The popular social media platform TikTok is reportedly reaching out to influencers to gather support for an organized protest in Washington that will seek to challenge legislators’ proposed ban on the app in the United States.
Sources who wished to remain anonymous and were familiar with the matter informed Politico that the proposed actions were aimed at pressuring lawmakers to reconsider their stance and would be implemented as a final resort. At the time of reporting, TikTok had not disclosed the identities of the individuals it had been in contact with.
The source further mentioned that ByteDance, the parent company of the social media app, is reportedly offering influencers to pay for their trip. For many creators, TikTok is their main income source.
These influencers use the platform to advertise sponsored products, redirect users to an e-commerce website they own, or, in some specific cases, they are rewarded by the platform if their content goes viral.
Also read: Best TikTok Spy Apps: Top 10 for 2023
Even though the company has not confirmed these rumors, TikTok’s spokesperson Jamal Brown said that lawmakers in the country’s capital should “hear firsthand from people whose lives would be directly affected by their decisions”.
These creators will reportedly hold a press conference on Capital Hill at some point within their intended three-day stay. They may also meet with people involved in the latest legislative efforts to ban the app.
Legislators Will Grill TikTok’s CEO Later This Week
TikTok’s intended protests would coincide with an upcoming hearing from the House Energy and Commerce Committee that is scheduled to take place next Thursday and where the Chief Executive Officer, Shou Chew, of the social media platform will have to answer questions about the firm’s data privacy practices and the nature and scope of its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“Americans deserve to know the extent to which their privacy is jeopardized and their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China. What’s worse, we know Big Tech companies, like TikTok, use harmful algorithms to exploit children for profit and expose them to dangerous content online”, a statement from the Committee published on 16 March reads.
The document adds that legislators will be asking Chew about the actions that his company is taking to keep kids safe from “online and offline harm”.
A report from Forbes that cited a couple of staffers within Congress stated that Chew has been approaching legislators ahead of the meeting to learn more about the proceeding and to appease their concerns in regards to both national security and how kids and teenagers are being cared for.
The UK Joins the US in Banning TikTok from Government-Issued Phones
The United States has been turning increasingly hostile against the social media app in recent weeks as two bills have been pushed forward in both chambers of the US Capitol. Any of the two projects could result in a ban of the app amid national security concerns.
In addition, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) recently said that it is ByteDance must spin off and sell TikTok to a non-Chinese entity if the company wants to prevent an outright ban.
Last month, the White House prompted its personnel to delete the social media app from all government-issued devices and gave employees 30 days to comply with the mandate. More than half of the country’s states have enforced similar actions as authorities across the country fear that the app could be exploited by members of the CCP to access sensitive data from US officials.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also adopted the same measure for its government-issued mobile phones. Oliver Dowden, the country’s Cabinet Office Minister, said that the government think it is “both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data can be stored and accessed”.
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