S686 aka RESTRICT ACT (the alleged TikTok ban)
You know the bill President Biden said he would sign if it got to his desk? This is that one.
Here is all the info I have on the bill most likely to become law that would possibly remove TikTok from the app store/ play store. Because, that’s the thing, you can’t remove an app from someone’s phone, you can just make it so they can’t update the app or download it again. That is all the administration can do, remove it from the app/play store.
So, finding the bill on congress.gov was…a challenge. The bill wasn’t introduced as the RESTRICT act. But rather “A bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the United States and foreign adversaries, and for other purposes.” Now isn’t that a mouthful?
So here’s how I found it (actually it was my mom, she’s incredible with these things)
This Verge article has a hyperlink in the second paragraph. That hyperlink leads to the bill itself.
If you put the section circled in red into google followed by USA
You get the congress.gov page.
This website is useful anytime you want to know something about a bill. it includes:
As you can see, there is no summary, only one action, a single title (that really long mouthful), 17 cosponsors, it’s been introduced in committee and there are zero related bills.
This is on the side of the page. The last link is the most important. You can give feedback on the bill DIRECTLY from congress.gov. You put in your zip code and it brings up your elected officials.
So where we’re at now is that the bill was introduced on March 7, 2023. If you want even more info about the bill, this is the press release on Senator Mark Warner’s website.
And this is one of many extremely misinformed speeches he gave on why the bill is important:
Feel free to scream at your screen as you watch, I did.
The thing is, he does have our best interests at heart, he is a good guy, he’s just severely misinformed.
Meta has been lobbying against TikTok cause they want a monopoly (#ditchMETA if you can).
You’ve probably noticed that most creators and influencers are talking as if this bill has passed the house and senate and is already on Biden’s desk. Some of this misinformation probably stems from US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Attorney General, Lisa Monaco all showing their support with Sullivan saying Biden wants it on his desk as soon as possible so he can sign it. However, it only takes a bit of research to realize that no publication is actually using a number, just the name of the act (which we now know isn’t even the official recorded name). In the future that should clue you into the fact that the bill is nowhere near Biden’s desk.
As you saw above the bill has one action.
It was read twice, and then referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. and that’s it. We don’t know anything about what it’s doing in the committee. Though, I will say, on their website, it’s not listed, so it is very possible they haven’t even covered it yet.
However, many of the cosponsors are on that committee, and the most recent cosponsor is Chuck Grassley on March 15, so maybe it has been discussed.
The cosponsors are split almost exactly evenly between Democrats and Republicans, which tells us that Democrats have been just as successfully lobbied by META and have no idea what this app means to us.
Here are the cosponsors:
I want to be very clear, these people are not lost causes. They don’t know that they were lobbied by META, they don’t know that our data really is secure in the US. They don’t know.
There can always be amendments added to any bill. We can still sway them as well as all other elected officials.
Okay, the explanation part is over, now is where you come in.
The petition is on Change.org and was started by Cara, gaelicsongbird on TikTok. It is called Save TikTok 2023. As of my writing this, it has 14 signatures. I hope that is an obsolete number by the time you see this.
Contact your elected officials. All of them. From city council all the way up to Biden. Meta has been lobbying individual states as well and some states already have TikTok app/play store removal introduced in their legislature. You also never know which elected officials have the ear of a member of congress, senator or even Biden and Harris. This is especially true if you’re in California, Pennsylvania or Massachusetts, but it’s not limited to those states.
You are calling the staff members of your elected officials, not your elected officials themselves. They chose if you are heard by the member. If your call or message or DM or email is boilerplate, so will their reponse. They will probably check off that another person called on the topic (that does make a difference but not a huge one) and be on their merry way.
You want a sob story. For all those who are called overdramatic, this is your time to shine. Why is TikTok so important to you? They think it’s musicl.ly still; young audience, mostly dancing and trends, but we know better. Especially if you’re older, mention your age. I know, not super fun, sorry. By older I mean above 25. Let them know it’s not young people. It’s voters. it’s consistent voters, people that will vote them out of office.
Don’t be afraid to be awkward, the more personal and real you can be, the better. And yes, this goes for Republicans too, cause, you never know who is going to answer the phone. You’re not talking to Ted Cruz (he’s a great example cause he’s on the committee where the bill currently is) you’re talking to his intern.
