1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

Congress should stop wasting time trying to ban TikTok and instead focus on addressing more pressing issues that would actually benefit the American people. Banning a single application does little to protect user privacy when comprehensive data privacy legislation is desperately needed. The American Data Privacy and Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that would regulate data practices across the entire tech ecosystem, has already been drafted but remains unpassed. Rather than performative moves against one company, Congress should prioritize supporting affordable broadband access by extending the successful Affordable Connectivity Program before its funding expires, leaving 25 million low-income families without internet. Legislators also expressed concerns about disinformation, but allowing local journalism to die fuels misinformation and political divisions – tax incentives and support for new business models could revive this vital sector. The concentration of power among a few tech giants also demands action through interoperability mandates, cracking down on anticompetitive mergers, and structural separations to restore competition online. Finally, a digital regulator with expertise to rapidly adapt to evolving technology would better protect consumers than piecemeal legislation always playing catch-up. With so many substantive reforms still needed, banning TikTok is an unproductive distraction from the real work Congress should undertake to safeguard the public interest in digital spaces.