Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, no.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

Big Tech has transformed social media platforms into modern-day media companies. Unfortunately, these networks engage in invasive surveillance practices by collecting Americans' most sensitive personal data.

Foreign adversaries also see access to Americans' data communication networks, devices, and applications as the entry points to disrupt our daily lives and conduct espionage activities. All of this endangers our national security interests.

We have a long history of restricting our television and radio airwaves from ownership by foreign governments and individuals due to the national security concerns that these arrangements pose. Social media companies should also face similar scrutiny. After all, while technology has evolved, the threats are very much the same.

I also take the concerns raised by the intelligence community very seriously. They have asked Congress to give them more authority to act in narrowly defined situations. I believe this bill would do just that by addressing the national security risks posed by applications operated by companies controlled by foreign adversaries.

While this bill establishes a national security framework that could apply to other applications, much of the public attention has focused on TikTok. The combination of TikTok's Beijing Communist-based ownership and the fact that over 170 million Americans use it exacerbates its dangers to our country and our privacy.

Laws in China allow the Chinese Communist Party to compel companies like TikTok to share data with them whether the companies want to or not. This means the CCP has the ability with TikTok to compromise device security, maliciously access Americans' data, promote pro- Communist propaganda, and undermine our Nation's interests.

This is extremely troubling. Beijing, China, should not have the control over Americans that TikTok gives them. It is my hope that, if enacted, this legislation will force divestment of TikTok so that Americans will be able to continue to use this platform without the risk that it is being operated and controlled by Beijing, China.

However, even if TikTok is divested, China and other foreign adversaries will still be able to acquire vast amounts of Americans' data. That is because we place no restrictions on who data brokers can sell data to, and that must stop as well. I look forward to the House considering next week legislation that I introduced with Chair Rodgers that would stop this from happening.

We must begin to hold Big Tech accountable for transforming the information superhighway into a superspreader of harmful content, invasive surveillance practices, and addictive and damaging design features, all with the goal of collecting more data. We must enact a comprehensive data privacy bill so that we finally give Americans control over how their data is used and collected.

I thank Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Gallagher for their bipartisan work on this bill, which unanimously passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last week, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7521.
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Mr. PALLONE. Pelosi), the Speaker Emerita.
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Mr. PALLONE. Eshoo), who is a member of the committee.

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