US President Joe Biden planning to involve TikTok bloggers in promoting 2024 reelection bid: Reports
By India Blooms News Service Apr 10, 2023
Washington: The administration of US President Joe Biden plans to involve hundreds of influencers on various social media platforms, including Chinas TikTok, to support his reelection campaign in the 2024 presidential race, Axios reported on Monday.
Biden, who is yet to announce his bid for reelection, is expected to lean on hundreds of influencers to increase his popularity among young voters and effectively counter former President Donald Trumps active social media campaign if he becomes the Republican nominee, according to the outlet.
The Biden administration would particularly rely on support of TikTok users, despite the current debate on the apps ban in the US due to its alleged ties to the Chinese government, Axios added.
Were trying to reach young people, but also moms who use different platforms to get information and climate activists and people whose main way of getting information is digital, Bidens Deputy Chief of Staff Jen OMalley Dillon was quoted as saying.
Over the past weeks TikTok has been under the strict scrutiny of US lawmakers over concerns that the company can collect personal data of 150 million users in the US and hand it over to the Chinese government. In early March, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a bill that will allow the US government to ban TikTok or any other foreign app if they are believed to be a threat to national security.
On March 23, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to hear testimony from TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, whom US lawmakers questioned about the platforms data privacy practices and alleged ties to the Chinese government.
Chew noted TikToks efforts to safeguard US user data and denied claims that the platform colluded with the Chinese government. However, US lawmakers still expressed skepticism about Chews statements and called for a ban.
(With UNI inputs)