Could A Ban On TikTok Hurt Democrats?

Democrats have grown increasingly hostile to TikTok because of its ties to China, seemingly in line with hawkish Republicans who have long called for curbs on the platform.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, and top US officials have warned that the technology could be used to send personal data of US users to the Chinese government and even influence Americans to benefit from China.

The cause of the concern is the country’s national security law, which requires Chinese companies and those operating in China to share data with the government upon request.

Biden’s intelligence adviser, Avril Haines, described the country as “the most serious and consequential intelligence competitor.”

But any ban on TikTok could have political implications for the White House and Democrats.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US is a Cabinet committee and top intelligence official that reviews foreign transactions in American businesses for national security concerns. CFIUS has been trying to strike a deal with the platform for the past two years and has now issued an ultimatum to China’s TikTok owners: Sell their shares in the company or risk a national ban in the US, according to a published Wall Street Journal report. Wednesday.

TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter denied that the sale could address security concerns.

“If protecting national security is the goal, divestment does not solve the problem: a change in ownership will not impose new restrictions on data flow or access,” Oberwetter told the Journal.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday said the administration is allowing CFIUS to lead the charge on TikTok.

“There is a process here,” he told reporters. “We try to stay away from that process.”

Caitlin Chin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told HuffPost that it will be more difficult to find a buyer for TikTok than when President Donald Trump tried to force a sale of the company in 2020 by citing. concerns about the security of American data.

Oracle and Walmart reportedly struck a deal to buy 20% of TikTok at the time, but the deal collapsed after a court ruled that Trump’s threat to ban TikTok exceeded his authority.

TikTok’s market share and user base have grown over the years, meaning that any company that wants to buy the social media giant must be bigger than TikTok, but also willing to withstand global scrutiny of the technology, Chin said. .

“There aren’t many companies that have the resources to buy TikTok and have the economic or strategic motivation to do so,” Chin added. “And I think that any sale could also raise antitrust concerns, just because the U.S. social media market is so concentrated.”

Momentum against TikTok has been building in Congress.

Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (RS.D.) last week introduced the Restrictions Act, which is intended to address technological threats posed by the U.S.’s foreign adversaries. While the law does not specifically target TikTok, it could be used to ban the platform in the US.

“This legislation will provide the US government with new mechanisms to mitigate the national security risks posed by high-risk technology businesses operating in the United States,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement last week.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has also drafted a bill brought by the chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who would give President Joe Biden more power to act against TikTok.

A new Quinnipiac University national poll released Wednesday found that nearly 50% of Americans support banning foreign technologies, including TikTok.

But most importantly, support for a ban is likely to be divided along party lines.

While 64% of Republicans and 50% of independents support a ban, only 39% of Democrats agree with action.

Only a third (33%) of Americans aged 18-34 would support a ban, the poll found.

During a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the vice chairman, asked top intelligence officials whether the popularity of the app with young people should stop efforts to curb it.

“Not from my point of view,” replied FBI Director Christopher Wray, who has also been critical of TikTok.

Asked whether Democrats should worry about alienating young voters if they support action against TikTok, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), co-sponsor of the Warner Senate bill and one of the platform’s most vocal critics in the Democratic Party. , said other platforms will fill that gap.

“Once we get to that point, there will be a lot of alternatives,” Bennet told HuffPost on Wednesday.

But the reality, Chin said, is that users don’t have much choice, since social media is one of the most consolidated markets in the US.

While Instagram’s Reels feature appears to be a close competitor to TikTok, its parent company Meta collects personal information from users, and will be one of the direct beneficiaries of the Chinese-owned platform.

Chin added that TikTok creators who have gained followers on the app will find it difficult to migrate their communities elsewhere.

Some Democrats have expressed concern that actions targeting TikTok could damage the party’s standing with younger voters.

When Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo approved the Restrictions Act, she previously warned that special action against TikTok could damage the Democratic Party.

“The politician in me thinks you’re going to lose every voter under 35, forever,” he told Bloomberg. “But I hate TikTok – and I know, because I see the addiction in the bad shit served to children – you know, this is America.”

The White House and more Democrats have previously appeared to embrace TikTok.

Biden once invited eight TikTok influencers to the White House and held a one-hour private meeting with them during the midterm elections.

The influencers’ trip to Washington, DC, was organized by the Democratic National Committee in an effort to generate voters for the party in November. In addition to the White House visit, the creators met with former President Barack Obama and received a private tour of the US Capitol, among others.

“We know people listen to trusted messengers, and as more and more young people turn to Instagram, TikTok and other platforms for news and information, we need to engage with trusted voices directly,” said Rob Flaherty, director of the White House. digital strategy, told The Washington Post at the time.

But now the White House seems to think the downsides outweigh the benefits.

There are still MPs who continue to use TikTok.

Sens. Cory Booker (DN.J.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) both post on the platform frequently. Booker has 330,000 followers, while Sanders has 1.4 million followers.

During an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” last month, Booker noted the security concerns surrounding TikTok, but stopped short of saying the US should ban it.

Sanders and Booker did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on the potential ban.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Republican opponent Mehmet Oz are also actively using TikTok during the 2022 campaign.

The DNC teamed up with TikTok in March 2022 to engage more young voters before the midterms, and also learn how to use the platform effectively in future campaigns, according to Axios.

Nell Thomas, former chief technology officer for the DNC, told Peter Kafka’s “Recode Media” podcast in August 2022 that Democrats are taking some precautions to manage the security risks of using the technology, but TikTok is important for connecting with voters.

“We, at this point, don’t feel like we can ignore the audience that’s on TikTok,” Thomas said. “And we think it’s really important for the values ​​of the Democrats and the victory and the success that will be told where people are.”

Chin expects that the TikTok ban will have an impact on the 2024 political campaign because social media is critical to voter outreach, and how popular the app is with young Americans.

“If TikTok is banned, I don’t know how political campaigns will change their communication strategy in the future to make sure it reaches everyone,” Chin told HuffPost.

Arthur Delaney contributed reporting.