Desperate TikTok lobbying effort backfires on Capitol Hill - BBC News

The company "weaponised" its US users in a lobbying effort against a bill before Congress, sources say.

14 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, TikTok has few supporters on Capitol Hill - and may have lost some this weekBy Sam CabralBBC News, WashingtonUS congressional offices have told the BBC they are being deluged with calls from TikTok users about legislation that could see the popular app banned.

Callers range from teenagers to the elderly, and most are "really confused and are calling because 'TikTok told me to'", one Republican staffer revealed.

A Democratic staffer said the most aggressive and threatening calls their office received came from adult women.

So far, TikTok's big mobilization appears to be backfiring.

Lawmakers and their staff say that the lobbying campaign has actually worsened the concerns they have about the app and its parent company ByteDance, and strengthened their resolve to pass the legislation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68517607

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