The US government is pushing legislation that serves as a Trojan horse for government overreach, censorship, and surveillance. The so-called RESTRICT Act is being touted as a necessary measure to protect national security against Tik-Tok, but in reality, it is a smokescreen designed to curtail our rights and liberties.

The RESTRICT Act gives the government sweeping authority over all forms of communication, both domestic and abroad. Moreover, it grants the power to “enforce any mitigation measure to address any risk” to national security, both now and in any “potential future transaction.” This broad language is ripe for abuse, and the executive branch will have few checks on its power. The bill authorizes enforcement of any action deemed necessary to mitigate the threat, without due process and with few limits on punishments.

The RESTRICT Act also takes a preemptive strike against quantum encryption. This may seem like a minor detail, but it reveals the true intent behind the legislation: to keep the public under constant surveillance and maintain control over all forms of communication.

The act allows the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Commerce to designate new “Foreign Adversaries” without notifying Congress, with a 15-day window to notify the president. To overturn this designation, a joint resolution of Congress is required.

The act grants unlimited hiring power for enforcement positions, as well as unlimited funds with little review. It also provides immunity to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, further concealing the actions taken under this legislation from public scrutiny.

If you are designated a national security threat under the RESTRICT Act, the government can access all your information without any due process. The consequences are dire, with punishments including a $1,000,000 fine, 20 years in prison, and the forfeiture of everything you own.

The RESTRICT Act is not about banning Tik-Tok or protecting national security. It is about controlling you and expanding the government’s power to surveil and censor its citizens. This legislation is a sinister Trojan horse that poses a grave threat to our rights, liberties, and privacy.