Speaking of, here are all the committee members. There are some great Democrats and some terrible Republicans. These are the people who decide if the senate floor even sees this bill or if it dies in committee. Until it passes, it still has a shot of dying. But we have to be extremely vocal if we want that to happen.
So again, why is TikTok important to you? How did it save your life? What have you learned about yourself?
Here are the things I would talk about:
A few weeks ago I saw a TikTok of a girl who was doing the dishes. Her dog came up to her and let her know she had been standing too long and was about to faint. So she had to sit down even though she was in the middle of the dishes. That’s me. I almost faint taking a shower and making my bed, maybe I have what she has. She has POTS. And guess, what, after I told my mom’s doctor friend, and she tested my blood pressure lying down, sitting up, and standing, I have it too. I have been to countless doctors who basically said I felt faint cause my iron was low, which it was, but it didn’t stop after it was higher. No doctor would even consider POTS and now I have been officially diagnosed with POTS, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. None of that would have ever happened if it wasn’t for TikTok. Watching that girl and seeing her have the same symptoms as I do.
On top of that, it’s my job. I make a living from TikTok and all the side hustles associated with it. I have become more aware of the world around me and of different kinds of people, learned so much history I never learned in school (and I went to a pretty progressive school). TikTok has made me a better activist and better person and I quite literally would not be who I am without that app.
That’s my story, you have to find yours. And it’s okay if it’s not fully fleshed out, again, open and honest and genuine is the key, that’s how you get to be more than a number on a list of people who have called in on a topic.
Here is a quote from Ashley Cecil who is a staffer for Michigan state rep Julie Brixie:
While government does not function perfectly, and it can sometimes be hard to make your legislators listen, but being strategic can increase the chances of your opinion having an impact. Our system of government is slow-moving and complex, but the legislation that makes its way through this process has the potential to fundamentally change the way our society functions. Your voice does matter in this process, and the only way to make a difference is by using it to advocate for the issues you care about. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
- When calling, emailing, or visiting your elected official You need to deliver your message in a way that will make legislators and their staff sit up and take notice.
* example, “My name is XX and I am from X’s district.” If you are with an organization in the district you may wish to mention the organization by name.
* Explain why you are there: “I am hoping that they will support [bill name], which would do X, Y, and Z.”
* Explain why it is important to you (this is where your personal story comes in): “[Bill name] is important to me because it [protects endangered species, helps protect animal victims of domestic violence, etc.].”
* As necessary and appropriate, refer to the materials that you will be leaving behind (but do not read them to the staff people).
* Ask if the legislator has taken a position on the issue. (The answer will often be “no.”)
* Let them know that you are available as a resource and that you will follow up to see if there are questions and/or if the legislator can support your position. Be sure to ask the best way to follow up (phone, e-mail, or meeting) and collect all contact information.
* On the state level, you have a much better chance of actually meeting with the legislator it is definitely worth dropping into their leg. office to discuss your concerns.
* Finally… continue to reach out, if possible on a daily/ weekly basis.
Huge thank you to Ashley for sending over this quote!
Keep in mind what bills an elected official has supported are available on their website and on congress.gov, so, based on that you can find out which personal story will mean the most to your elected official. Also, keep in mind that almost every politician has agreed on something. Your Republican elected official may not be as much of a lost cause as you think. Here is a website where you can compare the voting record of two members of Congress.
Also, if you have the time, set up a protest. I’m not sure why that hasn’t happened yet. There should be protests all over the country. They are extremely effective in front of the offices of elected officials. The goal is to get on the news, local news, national news, whatever you can get. Make a lot of noise and force them to listen.
Finally, and this is most important. Please please correct misinformation on TikTok when you see it. A lot of big creators are acting like we can’t do anything and that’s just not true. And if a big creator isn’t talking about this, comment on their videos and ask why. One voice is not going to save TikTok, but if all of us band together, I truly think it’s possible.
I think that’s all I have for now, I hope that wasn’t too overwhelming, but the good news is this newsletter is always available for you to refer to whenever you need a reminder.
Voting is so important, but that’s not all we have the right to do. These are our representatives, their job is to represent us or they don’t get reelected. Remind them of that. Get to know your reps and their staff and before long you’ll be using your voice for every bill you care about.
#savetiktok2023 We got this!
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