Logo

American Security Council Foundation

Back to main site

Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

China - TikTok Talks $

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Written by Laurence F Sanford, Senior Analyst ASCF

Categories: ASCF News ASCF Articles

Comments: 0

Banned Apps

TikTok talks money. Despite being an insidious influence on American culture and national security, TikTok has support from many monied and influential elite leaders in the U.S.

Money talks. Wall Street billionaire Jeff Yass is fighting to stop a ban on Chinese-owned TikTok on the grounds of protecting free speech and innovation. Yass’s support of TikTok could be because of his $21 billion ownership stake in ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing. If TikTok is banned in the U.S., the market value of ByteDance would decrease along with Yass’s personal fortune.

Yass is also a top donor to Republican causes, including Club for Growth (CFG). He has donated $61 million to this group since 2010. CFG is actively and publicly rallying Republicans to oppose a ban on TikTok.

Three days after Senator Josh Hawley (R. Mo.) tried to fast-track a Senate bill to ban TikTok, Senator Rand Paul (R. Ky.) stood on the Senate floor and quashed the bill. Yass and his wife, Janine, have donated over $24 million to Paul or his committees since 2015. Another Republican senator opposing a ban on TikTok is Thomas Massie from Kentucky. He receives CFG funding and says he doesn’t like TikTok but thinks the ban isn’t right because “the cure is worse than the disease.” TikTok is also sending its own lobbyists and dark money cronies to Congress to oppose the ban. Many TikTok followers are skeptical of the ban.

Senator Marco Rubio (R.FL.) is an outspoken opponent of TikTok, as is Senator Hawley. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has labeled TikTok “China’s digital fentanyl.” FBI Director Christopher Wray has raised national security issues about TikTok. The FBI is concerned that the CCP will use its ability to control the app's algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content” to influence users.

Free speech is a basic block in the foundation of American civilization. However, free speech does not include shouting “fire” in a theater if there is no fire, and free speech does not include advocating for the murder of another person. Do laws allow unfettered access for children to pornography? Do laws enable unfettered access to opioid drugs?

TikTok poisons American children and American culture. It is a Chinese company that must, by a 2017 CCP security law, support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) policies and provide all data to the CCP if so demanded. Chinese citizens who support the CCP will adhere to the Communist guidelines. Therefore, it is unlikely that TikTok executives would defy the CCP in turning over data.

TikTok is part of the unrestricted warfare being waged by the CCP against the United States. The app steers users down rabbit holes where China is good and free-market American capitalism is bad. Users are forbidden to bring up Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, or Taiwan independence.

Countries throughout the world have or are contemplating banning TikTok for its content. In 2020, India banned it along with 58 other Chinese apps, including WeChat, because they were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of the state and public order.” In Africa, Senegal banned TikTok because of hateful and subversive messages. Kenya is considering a ban because of TikToks sexually explicit materials. Other countries in the world considering bans are Jordan and Kyrgyzstan.

Summary

TikTok’s addiction is harmful to the development of teens. Recent examples of its malignant influences include challenges resulting in deaths in boat jumping, stealing Kia and Hyundai cars, store thefts, football game activities, and cooking food in Nyquil. It should be noted TikTok is not allowed to operate in China.

Vast amounts of personal data are being collected on TikTok users. Supposedly, the data is not stored in China, but several examples prove otherwise. With current computer capabilities, the data collected is useful to CCP intelligence/military agencies.

But the major threat of TikTok is its app programming poisoning U.S. elections, public discourse, and culture. It is the fentanyl (another poison from the CCP) of the internet. Even more disturbing, TikTok is testing a partnership with Google to enhance its search features.

Action

1. Recognize the CCP is waging unrestricted war against the United States.
2. Establish a policy of RECIPROCITY.
a. U.S. media/internet companies cannot operate in
China, so Chinese companies such as TikTok/WeChat
should not be allowed in the U.S.
b. No land purchases in the U.S. by Chinese
nationals or their agents.
3. Invest in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies.
4. Decouple from China.
5. Wall Street to stop funding the CCP military/industrial complex.

Peace Through Strength!

Laurence F. Sanford
Senior Analyst
American Security Council Foundation
www.ascf.us

Comments RSS feed for comments on this page

There are no comments yet. Be the first to add a comment by using the form below.