I am a very big supporter of the First Amendment. Free speech is one of the qualities that make America great, and every American has a right to free speech.

But with rights come responsibilities. Too many people seem to forget that.

When it comes to social media, the platforms' owners have a responsibility to ensure that our data isn’t being given to countries or entities that would use that information against us or use their platforms to push false and dangerous information. No right is absolute.

I support Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers joining Attorney Generals from 21 other states in asking the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court’s ruling regarding Tik Tok. Congress passed a law that says the Chinese owners of Tik Tok must either sell to an American company or face a ban in the U.S. and the lower court agreed.

ByteDance the Chinese Communist Party company that owns Tik Tok says this law violates their First Amendment rights.

Their argument almost makes me laugh. Where in the Constitution does it say that the Chinese Communist Party has a right to free speech? Shouldn’t the Chinese Communist Party give their own people free speech rights before they try to say they have that right here in America?

I will admit that I don’t fully understand all the ins and outs of how our social media data is being used. I’m pretty sure that most of the Congressmen and Senators that passed the law and most of the Attorney Generals that are arguing for it, don’t understand them either.

Not to mention the Justices who will decide the case.

But the experts in our intelligence community do and I’m going to trust them when they express their concern about what the Chinese are gaining from Tik Tok.

The bigger argument regarding Tik Tok and the Supreme Court may not be the First Amendment issue at all. It may be what President-Elect Trump has asked the Supreme Court to do.

The law is scheduled to take effect the day before Trump is sworn in again. Trump wants the Supreme Court to hold off on the ruling until after he’s in office so he can negotiate what he thinks will be a better settlement.

It appears the latest election has changed the former and future President’s views on this issue.

When Donald Trump was the President he was for the Tik Tok ban. But that was before his reelection where his millions of Tik Tok followers helped him reach the younger voters that pushed him over the finish line.

If the Supreme Court agrees with the Trump camp and delays the law taking effect, it will be a signal that the Court that gave him immunity and reversed Roe v Wade will be receptive to his wants. The Court will be hearing arguments on January 10th. Their questioning will be closely watched.

Social media can and is being used in politics. The algorithms push information to us that reconfirms our already established views. The owners of the platforms hold immense power. Should that power be in the hands of a communist country? Should the owners of any platform hold that much power?

Like I said, I believe in free speech, but with rights come responsibilities.

ByteDance can sell to an American company. If they don’t and if they are shut down in the U.S., the users of Tik Tok have plenty of other options to show their videos of cats, or their kids, or their vacations. There are also plenty of places where they can share their political views. Whether those views are liberal or conservative. No American’s First Amendment rights are being infringed.

When Pete Ricketts was Governor, Nebraska became the first state to ban Tik Tok on state-owned devices. Many other states have followed suit.

Except for the occasional Tik Tok post a friend will send me, I am not a Tik Tok user. But I am an American who is concerned with too much data getting into the hands of those who would wish us harm.

I hope that the Supreme Court upholds the lower court decisions, denies Donald Trump’s motion, and allows this law to take effect on January 19th.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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