OPINION: Federal TikTok Ban Is Pointless—and an Assault on The First Amendment

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) is calling for the Senate to take up a vote on the recently passed House bill that would force Chinese tech company ByteDance to divest itself from TikTok, or the app would be banned from use in the United States. McConnell and other Republicans have called the social media app a threat to the safety of American citizens because the app is “beholden” to America’s adversaries, mainly China. However, is it the job of the government to dictate to you or me how we can use or consume social media? No, it isn’t, and it is not the duty of the government to protect us from ourselves, rather it is the duty of the government to protect you and me from the threats of invasion or attack by outside forces.