Topline
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign will stay on TikTok, even though the president signed a bill Wednesday morning that requires the Chinese-owned app to be sold or banned in the U.S due to safety concerns.
Key Facts
The Biden campaign told Forbes TikTok is a way for the campaign “to show up and meet voters where they are” and to ensure their “content is being seen by voters.”
The campaign said it would be using enhanced security measures on TikTok, but could not elaborate “for security reasons.”
Earlier Wednesday, Biden signed the bill—which was packaged with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan—that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to either sell the platform or face a U.S. ban in the next year.
The bill requires TikTok’s sale or ban because of security concerns that ByteDance could give TikTok user data like browsing history and location to China’s government, though TikTok officials have routinely denied the app has or would give user information to the government.
Crucial Quote
“When the stakes are this high in the election, we are going to use every tool we have to reach young voters where they are,” the campaign said in a statement to Forbes.
Big Number
306,300. That’s about how many followers the Biden-Harris HQ account has on TikTok as of Wednesday afternoon.
Key Backround
Biden’s team launched the TikTok account, @bidenhq, in February—despite the app already being banned on most devices owned by the federal government over security concerns. At the time, the Biden campaign said the TikTok account, which often features videos of the president and other politicians, was an effort to reach younger voters, NBC News reported. A number of lawmakers at the federal and state levels have been pushing for a TikTok ban for years, citing safety concerns and also the app’s impact on youth mental health. Former President Donald Trump—who is not on TikTok—first attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 by signing an executive order requiring its sale in 45 days or banning it, though the order was blocked in court. Trump has recently reversed his stance and suggested he is against a ban. A number of states have since banned the app from their government owned devices, as well, and some have tried to ban it completely, though they’ve faced legal challenges from TikTok or TikTok users.
What To Watch For
The inevitable legal battle over the TikTok ban. TikTok has already vowed to fight the ban in court and said in a statement on its social media that, despite data privacy concerns, it has “invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation.”
