Georgia Mountain News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) expressed strong support for the passage of H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. In a statement following the bill's approval by the U.S. House of Representatives, Carter emphasized the importance of protecting American data from hostile foreign control, particularly by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Carter, a proud cosponsor of the bill, highlighted the significance of preventing adversarial nations from having access to and utilizing American users' data. He stated, "Hostile foreign nations should not have control over any application that mines and stores American users’ data - period." The congressman commended the bipartisan effort in standing against the CCP to safeguard both American children and national security.

Regarding the implications of CCP surveillance through platforms like TikTok, Carter warned, "Anyone who thinks that the CCP won’t use TikTok data against Americans has their head in the sand. This is a tool of psychological warfare; and, if it’s on your phone, you’re a target."

H.R. 7521, which received unanimous support from the House Energy and Commerce Committee and backing from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, mandates that entities linked to adversarial nations, including ByteDance, must relinquish ownership of applications like TikTok. These entities are required to sell to American or allied foreign nation companies within 180 days of the bill being enacted. Applications failing to comply with these regulations and posing national security risks will face potential removal from app stores.

The bill aims to address concerns around foreign surveillance and data mining, particularly by entities with ties to adversarial nations like the CCP. It underscores the need to protect American users from potential exploitation and security threats posed by foreign-controlled applications.

For more details on the bill and its provisions, interested parties can access the full text of H.R. 7521 and a 'Myth v. Fact' sheet for further clarification.