Sign the petition to Congress: Vote NO on The RESTRICT Act.
Members of both major parties are using national security rhetoric to enact a sweeping legislation that would give the executive branch the power to criminalize the use of social media platforms it opposes.
The RESTRICT Act, introduced by Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator John Thune, would give the White House, through the Commerce Department, the ability to criminalize entire communications platforms, allowing the executive branch to control what apps and technologies Americans have access to while limiting our ability to challenge those actions in court. Experts agree the legislation would violate our First Amendment rights without actually protecting American consumers.
Americans who violate The RESTRICT Act could end up with civil and criminal penalties, with many arguing that the language in the RESTRICT Act could criminalize the use of a VPN. From journalists to activists to human rights defenders, VPNs are used to protect the identity of these individuals and would expose them to monitoring and other potentially harmful penalties associated with the RESTRICT Act.
The RESTRICT Act is scary news, as it is being sold to the American people as a ban on TikTok, at a time when xenophobic anti-China rhetoric is at an all-time high. But it is so much more than that and is deliberately not limited to just TikTok. The broad language used in the RESTRICT Act will fundamentally change the internet and have serious human and civil rights implications.
President Biden has already said he would sign off on the RESTRICT Act if it lands on his desk, and with heavy bipartisan support, it just might. Members of Congress must not only vote down any measure to pass the RESTRICT Act, but they must also condemn the act in its entirety for what it is: a ban on a free internet, free speech, and American civil liberties.
Sign the petition to Congress: Vote NO on The RESTRICT Act.
Participating Organizations
DemCast USA
Democracy for America Advocacy Fund
Democratic Values
Daily Kos
Forward Blue
OD Action
Real Populists
TakeItBack.Org
The RESTRICT Act, introduced by Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator John Thune, would give the White House, through the Commerce Department, the ability to criminalize entire communications platforms, allowing the executive branch to control what apps and technologies Americans have access to while limiting our ability to challenge those actions in court. Experts agree the legislation would violate our First Amendment rights without actually protecting American consumers.
Americans who violate The RESTRICT Act could end up with civil and criminal penalties, with many arguing that the language in the RESTRICT Act could criminalize the use of a VPN. From journalists to activists to human rights defenders, VPNs are used to protect the identity of these individuals and would expose them to monitoring and other potentially harmful penalties associated with the RESTRICT Act.
The RESTRICT Act is scary news, as it is being sold to the American people as a ban on TikTok, at a time when xenophobic anti-China rhetoric is at an all-time high. But it is so much more than that and is deliberately not limited to just TikTok. The broad language used in the RESTRICT Act will fundamentally change the internet and have serious human and civil rights implications.
President Biden has already said he would sign off on the RESTRICT Act if it lands on his desk, and with heavy bipartisan support, it just might. Members of Congress must not only vote down any measure to pass the RESTRICT Act, but they must also condemn the act in its entirety for what it is: a ban on a free internet, free speech, and American civil liberties.
Sign the petition to Congress: Vote NO on The RESTRICT Act.
Participating Organizations
DemCast USA
Democracy for America Advocacy Fund
Democratic Values
Daily Kos
Forward Blue
OD Action
Real Populists
TakeItBack.Org
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