Appeals Court Says U.S. Can Ban Chinese-Backed TikTok

Social Media,

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that a federal appeals court ruled the U.S. can ban TikTok if the social media giant fails to cut ties with China. The ruling upholds a federal law congress enacted over national security concerns.

With approximately one billion users worldwide — including upwards of 135 million or more in the U.S. — TikTok arguably is one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet. Its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has been valued at $300 billion.

Despite being a popular, multibillion-dollar corporation, it seems TikTok has failed to overcome some very serious failures. The platform  has struggled to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party — and it has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online.

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Justice actually sued TikTok for allegedly violating federal laws intended to protect children online, and Canadian authorities recently ordered TikTok to stop operating in their country, citing national security concerns.

Elected leaders from Arkansas have expressed their concerns about how China might manipulate TikTok.

As U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman pointed out last March,

Although TikTok executives claim that it does not share any data collected by the app, there are several Chinese laws in place that provide CCP [Chinese Communist Party] officials access to all user data collected by Chinese-owned tech companies, like TikTok. This means the CCP has access to sensitive data, like the location of every TikTok user worldwide, including the over 210 million Americans who have downloaded the app.

In 2022, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, saying in part,

TikTok captures vast amounts of private information on users, including American citizens, and has long been suspected of providing the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] with potential access to that information. This threatens the safety and security of American citizens, and also functions as an avenue for the Chinese government to track the locations of and develop blackmail on Federal employees and contractors.

Last year Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed two lawsuits against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.

The A.G.’s lawsuits allege that TikTok and ByteDance failed to fully disclose that the company is subject to Chinese laws that mandate cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China and that TikTok aggressively collects sensitive user data. The lawsuits are ongoing in state court.

As we keep saying, social media is more than just websites or phone apps. These are multibillion dollar businesses owned and operated by investors and other interests. If the Chinese Communist Party can influence TikTok, the CCP may be able to manipulate users or harvest sensitive data on one of the world’s largest social media platforms. That ought to concern everyone.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Planned Parenthood Facility in Kansas Performs Abortions Mostly on Women From Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas

Abortion, , ,
Above: Planned Parenthood’s new abortion facility in Southeast Kansas is performing abortions primarily on women from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

A news report from NPR showcases how Planned Parenthood’s new facility in Kansas is marketing abortion to women from Arkansas.

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion-provider, and the organization owns facilities in Little Rock and Rogers. However, Arkansas’ good, pro-life laws generally prevent those facilities from performing abortions.

But over the summer Family Council learned Planned Parenthood had secretly acquired a facility in Pittsburg, Kansas — a town of some 20,000 residents — within driving distance of Northwest Arkansas.

The new location in Southeast Kansas opened in August. At the time, Family Council and others expressed concerns that the facility would make it easier for Planned Parenthood to promote abortions regionally to women in states that all have very strong, pro-life laws.

Now NPR is reporting how Planned Parenthood is using its newest facility to perform abortions on women from Arkansas writing,

Among the approximately 150 patients who secure abortion appointments [at the Pittsburg abortion facility] each month, Kansans and Missourians make up less than a fifth combined. The vast majority come from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Abortion hurts women, and it ends the lives of unborn children. Its risks and its consequences are deathly serious.

Planned Parenthood’s decision to operate this new, regional abortion facility shows its goal is to perform abortions on women throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas.

We believe women and families deserve better than abortion. It’s important to prohibit abortion through legislation, but we need to work to eliminate the demand for abortion as well.

One way Arkansans can do that is by supporting pro-life organizations that empower women with real options besides abortion.

Arkansas is home to more than 60 organizations that assist pregnant women — including some 45 pregnancy resource centers that help women with unplanned pregnancies.

The State of Arkansas recently voted to award $2 million in grants to pregnancy-help organizations for the 2024-2025 budget cycle.

That money is going to help a lot of women and children in the coming months — and hopefully it will encourage women not to travel to states like Kansas for abortions.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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