• Investing
  • Stock
Round Table Thoughts
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Home Economy GOP lawmakers renew calls to ban TikTok after Usama bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ trend went viral
Economy

GOP lawmakers renew calls to ban TikTok after Usama bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ trend went viral

by November 18, 2023
by November 18, 2023 0 comment
Share
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

GOP lawmakers are renewing their call for the federal government to ban the Chinese-owned app TikTok after Usama bin Laden’s 2002 ‘Letter to America’ went viral on social media and received sympathy from hundreds of young users. 

The letter, published by The Guardian but taken offline Wednesday, blamed U.S. policies for the Sept. 11 attacks. 

‘We should ban it,’ Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Sean Hannity Thursday. ‘It tracks everything you do on your phone. It tracks everywhere you go, every text message you send, every email you write, and it’s — all that information — all of it’s available to the Chinese Communist Party.

‘It’s an espionage tool. It’s a propaganda machine, and we ought to ban it.’

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called the app ‘toxic’ in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Thursday. 

‘It’s outrageous that Chinese Communist Party controlled TikTok is pushing terrorist propaganda on American kids,’ Cotton wrote. ‘This toxic app should have been banned years ago.’

TikTok users reacted to the letter, and some said it changed their worldviews. Others went as far as to say they realized bin Laden ‘was right.’ Part of bin Laden’s letter blamed America for supporting the ‘Israeli oppression of the Palestinians’ and ‘the occupation’ in the Holy Land. 

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., condemned the trend on TikTok on Fox News Thursday, calling the sympathy ‘absolutely disgusting’ and ‘further evidence that we need to ban TikTok or force a sale before a Chinese-controlled app, before the Chinese Communist Party, checkmates the free world by controlling the dominant media platform in America that can spread this dangerous, disgusting nonsense.

‘It is time for a ban or forced sale before it is too late.’ 

After the trend gained some traction on TikTok, with 274 videos posted under the hashtag from Tuesday to Wednesday, a compilation of videos was uploaded again to X and gained over 35 million views, surpassing the 1.85 million views originally gained on TikTok. 

One TikTok influencer, Lynette Adkins, was banned from the app Friday morning after she shared a video of her reaction to reading the letter. She provided Fox News Digital with a statement.

‘I read the letter after some other creators shared it and was surprised because I never knew it existed,’ Adkins said. ‘I posted it to my page so others could read it as well.

‘I did not share the letter to promote any form of hate or violence against anyone, nor do I agree with the extremism in it. I was just shocked by what I had read and wanted to have a conversation about it with my followers. I was 3 in 2001 and was always taught 9/11 happened because other people were jealous of our democracy in the U.S. 

‘Now that I’m older and am able to learn about history beyond the narrative of mainstream media, I’m realizing that there is more to the story. I think we all deserve a right to access the information being presented to us and form our own conclusions without subscribing to extreme or radical ideologies.

‘The letter was taken off of The Guardian’s site after being on there for over 20 years. My TikTok was banned as of this morning, and many people who are sharing the letter are getting their videos removed as well. If we live in a true democracy, I think we should be allowed to have open and peaceful conversations about what’s happening in the world.’

Montana is the only state to have passed legislation banning TikTok from all personal devices. More than 30 states have banned it from state-issued devices. And a bipartisan law drafted by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Thune, R-S.D., introduced earlier this year would crack down on communication technologies developed by foreign adversaries like China and Russia. 

‘I will never look at life the same, I will never look at this country the same,’ one user said. ‘Please read it, and if you have read it let me know if you are going through an existential crisis in this moment.’ 

‘It becomes apparent to me that the actions of 9/11 and those acts committed against the USA and its people, were all just the build up of our government failing other nations,’ another user said. 

By Friday morning, the hashtag #lettertoamerica was removed from TikTok. 

‘Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism,’ a TikTok spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. ‘We are proactively and aggressively removing this content and investigating how it got onto our platform. The number of videos on TikTok is small and reports of it trending on our platform are inaccurate. This is not unique to TikTok and has appeared across multiple platforms and the media.’

