For Immediate Release
Contact: bowman.press@mail.house.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16) held a press conference with 20+ social media creators with a combined following of over 60 million people to oppose the TikTok ban. Social media creators shared how TikTok has impacted their small businesses, artistic expression and communities. More than 150 million Americans, including 5 million U.S. small businesses, use TikTok to inspire creativity, bring joy, and support their livelihoods.

“The rush to ban TikTok sets a dangerous precedent for our country by undermining our freedom of speech and distracts from the real issue: protecting Americans’ data and privacy,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16). Every Big Tech company, both foreign and domestic, mines and sells our data for their own profits, and cracking down on surveillance capitalism is what we need to be focused on. Many who are hyper focused on TikTok seem to look the other way when Facebook enables right-wing and Russian disinformation to undermine our democracy, and they are springing into action now because it suits their Cold War crusade against China.  I, along with millions of others, use TikTok as a place to interact with my community in a positive, uplifting way. But this is not about defending TikTok as a company. We need strong regulation that applies to every platform in order to protect our data and especially our children. And we also have to protect young people’s right to free expression. Let’s use this moment to craft a comprehensive approach to safeguarding and democratizing the social media landscape.”

You can watch Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s remarks here.

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