech.
According to several news sources, several representatives expect President Joe Biden to step in and temporarily halt the ban.
Never voted for Ro Khanna. He hasn’t done anything for the Bay Area. In 2022, I tried to contact his office about the demise of 3G systems, that affected alert systems, security, and medical devices, in addition to old cell phones. His voicemail was always full and he never returned email.
It’s pathetic that politics attracts so many lemmings. Is Khanna, like Zuckerberg, trying to cozy up to “he who must not be named” and Musk? Interesting that Musk has said he has Aspergers Syndrome. I put the emphasis on the first 2 letters of the name, As……. Also pathetic that so many care nothing for National Security in favor of social media that has screwed up our kids.
Now, how do we get the FBI to investigate our city council?
I met Ro before he ran for office and his claim was to know manufacturing and import/export. Since then I met him at a gathering and tried to discuss the second amendment with him. He was like a fish out of water and really didn’t understand the issue.
That would be interesting, are the council members breaking any federal laws? I hope it wouldn’t require action by our ‘city attorney’.
Who really believes that Ro Kanna cares about the livelihoods of influencers? Nobody does. Clearly the TikTok lobbyists got to him. This guy has been bought and paid for by big tech firms – just look at how hard he’s fighting for them.
Reminds me of a few others, who I just can’t put my finger on at the moment….
Ro Khanna is as corrupt as they come.
Ms. Balaji is trying to find justice for her son, Suchir Balaji, who the San Francisco government said committed suicide. He was a WHISTLEBLOWER against OpenAI, which implicates Sam Altman. Ms. Balaji provides powerful evidence that it WAS NOT suicide.
Ro Khanna has YET to contact the family in their search for justice. It is clear that Ro Khanna is just another corrupt politician–and his mother says so! Corruption tentacles stretch thru local governments, state governments (i.e., Newsom), and some Fed government entities.
I hope this family finds peace–with no help from Ro Khanna!
Take a listen….
https://youtu.be/Kev_-HyuI9Y?t=3286
Suds embraces an endorsement from CORRUPT Ro Khanna, and, in turn, Suds endorsed fake Santa Claran Kevin Park. Not a surprise. As always true, “corrupt birds of a feather flock together.” Santa Clarans in District 4 and 5 voted to let the snakes in.
Suds and Park will remain silent for obvious divisive reasons even though a young, intelligent Asian-American person was “suicided,” or “Jeffrey Epsteined.”
https://www.votesuds.com/endorsements
Us Santa Clarans are about to witness our city plunge into a morass in the next decade than since its founding with Jed York at the helm.
Viva Santa Clara!!!