I am writing to you to voice my strong opposition to H.R. 7521, Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, that passed in the House of Representatives, and implore that you, my representatives in the Senate and members of the executive branch ensure this initiative goes no further. Approximately 7 million American small businesses and 170 million Americans regularly use TikTok. Legislation aimed at one company like this is unprecedented, disturbing, and infringes on my right to freedom of speech. This does not look like you care for or are trying to protect my privacy.
TikTok has gone to unheard of lengths in the social media industry to give data transparency and access to the United States government through the Project Texas initiative. It's been a move many American TikTok users like myself have been critical of as it's effectively isolated American users on a different version of the app that the United States controls via Oracle.
Banning TikTok will have disastrous economic consequences for the American small businesses that rely on the platform for their sales. Not only that, it will further alienate both political parties from the younger voters which you need to secure your re-election come November. According to Statista's 2023 data, over 76% of American social media users aged between 18 and 24 years use TikTok. Brookings data projects that Millennials, combined with the younger generations, will be a majority of voters by 2028. As a voting bloc, younger voters have made it clear they overwhelmingly do not follow party allegiances but instead look to how their representatives act on the issues that matter most to them.