A spokesperson for The Guardian previously told Fox News Digital, ‘The transcript published on our website 20 years ago has been widely shared on social media without the full context. Therefore, we have decided to take it down and direct readers to the news article that originally contextualized it instead.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
You Might Also Like
  • This drone detection technology could have intercepted assassin’s drone 2 hours before Trump shooting
  • Tesla Stock Jumps 22% After Q3 Earnings
  • Minnesota lawmakers considering ‘red flag’ law, background check expansion
  • House committee subpoenas 15 Biden Cabinet secretaries to hand over documents on voter mobilization ‘scheme’
Share
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

previous post
GOP rebels send warning to Speaker Johnson after blowing up vote last week: ‘We’re going to get cuts’
next post
Charting the S&P 1500 Zweig Breadth Thrust – And More…

You may also like

Schumer breaks silence on Chinese spy balloon, praises Biden admin...

February 5, 2023

Kamala Harris on the hot seat for ‘hiding’ from American...

August 18, 2024

JD Vance rallies voters in his hometown hours after Biden...

July 22, 2024

NYC Mayor Adams announces new taxpayer-funded migrant tent city

August 8, 2023

Wisconsin Native leader calls on Legislature to improve health infrastructure

March 15, 2023

Pence suggests he’s willing to testify against Trump in court:...

August 7, 2023

Bitcoin Hits All-Time High, Ethereum Breaks Key Resistance

November 8, 2024

Suit challenges Arkansas law charging librarians for showing minors ‘harmful’...

June 3, 2023

Hunter Biden’s criminal trial on federal gun charges begins with...

June 3, 2024

Biden tells Michigan crowd he’s ‘not going anywhere’ amid chants...

July 13, 2024

    Stay updated with the latest news, exclusive offers, and special promotions. Sign up now and be the first to know! As a member, you'll receive curated content, insider tips, and invitations to exclusive events. Don't miss out on being part of something special.


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Week Ahead: As NIFTY Breaks Out, Change Of Leadership Likely To Keep The Index Moving

      June 28, 2025
    • 3 Stock Setups for the Second Half of 2025

      June 28, 2025
    • Fibonacci Retracements: The Key to Identifying True Breakouts

      June 27, 2025
    • All-Time Highs and An Upcoming Rate Cut: We’re Just Getting Started on This Move Higher

      June 27, 2025
    • How to Improve your Trading Odds and Increase Opportunities

      June 27, 2025

    Popular Posts

    • 1

      Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese...

      June 25, 2024 3,615 views
    • 2

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be...

      June 27, 2024 2,895 views
    • 3

      Walz’s honeymoon with China gets fresh scrutiny as...

      August 9, 2024 2,586 views
    • 4

      Shein’s global ambitions leaves some cybersecurity experts fearful...

      July 10, 2024 2,551 views
    • 5

      Harris VP pick spent years promoting research facility...

      August 29, 2024 2,429 views

    Categories

    • Economy (7,009)
    • Editor's Pick (2,151)
    • Investing (538)
    • Stock (2,640)

    Popular Posts

    • 1

      Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese businesses to Delaware: ‘Longtime friends’

      June 25, 2024
    • 2

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be revived under new House GOP bill

      June 27, 2024
    • 3

      Walz’s honeymoon with China gets fresh scrutiny as Harris camp blasts ‘lying’ critics

      August 9, 2024
    • 4

      Shein’s global ambitions leaves some cybersecurity experts fearful of Chinese spy threats

      July 10, 2024
    • 5

      Harris VP pick spent years promoting research facility that collaborated with ‘Chinese military company’

      August 29, 2024

    Latest News

    • Week Ahead: As NIFTY Breaks Out, Change Of Leadership Likely...

      June 28, 2025
    • 3 Stock Setups for the Second Half of 2025

      June 28, 2025
    • Fibonacci Retracements: The Key to Identifying True Breakouts

      June 27, 2025

    Categories

    • Economy (7,009)
    • Editor's Pick (2,151)
    • Investing (538)
    • Stock (2,640)

    Disclaimer: RoundTableThoughts.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 RoundTableThoughts.com. All Rights Reserved.

    Round Table Thoughts
    • Investing
    • Stock
    Round Table Thoughts
    • Economy
    • Editor’s Pick

    Read alsox

    Ben Crump deletes viral tweet branding...

    May 22, 2023

    Amal Clooney, the ICC’s shame and...

    May 23, 2024

    Harris hours away from most consequential...

    August 5, 2024
    Sign In

    Keep me signed in until I sign out

    Forgot your password?

    Password Recovery

    A new password will be emailed to you.

    Have received a new password? Login here