Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, has declared his intent to fight against a potential TikTok ban, arguing that the measure is more about political posturing than genuine national security concerns. This announcement comes as the Biden administration tightens its grip on Chinese technology firms with a recent $95 billion national security package that allows for banning the app if its parent company, ByteDance, does not sell it.
Kennedy, voicing his opposition on the social platform X, stated, “I’m going to file a lawsuit challenging the TikTok ban on Constitutional grounds.” He believes the move to block TikTok has little to do with protecting user data from Chinese surveillance and is more of a distraction. “Don’t be fooled — the TikTok ban is not about China harvesting your data. That’s a smoke screen,” he declared.
Kennedy’s skepticism about the government’s motives is driven by what he perceives as widespread data collection by intelligence agencies. He noted that such activities are common across various nations, with the US being a significant player in this realm. “Intelligence agencies from lots of countries, especially ours, are harvesting your data from everywhere all the time,” he emphasized.
The recent security package signed by President Biden has brought this issue to the forefront. If ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, does not sell the app, the law provides grounds to ban it in the US. However, ByteDance has categorically denied any intention to sell TikTok. “Foreign media reports that ByteDance is exploring the sale of TikTok are untrue,” the company stated, indicating that it “doesn’t have any plan to sell TikTok.”
TikTok’s representatives have also expressed their discontent with the ban, labeling it unconstitutional.
