The outrage over the draconian RESTRICT Act, marketed to the public as a “TikTok ban,” is rapidly rising.
The bill has been revealed as something far more expansive that a mere TikTok ban. It grants sweeping powers to the federal government to restrict the online activities of Americans, imposing heavy penalties on any citizen who circumvents it, including criminal fines of up to $1 million, jail sentences of up to 20 years, and the seizure and search of hardware and online accounts, including cryptocurrency accounts.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson eviscerated the bill in a segment this week, saying: “This bill isn’t about banning TikTok. It’s never about what they say it is. Instead, this bill would give enormous and terrifying new powers to the federal government to punish American citizens and regulate how they communicate with one another.”