Joe Biden’s presidential re-election campaign says it will continue to use the TikTok social media app as part of its communications and voter outreach program despite Biden signing into law on Wednesday legislation that could result in a U.S. ban on the app. Evidence that TikTok’s American user data was being shared with its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, prompted lawmakers on Capitol Hill to renew efforts earlier this year to force ByteDance to divest itself from its U.S. operations.
In defense of the decision to remain on TikTok, a Biden campaign official stated, “A fragmented media environment requires us to show up and meet voters where they are – and that includes online. TikTok is one of many places we’re making sure our content is being seen by voters.” The Biden campaign account has amassed over 300,000 followers with over 120 posts on the Chinese-owned social media app. Earlier this year, the launch of the Biden campaign TikTok account caught many by surprise as the Biden White House had appeared to indicate the Democrat incumbent would not have a presence on the app.
Under the new law, ByteDance will have nine months to a year to find a buyer for its U.S. TikTok app, or it will be banned from being downloaded or updated by American users. The divestiture law was attached to a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, passed by the House last Saturday and by the Senate late Tuesday night.
TikTok disputes the security threat allegations and is planning litigation against the divestiture law. ByteDance executives and Chinese officials have also signaled their opposition to the forced sale. The National Pulse previously reported that the Chinese Embassy was heavily engaged in lobbying against the divestiture provision.
