President Trump’s Letter and Executive Order on Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok

Text of a Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok

Dear Madam Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the โ€œorderโ€) that takes additional steps to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain declared in Executive Order 13873 of May 15, 2019 (Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain).  Specifically, the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peopleโ€™s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.  At this time, the order takes action to address one mobile application in particular, TikTok.

TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users.  This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americansโ€™ personal and proprietary information โ€” potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.  TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and Chinaโ€™s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.  TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party.

To deal with this threat, the order prohibits, beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zรฌjiรฉ Tiร odรฒng), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary).  The Secretary will identify the transactions subject to this prohibition 45 days after the date of the order.
I have delegated to the Secretary the authority to take such actions, including adopting appropriate rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to implement the order.  The order also directs all department and agencies to take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the order I have issued.

Sincerely,
DONALD J. TRUMP
August 6, 2020

Executive Order on Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain declared in Executive Order 13873 of May 15, 2019 (Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain).  Specifically, the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peopleโ€™s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.  At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok.

TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., has reportedly been downloaded over 175 million times in the United States and over one billion times globally.  TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories.  This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americansโ€™ personal and proprietary information โ€” potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and Chinaโ€™s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.  This mobile application may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, such as when TikTok videos spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

These risks are real.  The Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Armed Forces have already banned the use of TikTok on Federal Government phones.  The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country; in a statement, Indiaโ€™s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were โ€œstealing and surreptitiously transmitting usersโ€™ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.โ€  American companies and organizations have begun banning TikTok on their devices.  The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.

Accordingly, I hereby order:

Section 1.  (a)  The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law: any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zรฌjiรฉ Tiร odรฒng), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) under section 1(c) of this order.

(b)  The prohibition in subsection (a) of this section applies except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the date of this order.

(c)  45 days after the date of this order, the Secretary shall identify the transactions subject to subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 2.  (a)  Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate the prohibition set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b)  Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 3.  For the purposes of this order:

(a)  the term โ€œpersonโ€ means an individual or entity;
(b)  the term โ€œentityโ€ means a government or instrumentality of such government, partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization, including an international organization; and

(c)  the term โ€œUnited States personโ€ means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

Sec. 4.  The Secretary is hereby authorized to take such actions, including adopting rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to me by IEEPA as may be necessary to implement this order.  The Secretary may, consistent with applicable law, redelegate any of these functions within the Department of Commerce.  All departments and agencies of the United States shall take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement this order.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
August 6, 2020

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

The Looming Threat To Our Homeland

After success of โ€œOperation Midnight Hammer,โ€ where U.S. military bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, the threat to America has never been greater.

Groundhog Day came late this year to the Land of Smiles.

itโ€™s the same rigmarole, on whatever pretext, the army commandeers the Thai state with vague promises to restore democracy at some unspecified future date.

Resource number one

Russia has an unsustainable birthrate worsened by mortality rate of Russian males through war and alcoholism. One solution, steal young children from other countries.ย 

Expansionist CCP Runs Amok in Pacific After U.S. Relocates Naval Assets to Mid-East

Caveat established, Chinaโ€™s been going bananas on the high seas as the eyes of the world, and U.S. military assets, hone in on Iran.

The Anti-Trump Protests โ€“ Why Are They So Important?

The anti-Trump stance is not a political position, but a desperate gesture, a mental diagnosis of those who refuse to accept the reality of the World today.

US Manufacturing Output, Hiring Rise to Multi-Month Highs

U.S. manufacturing activity climbed in June, fueled by strong domestic demand and tariff-driven stockpiling, according to report from S&P Global.

Mawson study using Florida Medicaid data again confirms childhood vaccines are likely responsible for nearly 80% of the autism cases in US

Mawson study using Florida Medicaid data again confirms childhood vaccines are likely responsible for nearly 80% of the autism cases in US.

Abbott Signs Bill Into Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Public School Classrooms

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he signed a bill into law, that would require all public school classrooms in his state to display the Ten Commandments.

Supreme Court Limits Factors Courts May Consider When Revoking Supervised Release

On June 20, the Supreme Court voted 7โ€“2 to limit the factors that judges are allowed to consider when revoking supervised release.

No Changes Planned for FDAโ€™s Vaccine Advisory Committee โ€˜At This Timeโ€™: Spokesperson

There are no plans to remove any members of the panel that advises the FDA on vaccines, a spokesperson said on June 20.

Trump Says Trade Deals Expected With India and Pakistan

President Trump expects US will sign trade deals with India and Pakistan, signaling growing momentum in push to reshape global trade through tariff diplomacy.

Trump Says US Intelligence Communityโ€™s Assessment of Iranโ€™s Nuclear Program โ€˜Was Wrongโ€™

President Trump said his director of national intelligenceโ€™s assessment in March that Iran had yet to decide on building a nuclear weapon was wrong.

NIH Ends Gain-of-Function Research, Implementing Trumpโ€™s Executive Order

The NIH announced the end of gain-of-function research. The instituteโ€™s update said the move is in compliance with President Trumpโ€™s EO on the topic.ย 
spot_img

Related Articles